Manage Philippine Remote Workers: Proven Strategies to Increase Engagement and Productivity

Hiring Philippines’ remote workers is a proven cost-efficient strategy to grow your labor force. You can maximize this collaboration by aiming for high employee engagement. 

A 2020 Gallup study has shown that engaged employees lead to better overall business performance. This is easier said than done, though, as it may be challenging to boost morale, especially during an economic downturn.

Poorly motivated employees lead to a high attrition rate. Apart from the struggle to find the right talent, you’ll have to spend three to four times the position’s salary to fill it. Many managers and leaders face difficulties finding, hiring, and building a reliable team, causing burnout. The global talent shortage worsens this reality that leaders have to resolve.

Are you ready to motivate your employees to achieve business goals faster? Here are practical and proven management tips based on the predominant work values of Filipino workers. These strategies aim to improve your leadership style and increase your team’s performance.

Managing Your Filipino Remote Employees

Revisit your management style and align it with Filipino values that resonate with your employees. This entails immersing yourself in the Filipino culture along with its nuances. As a manager, it is also an opportunity for you to promote inclusivity in the workplace.

Avoid Micromanaging

Micromanagers deal with less confident and demotivated team members, according to a survey by Gartner. Know what, when, why, and how to delegate. Your energy and time are better channeled to growth strategies and your business’s core competencies.

Implementing a thorough onboarding process can increase employee confidence. This process requires constant feedback until the employee and the company have streamlined business operations together.

Have a Precise Work Schedule

A common misconception of Filipino workers is their tardiness. However, well-communicated work schedules can prove that Filipino workers aren’t habitually late.

Make sure that the work schedule is something you discussed and agreed on beforehand. Ideally, you must include it in the job description and the contract. Using an open-access collaborative work calendar is a great tool for coordination.

Adjust Your Communication Style

Western communication is direct. However, Filipinos often use indirect and empathic communication styles. This shouldn’t be confused with being soft or weak.

While direct communication may be quite an unfamiliar department, that doesn’t mean they aren’t open to feedback. 

Tip: The “sandwich method” is a tried and tested communication approach for giving feedback. Start with something they’re doing right, then give your constructive feedback. End it with another compliment and ask for a timeline for the improvement you’re looking for.

This may take up your precious time, so consider collaborating with an offshore service provider. This partnership could focus on streamlining communication with your Filipino remote team. They can also manage other HR tasks on your behalf and keep you compliant.

See also: Find, Hire, and Build Your Remote Team in the Philippines

Provide Clear Instructions

Having clear directives for your remote Filipino employees improves output quality. By providing your employees with clear instructions, they’ll know exactly what they need to deliver, leading to better performance and results.

Share your standard operating procedures (SOPs) with your new hires or establish new ones with them during onboarding. A poor onboarding process makes your remote workers feel undertrained, leading to dissatisfaction. 

Pay on Time

Filipino employees rely on timely pay to financially support their families and pay their bills. Billing due dates usually fall during payday as well.

If you’re working with an offshore company, there should be assurance that your employees are getting their payments on time. You might be making timely payments on your end, but the delays might come from the offshore company. Working with a reputable offshore company is crucial to top-notch payroll management.

Related: How Offshore Staffing Works in the Philippines

Provide Health and Wellness Programs

Companies with holistically healthy employees project 11% more annual profit growth than their counterparts, according to Metlife’s Employee Benefit Trends Study. This is why health and wellness programs benefit you and your employees.

Some examples of health and wellness programs are:

• Free gym memberships
• Access to online fitness classes
• Meditation app subscriptions
• Counseling programs

By providing health and wellness programs to your remote Filipino workers, they can live healthier and feel more cared for.

To recap, here are the action items you can apply in your workflow as a leader.

Six Tips for Better Management of Your Remote Filipino Workers

Avoid Micromanaging

Have A Precise Work Schedule

Adjust Your Communication Style

Provide Clear Instructions on Work Processes

Pay On Time

Provide Health and Wellness Programs

Keeping the Philippines’ Remote Workers Motivated

Having a management strategy for your Filipino workers is crucial to quality control. However, focusing only on management and forgoing engagement leads to motivation loss. To avoid that, here’s how to keep the motivations of Filipino employees high.

Create a Collaborative Environment

Companies hiring Filipino workers must know that Filipinos enjoy a collaborative environment in their workplace. They want to know that their company relies on them for more challenging tasks.

An example is the case of Claudine Hidalgo, a remote Events Manager for KE Creative Events. She felt accomplished after managing a major conference with over 300 delegates. 

“It was an honor for me to be entrusted with this project for a long-time client,” she says. “My boss and the delegates were very happy with what I produced. That in itself is very rewarding for me.”

Connect Through Shared Core Values

Another way to engage your Filipino workers is by ensuring you have shared values. When an employee works for a business with aligned values, they can find fulfillment in their work.

This situation applies to the case of Niña Azares who’s a project manager for The LOTE Agency, a multicultural agency from Australia. She enthusiastically shares that she’s “…proud of the meaningful work we do for the multicultural community.” She also mentions that being able to work with people from different cultures is the part of her work that she enjoys the most.

Related: What We Stand For At Penbrothers

Recognize Their Hard Work

Hard work, resilience, and resourcefulness are highly valued Filipino cultural traits among Filipino workers. If they are recognized for the value they bring, it encourages them. Simple recognition amplifies their desire to engage with the work they do.

You can send congratulatory emails after finishing a tough project. Providing bonuses at the end of the year is always welcome. You can also highlight the efforts of an employee publicly during meetings. These are a few ways you can show recognition. 

Tip: Recognitions need not be fancy, as Filipinos usually read between the lines, too. Keep it short and simple!

Encourage Employees To Take Breaks

When your employees take a day off, it’s a chance to recalibrate with family and friends. They then come back to work more energized. If you see that an employee hasn’t taken their vacation or mandated leave for a long time, remind them to take it.

Encouraging breaks shouldn’t only apply to leaves. Tip: Encourage employees to take their lunch breaks on time, too. A study found that employees who take their lunch on time have more work-life balance.

Avoid Public Reprimands

Saving face is a Filipino cultural trait that you should remember when giving feedback.

If you need to reproach your Filipino worker, do so privately and calmly. Constructive criticism made privately avoids embarrassment. It’s a chance to improve their performance without causing distress. This nuance is rooted in how they value belongingness, too.

To recap, here are the action items you can integrate with your leadership approach:

Five Tips on How to Keep Remote Filipino Employees Motivated

Create a Collaborative Environment

Connect Through Shared Values

Recognize Their Hard Work

Encourage Employees To Take Breaks

Avoid Public Reprimands

Final Thoughts

Knowing the best approaches to managing and engaging your remote Filipino employees will optimize your business operations. While adjusting to the Philippine work culture takes time and effort, adapting these creates long-term partnerships.

Improve the management and engagement of your remote Filipino workers through a reliable local offshore service provider. The right offshoring company engages with employees on your behalf while encouraging growth for your business.