Shenna Vale P.

Ancajas ABM – 2A 02-21-19

How do Filipinos Behave in a Workplace?

Filipinos are known for many things. We’re known for our beautiful
islands, our hospitable people, our top-notch workers, and much more. The
Filipino is renowned all over the world for remarkable qualities, often
downplayed or overlooked, but which nonetheless brings pride to the country.
Filipinos draw their culture from their inherited traits. These traits are
inherited from their ancestors. In fact, their maturity and psychological
development are bound by their social environment, which is the product of
the traits of their ancestors.
So how do Filipinos behave in a workplace?
There’s a certain appeal to working with Filipinos. They’re known to be
fun, casual, and hospitable. According to the article Starting a Back Office in
the Philippines? Here’s A Starter Guide To Managing Filipino Teams by Curran
Daly + Associates, the most common traits Filipinos display in the corporate
setting are: they Treat Business/workplace as Personal because Filipinos
are naturally hospitable and friendly since one important part of Philippine
culture is pakikisama, which in general means togetherness, camaraderie or
what sociologists call the need for people in the Philippines to maintain
smooth interpersonal relations. They love engaging with other people, as
evidenced by how Filipinos spend the longest time on social media in the world
— a whopping 8 hours and 59 minutes per day). They are collectivist in nature
and value harmonious relationships with everyone. They do their best to get
along with everyone they know, even at home or at work. Those who don’t are
usually seen as uncouth or without manners. This shows in business as well.
In every workplace, you’ll find Filipinos exchanging personal stories with their
colleagues at work, going out to lunch together, and even attending their
children’s birthday parties. The “buddy system” is even stronger in the
Filipino working culture, as newcomers are welcomed genuinely to the team.
Filipinos are genuinely helpful because of their strong sense of camaraderie.
This is often seen in how they help colleagues go through a tough time at
work. Honorifics Are Essential, in every business setting, you might
encounter some professionals using occupational titles to refer to themselves.
Lawyers are usually addressed as “Attorney”, Doctors (“Doc”), Engineers
(“Engineer”), and several other skilled professionals are addressed according
to their occupation. You would also hear them say the honorifics “po” and
“opo” in every sentence, and at times their informal counterparts too like “ho”
and “oho”. They’re usually used when speaking to older people and people of
authority, like their boss, their parents, or their older colleagues. Additionally,
Filipinos would also refer to their bosses as “ma’am” or “sir”. You can even
hear sales people in the malls and stores addressing customers “ma’am/sir”.
and Communication Barriers Abound. In Filipino culture, using honorifics is
a way of showing politeness and respect. Since childhood Filipinos are taught
to be polite. Sometimes part of it is deferring to authority. Lastly,
Communication Barriers Abound, Filipinos have what is called a high
context culture. It means that when it comes to communicating with Filipinos,
a lot goes on beneath the surface. Contrasted with low context cultures where
communication is explicit and straightforward, high context cultures come off
as ambiguous and not outsider-friendly.
Aside from that Filipinos are hardworking. Working overtime is a
popular concept in the Filipino work culture. Many workers do not mind
working beyond the business hours because they know it can help add value
to the work they do. Filipinos aren’t only hardworking employees, but also
strong leaders. Filipinos are creative. Aside from our humanity, we Filipinos
can be proud of our creativity. While being creative is not an exclusive trait
possessed only by Filipinos, what makes ours distinct is the artistry,
expressiveness, spontaneity, and humor that altogether define Filipino
creativity. Filipinos can adapt easily. Besides creativity, we Filipinos can be
proud of our adaptability. We are highly adaptable to different people,
cultures, and situations that generally make us well-rounded beings. While
overseas, we not only connect with fellow Filipinos but we also adjust easily
to different cultures and diverse people. We tend to make do with what little
we have and find pleasure in the simple things. We adapt well in difficult
situations that likewise showcase our resilience as a nation. Others may view
this as a general acceptance of fate or a strange kind of coping mechanism.
The Filipinos’ optimistic reaction to diversity, uncertainty and adversity truly
baffles, or at most amazes.
But of course much like in the West, the Philippines is no exception to
counterproductive behaviors. Like workers all over the world, Filipino workers
also exhibit behaviors that run against the organization’s goals or against
personal efficacy. Like Crab mentality, Procrastination or “Mañana Habit “,
”Bahala na” or “come what may” habit, Hypocrisy (being a double-faced
person), Ningas cogon, Filipino time (tardiness), Gossiping, Blaming others
(irresponsibility), Inconsideration (being thoughtless of others), Ignoring or
not following simple rules and instructions, Attention grabbing (being an
‘epal’), Being onion-skinned or too sensitive, Living beyond their means
(social climbing) and more.
However, despite the many negative behaviors that quite often
overshadow the positive, there are definitely so many positive behaviors that
Filipinos possesses.
References

Abello, J. C. (2014, June 27). faq.ph. Retrieved from faq.ph: https://faq.ph/14-

bad-habits-that-filipinos-should-break-to-achieve-progress/
Buscato, G. A. (2011, March 3). bartleby. Retrieved from www.bartleby.com:
https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Pakikisama-F3GLAELK6YYS
Cabrera, A. (2017, October 3). peopledynamics. Retrieved from
peopledynamics.co: https://peopledynamics.co/filipino-workplace-
culture/
DIMAYUGA, P. J. (2016, December 1). manilarecruitment. Retrieved from
manilarecruitment.com: https://manilarecruitment.com/manila-
recruitment-articles-advice/filipino-work-culture/
Nito, o. O. (n.d.). tdlpeoplesolutions. Retrieved from tdlpeoplesolutions.com:
http://www.tdlpeoplesolutions.com/index.php/understanding-
philippine-cultural-values-in-the-workplace/
Wong, A. C. (2012, July 29). globalnation. Retrieved from
globalnation.inquirer.net:
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/45875/what-filipinos-can-be-proud-of

Selmer, Jan & De Leon, Corinna. (2018). MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE IN THE
PHILIPPINES. Retrieved
in https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265194904_MANAGEMENT_AN
D_CULTURE_IN_THE_PHILIPPINES

When Inter-Team Conflict Spirals Into Intra-Team Power Struggles: The Pivotal
Role of Team Power Structures. (2018). Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Retrieved 10 April 2018, from https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-
research/publications/when-inter-team-conflict-spirals-intra-team-power-
struggles-pivotal

Jopson. (2010). Pakiramdam. Slideshare.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018,

from https://www.slideshare.net/ncjopson/pakiramdam

Philippines Cultural Worldview and Business Practices | IOR. (2018).

Iorworld.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018, from
https://www.iorworld.com/philippines-pages-794.php