An Insider’s Guide to Filipino Work Culture
In this post:
Why learning Filipino work environments is to your advantage
Avoid confrontation at all costs
Be prepared for an indirect approach
Keep in mind unique Filipino expressions
Understand how they show respect for titles and hierarchy
Family is everything
They celebrate more holidays
Their relationships at work are always warm, welcoming, and wholesome
Some fascinating things you’ve definitely never heard of
#1 — Why learning Filipino work environments is to your advantage
Scale your business
By hiring Filipino remote staff, you can position your business to take more advantage of local and global business opportunities. The more you delegate work to your remote staff, the more time you have on your hands.
Enhance employee performance, involvement, and retention
A workplace that aligns with the values of your team can increase their level of engagement, leading to higher levels of productivity and a stronger desire to remain with the company for an extended period of time.
Improved team understanding
Remote Filipino employees are successful in working with American companies as they are familiar with Western culture. This understanding works in both directions. By gaining knowledge about Filipino work culture's intricacies, you can better understand your team and collaborate more effectively with them. Understanding their traditions, shared goals, and values allows for creating mutually beneficial work processes that align with your business objectives.
#2 — Avoid confrontation at all costs
Filipino culture places a strong emphasis on maintaining solidarity and cooperation. The needs and well-being of the group are prioritized above the individual, and effort is made to maintain peace and avoid conflict.
This means an open expression of dissent, lively debates, criticism, and strong viewpoints are generally avoided. While these interactions may be seen as an opportunity for efficient problem-solving in Western cultures, Filipinos may perceive them as indications of conflict.
They prefer to:
Refer to their senior team member to mediate the situation
Use subtle cues to express dissatisfaction
Communicate their thoughts and opinions in a more diplomatic manner
Initially agree and then express their objections later through indirect means such as emails
Although these methods may appear less effective, they are rooted in cultural norms and preserve unity within the group. To work effectively with your Filipino remote staff, you must work towards finding a mutually acceptable solution.
Here are alternative approaches to giving feedback and preventing conflict:
Use anonymous surveys
Anonymity in surveys and feedback. Encourage team members who feel uncomfortable speaking up in group settings and consider using anonymous forms and surveys.
Consider being more subtle when delivering negative feedback
Rather than addressing them in front of others, it may be more effective to have private one-on-one conversations or to communicate through private channels for constructive criticism.
Formulate it as a question
Instead of issuing direct orders, consider using inquiry to foster open collaboration and communication, for example, “In your opinion, how can we effectively reach our objectives?” or “What are your recommendations for improvement?”.
#3 — Be prepared for an indirect approach
In Western cultures, direct communication is often favored, and straightforward language is used to get directly to the point. However, this approach is not as common in the Philippines.
Your Filipino remote staff may:
Take a roundabout approach when explaining an issue
Perceive the act of being direct as impolite and rude
Shy away from giving direct opinions
Why? Because Filipino culture follows a high-context communication style like many other Asian countries.
In high-context cultures, the meaning behind the words is heavily influenced by factors such as facial expressions, tone, body language and social status. As a result, non-verbal cues and context are relied upon to convey messages rather than explicit verbal communication.
For individuals from low-context cultures in Western culture, where clear and direct communication is emphasized, this style may appear confusing and result in missed cues or perceptions of being overly assertive when giving direct feedback to your Filipino remote staff.
Here’s how you can reconcile the differences:
Foster open and honest communication
Inform your Philippine-based team that expressing their genuine thoughts and opinions is acceptable. Inspire them to pose inquiries, embrace their suggestions, and cultivate a culture that prizes authenticity.
Establish a personal connection
Filipino remote staff are naturally perceptive and will strive to adapt to your communication style, even if it means stepping outside their comfort zone. By establishing a personal relationship, your staff can better understand how to communicate with you effectively.
Be mindful of subtle indicators
Navigating this can be challenging if your sole means of communication is through email, direct messaging or video calls, but make an effort to recognize your staff’s non-verbal signals. Pay attention to their body language, extended pauses or an equivocal “yes” in their vocal tone.
#4 — Keep in mind unique Filipino expressions
Filipinos possess impressive English-speaking abilities, but there are national expressions and terminologies that Filipinos have developed through the decades.
Here are some examples:
“Come again? - Could you please repeat what you said?
“It’s for free” - It’s free
“Bottomless” - Refillable/unlimited Refills
“Fall in line” - Line up/stand in line
“CR/comfort room” - Restroom
“OK, for a while” - Please hold/hold on
“Aircon” - Air conditioner
#5 — Understand how they show respect for titles and hierarchy
In contrast to Western culture, referring to their manager or senior by their first names is considered disrespectful. Hierarchy is significant in Philippine culture, so proper titles are the norm.
Young individuals are taught to address elders using titles such as “tita” [aunt] and “tito” [uncle] or “ate” [sister] and “kuya” [brother], regardless of their personal relationship.
This same cultural practice extends to the workplace, where subordinates are expected to show respect to their superiors by using professional titles of terms such as “Ma’am”, “Sir” or “Madam”.
It’s common for your remote staff to address you as “Sir” or “Ma’am”. Don't feel pressured by this formality. Simply let them know that it's acceptable to use your first name. It may take time, but they'll eventually become comfortable with it.
#6 — Family is everything
Unlike Western cultures that emphasize individualism, Filipino culture places greater emphasis on their community as a whole. It's important to keep in mind that family plays a significant role in the lives of Filipinos. This strong sense of family connections can influence how Filipino remote team members approach work and personal life.
For example, children are often expected to stay with their families even after marriage, rather than leaving to form their own family units, so living in multi-generational households, where multiple generations of family members live in close proximity to each other, is common.
To establish personal connections with your staff, here are some things to note:
Work is a means to support their loved ones
For your Filipino remote staff, this means that work is not just about advancing their careers and personal growth but also about supporting their families. They might strive for professional growth to fund their siblings’ education, aging parents’ medical bills, or contribute to the family’s household costs.
Expect friendly inquiries about your family
For many Filipinos, discussing family is a common and innocuous conversation topic, just like talking about your day. Keep it light and ask about theirs too - they’ll appreciate it!
Work is not just a job, it’s like a second family
It’s important for your remote staff to develop strong social connections with colleagues while committing years to your company.
#7 — They celebrate more holidays
Filipinos observe a significant number of holidays—around 18 annually. Besides Christmas, another major celebration in the Philippines is the Chinese New Year. Around 5 million people of Chinese and Filipino descent reside in the Philippines, comprising about 5% of the country’s total population.
Since a majority of the population is Catholic, Holy Week (also known as Lent) is another significant holiday. They observe Lent through a series of religious activities which starts on Ash Wednesday to 40 days before Easter Sunday.
Here are some points to take into account:
What holiday schedule should your team follow?
Determine whether your remote worker's team should observe Philippine or US holidays in the early stages of the hiring process. This will facilitate proper planning for their tasks and time off.
Additional holiday compensation
In the Philippines, it’s customary for employees to receive a Christmas bonus. This is not mandatory for remote workers hired as independent contractors, but it can serve as a valuable retention tool in retaining your team members.
Enhance team spirit
Can you provide opportunities for team bonding, such as parties or company events during special occasions? While it's not a requirement, offering these activities can enhance team morale and increase employee retention.
#8 — Their relationships at work are always warm, welcoming, and wholesome
The importance of "Pakikipagkapwa-tao" [socializing] in Filipino culture is reflected prominently in their work environment. With a strong emphasis on companionship, Filipinos often develop close-knit groups and cultivate strong social connections with their colleagues.
They enjoy socializing and engaging in small talk when surrounded by each other and even celebrating special occasions like birthdays, promotions, and long weekend holidays amongst each other.
Building strong relationships with co-workers is important to Filipinos. However, remote work can make it challenging to maintain these close relationships, but it’s not an impossible obstacle.
Here are some ways to maintain engagement among your remote workforce:
Arrange amusing virtual events
Consistently plan team activities, including team-building games, virtual happy hours, and other exercises.
Offer a friendly greeting to new members
A lighthearted call can establish a positive first impression.
Promote professional development
Constructing company culture extends beyond free food and fun huddles. You must also provide opportunities for growth and advancement. Offer access to courses, books, and other resources to encourage continuous growth.
#9 — Some fascinating things you’ve probably never heard of
Bilingualism
Many Filipinos are naturally bilingual, speaking both Filipino and English fluently. If your remote staff is from a certain region, they may also be proficient in one or two additional languages.
Filipino culture is shaped by a blend of Asian, Western and Hispanic influences
The Philippines is a culturally diverse country. As a result of colonization, trading and migration, the Philippines has become a fusion of cultural influences.
Food is a significant aspect of their culture
In the Philippines, asking, “Are you hungry?” or "Have you eaten already?" is a common greeting, similar to saying, "How are you?" in English. If you observe a Filipino colleague eating lunch or snacks, it's not uncommon for them to offer to share it as a gesture of hospitality, although it’s acceptable to decline the offer.
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