This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.
Filipinos are a really happy bunch of people and nobody personifies that more than “Little John”.
No, I didn’t give him that nickname. He made that up himself.
I didn’t even know the team called him “Little John” until he wrote this blog post…hahahaha.
I found John by browsing the resumes at OnlineJobs.ph.
Turns out….he’s better than I thought he would be.
Outsourced and Happy
How the Story Began
Allow me to start with a brief introduction of myself.
My name is John; well…the team addresses me as Little John to do away with all the confusion with our big man John. I’m 22, a nurse by profession but have none the less no more intention of going back to my medical roots. I was introduced to onlinejobs.ph by a friend who pitied me for complaining about my stressful job as an English Language Trainer for a call center and I’ve been working for John for more than a year now and have worked a very happy and productive year.
As a little present for John (and perhaps for all the readers), I’ll be revealing some things most outsourcers don’t know.
Here goes.
Squealing the Secret
Outsourcing is one job that has changed lives of many Filipinos.
Needless to say, it has broken a lot of barriers starting with the cultural barrier wherein someone from the west works together with somebody from the tropics.
Though cross-culture working relationships may sound awesome or cool or whatever, the hard reality is that it is never easy. As a Filipino, I am shy and easily embarrassed by nature. I don’t know why, you as the employer need not know why. These stuff cannot be easily changed as I was born with it.
The best thing to do if you ask me is to just let me be until I get comfortable with you, my employer. Once Filipinos begin to get comfortable with their employers, they start opening up their feelings and start telling you how they really feel about their jobs, their tasks, their workload…. you name it !
Making the Choice
If there one thing employers should know and understand, majority of job seekers posting lower salary expectations are novices in the business. That said, expect to have your employee trained by you which I bet isn’t that hard. Judging from experience, I learned most of the basics and more by self-learning. I initially was looking for a writing job but found that managing a website or two is way more awesome.
On the flip side, most who declare higher salary expectations are those with extensive experience. Well as a matter of fact; these guys actually do know how much they are worth.
Rollercoaster Ride to Comfort
I have had my shares of frustrations while on the job. Not getting the job done or not meeting the expectations of John and the rest of the team is one. Despite appearing rather unpressured, I have been pressured because I find myself responsible and accountable for the tasks I am working with.
I started out shy and kept questions and problems to myself. Sad thing is, I felt left out and even got more pressured. It’s a good thing John and the team allowed me to open up and helped me become closer with them. In turn, I found myself more productive, more involved and more confident with what I do. Having been instilled from the very beginning to ask when in doubt, I took the advice to my advantage whenever Google failed me.
Loud and Proud
If there is one thing I am proud of and would actually find pretty neat if all employers did the same, is that John actually acknowledges the fact that as humans, we too deserve breaks in order to become productive. Recognizing that attention may actually diminish after long periods of concentration is something we Filipino’s would appreciate if our employers had. Accepting the fact that from time to time, in the middle of our work, we browse Facebook or Twitter or read the latest gossips is pretty important as we are not working in an environment where there are people beside us we could share a giggle just to break the ice.
Cutting the Ropes Early
I have tendencies of writing too much and I guess John knows that (I sold myself into having him hire me because of my lengthy mails) reason why I am cutting this post short. I have a whole lot more to tell but would rather give the space to my team-mates to share their own slices of cake.
Having to guest blog for John is a great honor on my part. Not everyone is given such an honoring experience. If you have a workforce in the Philippines, I suggest you give them this opportunity too. I’m sure they’d have smiles as wide as I have as I am writing this.
My name is John. I have control over my time. I work at home. I have a job I enjoy. Outsourced and happy.