Famous for its beaches, tropical climate, and friendly people, the Philippines can be considered as one of the best places to live and work. Filipinos are well-known for being hospitable, amiable, and family-oriented. People get along well here. Smiles and greetings are common in the workplace and even on the street.

Indeed, working in the Philippines can really be an attractive option for employees and employers alike. The working conditions may vary depending on the type of industry you work for.

But one thing’s for sure, you’ll be working with one of the best hardworking and dedicated workforces in the world. Not to mention the friendliest too! You will not only enjoy basking under the tropical sun and sea but also the warmth of the Filipino people.

The Expected Perks of Working in the Philippines

Besides the people and scenery, living and working in the Philippines is becoming an extremely attractive option for other citizens of the world nowadays. With its growing robust economy, the country has a lot to offer for entrepreneurs and career-driven individuals who want to establish themselves in the South East Asian region.

Here are several things you can expect while working in the Philippines:

Work Hours and Compensation Benefits

Employees normally work 8 hours a day with one-hour lunch breaks. Philippine labor law stipulates that employers are required to give employees one day off per week. Depending on the nature of your job, most employees usually get the weekends off.

• Overtime Pay

Overtime (OT) pay is given to employees who rendered overtime with at least a 25% premium to their regular hourly rate. OT pay on an employee’s official rest day entitles them to an additional 30% compensation to their regular daily rate.

• Night Shift Differential

Night Shift Differential is applicable to employees who work between 10PM-6AM. They would be given an additional 10% compensation to every hour they rendered while working during this timeframe.

Leave Benefits

Employees are entitled to a minimum of five (5) service incentive leaves with pay once they have rendered a year of service in the company. Other leave benefits include:

• Maternity Leave

Any pregnant employee with at least six (6) months of service in the company will be granted maternity leave prior to her expected date of delivery with full pay based on her regular salary. This benefit is applicable to the first four pregnancy deliveries of a woman working in the organization.

Government employees are granted 60 days of maternity leave and depending on the company’s regulations, 60 to 80 days of maternity leave can be granted to employees in the private sector.

However, under the Expanded Maternity Leave Act of 2018 which was recently ratified by both the Philippine Congress and Senate this October 2018, solo working mothers will get an additional 15 days of leave. A total of 120 days of paid maternity leave will be given under this bill.

The bill will also allow mothers to have the option of extending their leaves for another 30 days, but these would be unpaid. The provisions of the bill will be applicable to all pregnancies.

• Paternity Leave

The Paternity Leave Act of 1996 endows married fathers a total of seven (7) days of fully paid leave. This is effective up to the first four pregnancy deliveries of their legitimate spouse.

Additionally, the Expanded Maternity Leave Act of 2018 also stipulates that a total of 7 out of the 105 days of leave may be transferred to fathers. This will thereby extend an expectant father’s paid paternity leave to 14 days.

• Special Leave Benefits for Women

Stipulated under the Magna Carta for Women, a woman with at least six (6) months of service in the company who underwent surgery due to gynecological disorders are entitled to two (2) months of paid leave.

Additionally, victims of violence against women, under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004, are entitled to 10 days of fully paid leave.

Holidays

Normally, the Philippines has a total of 18 public national holidays every year wherein six (6) of those are usually classified as a special non-working holiday.

Any employee who works on a regular holiday is entitled to receive twice the amount of their daily compensation rate. While employees who work on a special non-working holiday will receive an additional 30% compensation to their daily rate.

Take a look at the list of public holidays in the Philippines next year:

Mandatory Government Benefits

To protect the country’s workforce from unfair labor practices, the law requires employers to comply with the government’s mandatory benefits for employees. Under the Philippine Labor Code, both employees and employers are required to pay monthly government contributions which are automatically deducted to an employee’s basic monthly salary. These mandatory contributions are:

• Social Security System (SSS) Contributions

The SSS Employees’ Compensation (EC) program was created to help employees with received work-related illnesses or injuries. The employee will be compensated for the necessary medical services and treatment in accredited hospitals, including some cash benefits.

• Pag-IBIG Contributions

This government-mandated benefit will help employees avail calamity loans, housing loans, and multi-purpose loans for financial assistance.

• PhilHealth Contributions

PhilHealth provides the necessary financial assistance for inpatient and outpatient hospitalization in any government-accredited health care institutions. Employees are also entitled to avail of the Z Benefit Package and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related illnesses which are offered to provide medical treatments to health conditions that require prolonged hospitalization.

The Unexpected Perks of Working in the Philippines

There are several workplace benefits in the Philippines that are distinctively Filipino. The innate Filipino tradition of camaraderie and friendship naturally compels them to have workplace practices that are noticeably unique to any other work environment.

Here are several unexpected perks you’ll get while working in the Philippines:

13th Month Pay

The law mandates that employees are entitled to receive an extra month of their basic monthly pay every year before December 24. If an employee resigns from the company before the release of the 13th-month pay, he is still entitled to a pro-rated amount based on the number of months he worked for the company since the start of the year.

Holiday Gift Baskets

Since a majority of Filipinos are Christians, the Christmas season is always a huge deal in the Philippines. Employers would often give Christmas gift baskets to their employees over the holidays. Common items in the gift basket often include Noche Buena packages such as – Christmas ham, quezo de bola, canned fruit cocktail, milk, spaghetti, pasta sauce, etc.

Birthday Celebrations

Filipinos are also known to initiate small gatherings and get-togethers in the workplace. One way of doing that is by celebrating the birthdays of their co-workers. Employees would rally their teammates to give monthly celebrants simple treats like birthday cards or even birthday cakes.

Team Buildings

Filipino employees often treat their colleagues as a de facto family. They are highly sociable individuals who love to build relationships with the people they work with. To foster camaraderie in the workplace, some companies allocate a separate budget to fund out-of-town trips or outdoor activities for annual team buildings among their employees.

The Filipino Employee: Who are they?

As you wade your way through a new work environment in the Philippines, you will get to meet new people with friendly faces and enthusiastic spirits. There’s a good chance that you would be working closely with motivated young professionals in the workforce.

Let’s look at these infographics and get to know them a little bit more.

The 2017 Salary Report from Jobstreet shows the average salary of employees with 1-5 years of experience in different industries. Employees who work in the IT industry are one of the highest paid junior executives in the country.

The report also noted the stiff competition from BPO (business process outsourcing) companies as they have been hiring employees from other specializations like healthcare and finance. This has caused the incremental salary increases in these specializations since 2016.

Other top-paying jobs in the country include legal services, training and development, financial services, actuarial science, and public relations.

Filipino employees are globally competitive since the workforce are considered to be hardworking and motivated with great likable personalities. That’s what makes them fun to hang out with both in the workplace and outside of it. Let’s break down the various characteristics and traits of a Filipino employee:

Demographics

The Philippine workforce has a young population with a median age of 23 years old. Recent statistics show that the country has a strong and abundant manpower supply as it has 70.1 million people over the age of 15 who are eligible to work.

Education

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the simple literacy rate in the Philippines, which refers to Filipinos 10 years old and above who can read and write,  is at 96.5%. While its functional literacy rate is at 90.3%. These are Filipinos ages 10-64 who can read, write, and perform basic computation skills.

Skills

English is the primary medium of instruction Philippine schools and as a result, it currently ranks 14th out of 88 countries in the English Proficiency Index report. It has a proficiency score of 61.82 and currently holds the second highest rank out of 21 countries in Asia.

Filipinos are also known to be tech-savvy. In terms of their ability to adapt in a modern digital workplace, the Microsoft Asia Pacific New World of Work Index report showed that the Philippines scored 59% and ranked 3rd among the 12 markets surveyed in Asia.

Work Ethics

Filipino employees are known to give high regard to their superiors and are receptive to the established regulations and hierarchies in the workplace. They are known to have a positive outlook in life and that attitude also becomes evident in the workplace.

JobStreet’s 2017 Job Happiness Index showed that employees who are happy with their jobs cited colleagues, work location, and company reputation as the top three drivers of workplace satisfaction.

Filipinos are not just hardworking employees. Their fun and friendly demeanor extend even outside the workplace. Their warm smiles and generous spirits will make you feel right at home. And in time, you’ll realize that the Philippines is a truly rewarding place to call home and you and your colleagues at work are now your family.  

 

Reference:

105-day paid maternity leave bill up for Duterte’s signature. (2018). Rappler. Retrieved 15 November 2018, from https://www.rappler.com/nation/213452-105-day-paid-maternity-leave-bill-for-duterte-signature

Chan, R., & Chan, R. (2017). The Anatomy of a Filipino Employee: What Makes Them Worth Investing In. EnterPH. Retrieved 15 November 2018, from http://enterph.com/blog/anatomy-filipino-employee-makes-worth-investing-infographic/Top-paying jobs in the Philippines employ less than 1 percent of labor force. (2018). cnn. Retrieved 15 November 2018, from http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/02/23/Top-paying-jobs-in-the-Phils-employ-less-than-1-percent-of-labor-force.html