Managers guide

Managing our A Managers Philippines based Guide teams The following key tips for Managers are sourced from the “MGL Managing Remote Teams in the Philippines”. These tips reinforce the training material detailing Filipino culture and work practices. TOGETHER WE DELIVER

Cultural Awareness Hospitality A vital aspect of the Filipino culture is Hospitality. Arranging an occasional Team lunch and joining remotely shows that you value their culture and want to be a part of it. If any of your team members visit Australia, invite them out, show them the city and invite them to Team events. Hiya Hiya is generally defined and translated to mean “shyness” or “shame.” It is also related to pride and is connected to self-esteem and self- image. Avoid putting your team members in situations that might cause embarrassment such as talking about money. Your team members might not want to openly disagree with you or ask questions publicly in case they are shown-up or cause offence, which would ultimately result in Hiya. Spend time reassuring your team members that asking questions, respectfully undertaking professional disagreements and discussions are encouraged and welcomed. Your team member may feel more comfortable and willing to share more openly if no other team members are present. Pakisisama Pakisisama simply means getting along with each other. Group harmony and unity is valued in the Philippines. If success is achieved, it is for the entire group to share in and no one should be left behind. When you consider the cultural differences of your Team, building Team cohesion, celebrating as a team and involving your team in sharing information and decision making will have incredibly positive outcomes. Social Interactions Filipino people are very social and friendly. They may tend to chat socially whilst at their workstations and in the pantry (breakout) area. This may not be an issue as the need to work hard and succeed is a powerful force, so should balance the need for social interaction. However, if performance is affected then speak to them directly one to one and explain your expectations.

\\ Rest breaks The Philippine government prescribe 3 rest breaks during the working day. A 1-hour lunch break and 2 short breaks. It’s important to plan meetings appropriately to allow your team members to use the allocated break times as legally required. It is common for the whole team to want to go to lunch or on breaks together to socialise. This may not always be appropriate as leaving an area unmanned may put pressure on the Teams in Australia. If you always require at least one of your team to be at their workstations, clearly and empathetically set this expectation. Communication The Philippines is a bi-lingual country, but one of the challenges that our Filipino team members might face is understanding our Australian or British slang terms and accents. Due to Hiya, they may not want to question you which could lead to miscommunication. As you build relationships with your team, try to keep the slang to a minimum. Instead use clear, concise and universal terms. Checking for understanding and following up via written communication can also be helpful. Directness Filipino’s appreciate direct, clear and unambiguous communication. This ensures that they fully understand what is expected and helps to avoid Hiya if they do not fully understand something. Speech is often ambiguous, and Filipinos may speak in the passive voice rather than the active to avoid being perceived as speaking harshly. It’s a good idea to follow up any formal meeting or catch up with an email to confirm understanding and allow your team member time to process the information and respond appropriately. Honorifics In the Philippines, honorific titles can also be used to show esteem, courtesy, or respect based on age or a perceived superior standing at work or socially. Your team members may call you Mr, Mrs, Miss, Sir or Madam. If you are not comfortable with this due to its formality, please tell your team members, as they won’t be offended.

Strategies for Working with your Team Schedule daily regular check-ins For Managers and Teams that are new to either remote working or the Team itself, this is key. New team members may need more focus than more established ones. Try to use video conferencing facilities, such as Teams or Zoom to establish face to face interaction. This links back to Pakisisama and the innate desire for group harmony and unity. . Over communicate Over-communicating is imperative when it comes to the Team’s tasks, duties, responsibilities and desired outcomes. Follow-up with email, send instant messages, ask for feedback from your team mates, whatever is required to ensure your team are fully aware and equipped to deliver Use Technology Meeting face to face, even virtually is much more effective than an email or phone call in ensuring your Team members fully understand any direction you are providing. Microsoft Teams allows quick and secure document sharing, online meetings and communication via text, voice or video chat. Microsoft Planner is another very useful tool for collaborating with your Team. Integrated with Teams, it allows you and your Team to create plans, assign tasks, chat about tasks, and see charts of your team’s progress.

Expectation Management Set clear expectations for the frequency, means and timing for communication with your Team. For instance, insist on a video conference via Teams for daily check-ins but encourage Teams chat, phone call or email for urgent non-complex tasks. Also, establish expectations on the best times of day for Team members to reach you, and for you to reach each Team member. Also manage expectations to ensure alignment. Don’t simply assume the Team understands where they need to focus their energy. Encourage remote social interactions Events such as virtual happy hours, pizza parties and group recognition sessions really work to build and encourage team togetherness. Use time during pre-scheduled meetings for non-work-related conversations and activities. Occasionally plan a happy hour or pizza party. Remove obstacles The Philippines has many natural and human made obstacles that your Teams need to regularly overcome. Flooding, loss of services such as water, electricity, gas and internet to name a few are not unusual. Things that we take for granted can be unavailable in an instant. You cannot control any of these things, but you can ensure that your Team members feel supported, cared for and valued by allowing a degree of flexibility when these things occur. Don’t add to the pressure they are already feeling and ensure you maintain contact with them to check on their welfare. During these times, the Vendors in Manila will provide regular information and updates to the Business Services Manager - Manila who will forward this on to you.

Learn the Lingo A good way to help build relationships is for you to learn some common Filipino phrases to use during your interactions. Something as simple as “hello”, “goodbye” or “how are you” can show that you are taking a real interest in your team. Try taking some time before, during or after a team meeting to share some common Aussie slang terms with your Team members. And then test them on them later… in a fun and engaging way. Hello (General Greeting) Kumusta How are you? Kumusta ka? How is everyone? Kumusta kayo? Reply to 'How are you?' Mabuti naman? What's your name? Ano ang pangalan mo? My name is…. Ang pangalan ko ay … Where are you from? Saan ka nanggaling? Good morning Magandang umaga Good afternoon Magandang hapon Good evening Magandang gabi Goodbye Paalam Long-time no see Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita Have a nice day Magandang araw sa'yo Let's eat Kainan na You did a great job Magaling yung ginawa mo I like your idea Gusto ko yang naisip mo That’s a good idea Maganda ang naisip mo Have a good journey Maligayang paglalakbay Sorry Pasensya na / Patawad Thank you Salamat You're welcome Walang anuman Get well soon Magpagaling ka Merry Christmas Maligayang Pasko Happy Birthday Maligayang kaarawan Happy Anniversary Maligayang anibersaryo