I got this question through my Facebook page:

“Do you experience high turnover among Filipino Remote workers? We have gone through at least 30 of them in the last 3 years despite providing 13th-month bonus, health insurance, and higher wage than if they were to work through a staff agency company. We also do daily huddles, so communication shouldn’t be a problem. It seems like they always have personal issues.. It’s really giving us an operational headache and I’m starting to think it’s not working out outsourcing in the Philippines. It’s kinda sad because they are usually smart but also often have 2 full time jobs..”

This sounds more like a position issue or a management issue than a salary issue.

We almost never have someone leave.  I’ve probably had 12 people leave (or us let them go) over the past 15 years TOTAL.  We have 38 full-time OFS right now.

Filipinos are super loyal culturally.

Maybe you should ask your current team why they think people are leaving.  Tell them to be honest with you and that you’re prepared to hear some hard things.

What are these hard things? Here are a few examples

1. They’re bored. The work isn’t challenging enough. There’s no need to focus or do better. There’s no professional fulfillment, so they’re looking for it elsewhere.

2. They don’t feel heard. Yes, you can have daily meetings with your team, but are they comfortable enough to really tell you what they think?

3. Are they worried they might lose their job if they contradict you or make mistakes?

4. Do you always shoot down their ideas or ignore their suggestions?

It takes time to learn how to listen. It’s something I still struggle with. Some OFS still don’t feel comfortable talking to me directly about their concerns.

We keep encouraging them to speak up so we know what we can do to improve their work environment. They sometimes course it through a teammate. We also allow them to send us their concerns anonymously.

5. Your workers see themselves as freelancers. At OneVAAway.com, we have this list of questions for applicants to know more about their personalities.

We want people who look for stability and long-term work. There are a lot of Filipinos out there who want this. They’re the ones who make the best employees.

But there are Filipino workers out there who live to hustle. The freelancers. That’s the culture that sites like Upwork and Freelancer promote. You’re rewarded when you’re always chasing that next job. You’re a rockstar when you have a long list of clients.

This is why I don’t promote the review system at Onlinejobs.ph. It’s good that it tells you what workers to avoid. But it also worries me when I see a worker get good reviews from many employers. Why can’t this worker stick with one employer?

Look, I feel for this employer having all this turnover. It can get frustrating when you spend time recruiting and giving your employees “benefits” and not getting the work you expect.

That’s why a good recruitment process is so important. It took me years to develop OneVAAway because I went through all those mistakes and kept improving my process. I designed it so you don’t have to make the same mistakes as I did.

John