The Philippines is undoubtedly one of the best countries to consider when beginning an offshore strategy. But before building your team, it is important to understand that what is considered normal in your working culture might not be the same in a Filipino office.

Understanding Filipino culture and getting to know its intricacies is a sensible step for any business planning to outsource their services there.

Below are just a few of the finer points worth considering when outsourcing in the Philippines.

Hardworking

A rich and varied work culture, Filipinos are above all else, hard working. Employees are disciplined and highly productive and flourish best in an environment where quality internal structures and processes are in place. This resourceful attitude and commitment to teamwork is what makes their BPO industry the best in the world.

Friendly and warm  

Filipino people are friendly, warm and sociable people who are easy to interact with. In fact, they are often ranked as some of the happiest people in the world! Their hospitable nature means they are always keen to befriend new colleagues and team members will often go out of their way to make others feel at ease.

Importance of pride

Being ‘hiya’ or ‘mahiyain’ is a Filipino value that puts great emphasis on how others see you. Needless to say, modesty and pride are a big deal in Filipino work culture. Staff value their reputation in the workplace and would prefer not to be embarrassed in a public setting. If you need to talk to your Filipino team members on sensitive subjects, it is best to do so in a discreet and constructive manner.

Family first

Family takes priority above many things for Filipinos, in both a personal and professional sense. The everyday language of Filipinos shows how rooted family values are to them, as they will sometimes use ‘ate’ or ‘kuya’ or ‘older sister’ and ‘older brother’ when calling the attention of others, ergo it can be second nature to call strangers members of their family.

At Deployed, we know the importance of creating a personal connection between local and remote offices. That is why we encourage all our clients to priorities creating a strong and positive connection between your two offices in order to instil that ‘one and the same’ mentality. 

All of the above, matched with the incredibly varied pool of talent the Philippines has to offer perhaps explains why the BPO industry has grown so much in the Philippines over the last decade. By equipping yourself with the knowledge of how best to manage your Filipino team, you can be sure to get the best out of them.

We pride ourselves on understanding these intricacies and helping our clients understand them too. Our goal is to make a real difference in your business’ future, and that starts with the right work ethic and the right people.

If you would like to learn more about how outsourcing with Deployed can help your organisation, get in touch today.