A company that lacks core values isn’t a business. Regardless of their size, organizations should prioritize their “Core Values.”
Values determine the course of business, which influences strategy and decision-making. Essentially, these core values serve as the foundation for building the business.
Core Values provide numerous benefits to the company. You must ensure that core values are upheld and implemented across the entire business unit.
The basic unit of society in the Philippines is the family. For most Filipinos, family is the foundation of social life. It is critical to carry out one’s duties and responsibilities to respect others and maintain family harmony properly while running a business.
This article will discuss the various characteristics of a Filipino family that every company or business should apply.
Table of Contents
Respect
One of the most valuable virtues that Filipinos possess is respect. Respect and politeness are taught to people of all ages, young and old. When chatting with older people or, on occasion, someone in a high position or a prestigious member of society, Filipinos are accustomed to utilizing the phrases “po,” “opo,” and “ho.”
In the Philippines, it is customary to use these words as a token of respect. Saying “Pagmamano” or laying the back of an elder’s palm on your forehead before leaving/saying goodbye and upon arriving/greeting them can also demonstrate respect.
Younger family members should address older siblings as kuya (elder brother) or ate (elder sister) to show respect (older sister).
In the workplace, you don’t have to practice “pagmamano” to show your respect for your bosses. However, addressing them as “ma’am” or “sir” and practicing common courtesy and politeness will do.
Helpfulness
Filipinos get along with a wide range of people. They are adaptable and flexible to any situation. This personality trait promotes cooperation, as well as sound and helpful deeds.
When their neighbors are in a pinch, they will do whatever they can to assist them. They also do not leave their family members to face adversity alone; instead, they help one another.
As a result, this trait usually promotes general cooperation and doing excellent or helpful deeds, leading to others viewing you favorably.
Cooperation or teamwork is essential in any business. Leaders must create an environment where employees are not afraid to share their ideas to improve collaboration truly.
Leaders must foster an environment where the exchange of ideas is encouraged and rewarded. Teamwork and cooperation must be a central theme of the mission statement.
Equality in terms of Gender Roles
Occasionally, Filipino society is labeled as patriarchal. It is due, in part, to many Filipino men’s machismo attitudes and masculine standards. The Philippines, on the other hand, is closer to exhibiting a matriarchal society.
Female influence is strong throughout the country, with many women holding senior positions in business and government. It is common for a matriarch to manage the household structure.
In most cases, the head of the household is the oldest female, often the grandmother (lola). Income from family members is frequently pooled together, and the matriarch is in charge of the family finances.
Employers can promote gender equality by transparent pay, ensuring that women are not paid less than men in comparable roles. Another approach is to give deserving candidates, regardless of gender, leadership positions.
A gender-equal workplace in which all employees feel respected and valued creates a more favorable environment for all your employees. When you have a gender-diverse workplace, your employees will notice that their coworkers have talents and strengths that they do not have. The appreciation for these differences will help foster a respectful environment among the team members.
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Family First
This trait implies that a person places a high value on their family and prioritizes them above all else. For example, it is common for a father or mother in a Filipino family from the Philippines to seek employment abroad or in a job.
They do not want to provide a decent living for their family. They have prioritized meeting the family’s basic needs and practicing pagpapahalaga sa pamilya.
This trait can be demonstrated by empowering people-centric organizations that value employee happiness. A great team is built on trust, and one way trust develops is when people feel comfortable speaking up and engaging in healthy conflict – even with the leader.
When someone expresses a concern or provides constructive feedback, don’t rush to justify or defend yourself. Instead, pay attention. Put yourself in the employee’s shoes and consider what their genuine concern or criticism is.
This kind of humble leadership inspires loyalty, which boosts effort and retention. Developing employee programs that promote growth and well-being at work and home can make people feel valued and motivated to work even harder.
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How can you apply your core values to the company?
Every company is unique, and the way you choose to promote and reinforce your values should reflect your company’s distinct culture and brand. However, there are a few tried-and-true methods for bringing core values to life:
1. Employees should be recognized for demonstrating core values.
When employees are empowered to reward and recognize others for upholding your company’s core values, those values become more tangible. Recognition enables you to highlight your values in the context of actual, everyday behaviors rather than aspirational concepts.
Create a recognition program that allows employees to identify quickly, highlight, and reward examples of your values in action. Recognition is highly effective, especially when it is linked to specific behaviors.
2. Communicate your core values to current employees regularly.
Core values are usually displayed on the walls in a physical office setting. However, finding other ways to keep the values front and center in a virtual environment is critical.
Maintain your core values by incorporating them into your daily communication, whether you post them on your company intranet page or include them in your weekly newsletter.
Transparency about how your company lives up to its values and how you’re improving will help build trust and understanding among employees.
3. Integrate core values into the hiring, onboarding, and ongoing development of employees.
Hiring managers should always include company values on their career pages and evaluate new job candidates based on those values. The goal is to attract candidates who share your values while discouraging those who do not. Furthermore, by assessing candidates based on company core values, it is easier to determine whether candidates are a “culture fit” or not.
When hiring a new employee, ensure to introduce and demonstrate the core values early on. Distribute videos, flyers, and resources to help them learn about your values.
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Takeaway
We have discussed how creating an office culture that feels like their second home can help keep employees motivated and driven. This can be done by creating an office culture that feels like their second home in the Filipino context.
You will have employees that will stay continuously productive, work to the best of their abilities, and remain loyal to you, just as they would with their natural families. If you create an environment where they feel like they belong and allow for proper balance with work-life integration, your company will thrive even more.
For these values to be successfully applied, everyone in your organization must be accountable for living them. Senior management must consistently model the values and use them to support their vision, and employees must carry them out in their daily work. If your core values are the foundation of your culture, everyone in your organization must share the responsibility of bringing those values to life.
