by rossanahead | Jan 31, 2017 | Business Tips, career
If you’ve been lamenting how much hassle it is to travel to work and deal with the nightmare traffic, the pushing crowds, the pollution, and the heat, the good news is that employers in the Philippines seem to be more open to the idea of flexible work arrangements, or FWAs.
Mary Grace Riguer, OIC-executive director of the Institute for Labor Studies, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said in a recent business forum that more and more employers in the Philippines have begun adopting FWAs, such practices now made more feasible by technological and telecommunications breakthroughs.
“In the Philippines there are some players already [engaging in FWAs],” confirmed Riguer, mentioning Metro Pacific Investments which implements flexi time and work from home arrangements, and Aboitiz Equity Ventures which has adopted flexi time and earlier-shift schedules.
Meralco is now also implementing telecommuting, launching its pilot last year and currently planning to expand the coverage of the program, said Paola Verayo, an HR business partner at the company, in her presentation in the same gathering.
Riguer said some fields in the services sector are a particularly good fit for FWAs. These include industries engaged in medical health, computer and IT, marketing, communications, customer service, sales, administration, education and training, and finance.
Meanwhile, among jobs or occupations that may adapt well to FWAs are online teaching, customer support, web and software development, administration, sales and marketing, engineering, design and multimedia, mobile development, writing, accounting and bookkeeping, networking, and business services.
As long as the work or some aspects of work will be using technology, it is possible for the employee to be allowed to work from the house or anywhere outside of work premises, said Riguer.
She said forms of flexible work arrangements that are currently being applied in the country include telecommuting (working from home), telework (taking home some of your office work), virtual or freelance work (working full-time away from the workplace), and crowdsourcing (outsourcing jobs online to groups of people who operate independently).
Interest in telecommuting and other forms of flexible work practices is rising amid the terrible road congestion in Metro Manila and the growing desire of workers for a more equitable work-life balance.
A study conducted by the Japan International Coordination Agency foresees the traffic costs in Manila increasing to P6 billion a day by 2030 from P2.4 billion per day in 2015.
Last year, Senator Jose Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, filed Senate Bill No. 1033, or the Telecommuting Act of 2016, on August 16, 2016.
The bill encourages employers to allow “telecommuting” or the “partial or total substitution of computers or telecommunication technologies, or both, for the commute to work by employees.”
On January 25, said Riguer, DOLE made a representation before a Senate hearing in support of the intent of the bill, noting that by institutionalizing telecommuting, the legislation can provide protection to telecommuting employees.
She added that benefits for the government of telecommuting include reduced road traffic and pollution, while employers stand to gain from greater worker productivity, lower employee turnover, and a deeper talent pool.
Employees, on the other hand, can enjoy benefits such as reduced travel time, greater flexibility, higher autonomy, and increased work satisfaction and motivation. -RCA
Photo: Mike
by rossanahead | Jan 19, 2017 | career, Education, Existing Business, feature
By Rowena Diocton
“Wala ka pang boyfriend? (You don’t have a boyfriend yet?)” and “Kailan ka magpapakasal? (When are you getting married?)” are only two of the typical questions Filipino women are asked during family reunions. Because of this, many Filipinas dread going to reunions or reading their aunts’ comments on social media.
Despite the hype on women’s empowerment, some Filipinas stay bound to self-limiting beliefs, such as that women should scramble to get married and have children. Their dreams are limited to boxes in the spectrum of “child rearing,” “budgeting,” and “housekeeping.”
They are also expected to marry earlier than men. On average, most Filipino women get married at 24, while men get married at 27, according to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index 2015. The report also reveals that five out of 100 women (5%) marry between 15 and 19 years of age.
Even societies abroad generally view Filipino women with less regard than they’re worth. “Dating,” “marriage,” and “scandals” are only a few of the top results when you type “Filipina,” “Filipino woman,” or “Pinay” on a quick Google search. It seems the world seeks Filipinas either to marry or to spend a good time with. Somehow, their other contributions to the world are buried.
It’s already 2017, so why are a number of Filipinas still stuck in this outdated box? Here are four ways to step up and join the ranks of the 21st-century Filipina superwomen this year.
Be Part of Positive Social Change
If Concepcion Felix-Calderon and Pura Villanueva Kalaw of Asociacion Femenista Filipina had sat idly by during the first half of the 20th century, Filipino women wouldn’t be enjoying the right to vote that we do today. We need to be part of something bigger than ourselves. So ask yourself: What can I offer to society to make it more just?
Rethink the Way You Treat Your Body
In Asia, social and economic growth has sadly coincided with the rise of eating disorders. Access to social media sites has allowed real-time body-shaming comments against celebrities like Jessy Mendiola and Ina Raymundo. This year, resolve to embrace a more positive body image and join body positive movements like plump.ph and #blackgirlmagic—and start something confidently beautiful within yourself.
Dip into the Wealth of Available Data
At least 4.66 billion Web pages were reportedly online as of mid-March 2016. Roughly 130 million books have been written as of 2010, according to Google. Anyone can now take massive open online courses at her own time, thanks to sites like Coursera, Edx, Khan Academy, TED-Ed, Udacity, Udemy, Lynda, and a lot more. Using available information, why not join important discourses that can affect the Filipina way of life and let your opinion be heard?
Sit at the Career Table
In several countries in the Asia Pacific, men often get 15% to 30% more in annual base pay than women, with females excluded in part due to the nature of the job, manager bias, and workforce policies. While it’s vital that organizations address the disparity, we can also play our part.
In 2010, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg discussed the reasons why there are too few women leaders. Filipina career women should take Sandberg’s cue and learn to negotiate for ourselves at work, delegate equal tasks to our partners at home, and kick ass at work even as we plan for a family.
While one year may not be enough to produce a radical change in you or in society, this year is a good place to start taking gradual steps. Your elders may keep asking you about your single or family life, but this time you’ll have a fuller answer to give. Your male colleagues may still get paid more, but you’re already taking on the training needed to move up. Trying and not reaching your goals is not failure; what can set you up for failure is not having holistic and resilient goals toward self-empowerment.
Photo: Ali Edwards
by rossanahead | Jan 15, 2017 | Recent Posts
While the term “millennial” is oftentimes broadly equated with words like “entitled“ “spoiled,” and “narcissistic,” many millennials are in fact bucking this stereotype—they are showing in their own special and pioneering way that they’re doing more than their fair share in helping shape a better tomorrow for humankind.
Let’s meet three young Filipinas who are proving critics of millennials wrong as they strive to make their mark as social entrepreneurs in their chosen fields of endeavor.
When she was 13, Mica Tan started trading stocks and at 19, she formed her own distribution business. At 21, she established MFT Group of Companies, a financial holdings firm that provides financial assistance to other companies.
“In just a span of a year and a half, MFT has already undergone a whole lot of changes,” Mica says. “We started with two companies under our belt and now we have expanded to nine and are still growing. Our company focuses on angel investing which provides tailor-made funding to empower, as of the moment, nine businesses (some of them as old as forty years) to achieve their goals. These firms are engaged in diverse businesses and fields including manufacturing, publishing, film production, agriculture, and soon, pharmaceuticals.”
Mica adds that “with every company that joins or opens up to a young group like us, we see it as a way for us to also grow personally and professionally.”
In her first year in high school, Alexandra “Alex” Eduque got involved with Habitat for Humanity through a school project in which she was assigned to volunteer her services in helping to build homes for the underprivileged in a community in Amadeo, Cavite.
The weeklong experience made a huge impression on her, she recalls. “I remember enjoying it so much and finding so much fulfillment in what I was able to accomplish that week, and thought to myself that if I got involved even more and shared more of my time, I would be able to help out even more than I already had.”
“That summer, I took it upon myself to contact the Habitat for Humanity headquarters in the Philippines and a few weeks later, I found myself building homes in Baseco, Tondo, Manila. For two months, I went there every day and engaged in a multitude of construction tasks, alongside making friends with the community.”
From there, Alex has moved on to found her own organizations, such as Move.org Foundation, Inc., also known as MovEd (Molding Optimism and Values through Education), an offshoot of her undergraduate thesis work at Barnard College in New York. MovEd provides early childhood care and development programs in underserved communities through holistic education, providing children with the foundation to succeed in school.
When Tal de Guzman of Risqué Designs by Tal was studying fashion and accessories design, she realized that most Filipino designers were focused on apparel, bags, or jewelry. She noted that Filipino shoe designers were rare, and even rarer were those who used local materials in their creations. She found this scarcity to be an opportunity worth exploring.
And so Risqué Designs by Tal, her first business venture, was formed. “Most brands are content with using conventional materials such as leather, suede, canvas and lace,” she says. “But the Philippines has a rich array of textiles. Risqué uses handwoven fabrics from different parts of the country, but now mostly focuses on the traditional art of hablon-making in Valladolid, Negros Occidental. We not only use this fabric in our designs, but we also help our hablon weavers improve their income—this is part of our advocacy.”
Tal adds that many of her shoe designs are outrageous enough to make people do a double take and question if they are wearable or not (they are). “I like pushing boundaries with my designs, making use of materials in ways that haven’t been used before for shoes,” she says.
Because of her unique designs, Tal has been the recipient of different recognitions and awards. “Somehow it feels like a sort of validation, in terms of the concept and the business,” she says. “It propels me to move forward and do more.”
Photo: Pabak Sarkar
by rossanahead | Jan 11, 2017 | feature, Recent Posts
By Ruth Manimtim-Floresca
On a scale of one to 10, how good do you feel about yourself right now? For many of us women, the answer today may be different from that of next week depending on various factors. But one thing’s for sure, if we become more mindful about taking care of ourselves, we’d be more consistent in giving ourselves higher scores.
I recently attended a workshop on mastering self-confidence at La Vie Institute in Alabang and learned from our mentor how our personal well-being affects the way we see and feel about ourselves as well as influences our confidence level.
Our mentor affirmed that by improving our personal well-being, we increase our overall satisfaction and happiness. In addition, this also reduces stress and anxiety, and promotes positive mental health.
Here are six simple but important activities she said we should remember to accomplish every day:
- Stay physically active. This improves our fitness level, enhances our mental well-being, and keeps our body in shape. Find activities where you can incorporate some fun, and you’ll soon feel more committed to physical activity. For more than two years now, I’ve been going on practice runs with my husband at least a couple of times a week. Apart from increased stamina, I often feel more energized and experience less stress when dealing with life’s challenges.
- Eat a balanced diet. When you eat well, you look and feel better. However, changing your eating habits takes determination and the right attitude. Don’t make drastic changes: Start with achievable goals such as eating salad or a fruit once a day. Spend time discovering healthy foods that your palate would like. But don’t simply quit eating your favorites—you can still indulge once in a while. Just remember to eat in moderation.
- Connect with people. Establish healthy relationships with supportive and positive individuals and groups. Strong social ties can improve your sense of belonging, self-esteem, and connectedness. Spend more time with your family, invite close friends for coffee or a movie, and get involved in your community’s activities.
- Give back. Offering to help, sharing what we have, and generally just being nice to others promote a profound sense of well-being. One good way to give back to the community is to become a volunteer. Giving back not only strengthens relationships and helps us maintain a positive attitude, it also expands our social and professional networks. Even the little things count! How about doing something nice for a friend or a family member, or smiling at a stranger as you walk past her today?
- Never stop learning. Acquiring new knowledge increases your self-worth and self-efficiency. There’s always something new to be learned, even outside the classroom. Whether it’s trying something new or rediscovering an old hobby, what matters is to prioritize continuous learning every day.
- Take notice. It’s been said that we should regularly “stop and smell the flowers,” and that is actually good advice! By being mindful of our surroundings and our daily experiences, we enhance our self-awareness, which in turn contributes to positive mental health. Slow down and enjoy a good meal, take a walk and feel the wind in your face, be curious about the world around you, write down your thoughts, or visit a museum! Appreciate the wonder of life and the beauty of nature. Soon, you’ll find your attitude shifting to one of gratitude.
Photo: Portobellostreet
by rossanahead | Mar 15, 2012 | children, Education, family, parenting
By Maridol Ranoa-Bismark
“Good evening, Chelo. This is Ben’s mom. Sorry to disturb you at this time but he has not replied to my message. May I call you?”
I sent this panicky text message at 11 p.m. and Chelo, my son’s friend, replied, “Yes Tita.”
After explaining my problem, Chelo must have sprung into action. She contacted her network of friends. My son, who is in his junior year at the University of the Philippines, was on the phone in no time at all! Sorry, he told me. He was in a dead spot at the debate tournament and didn’t get my message. But he’s fine and will be home in an hour or so. I went to sleep smiling, grateful to Chelo. She must have been a mom in her past life.
Now you see why I have the cellphone numbers of around five of my son’s friends stored in my directory. I know deep in my heart that I will need them, especially during the wee hours of the night, and the morning. But having the numbers of your son’s friends is not good enough. You also have to be in good terms with them. It doesn’t take much: a smile, a hello, an offer to give them a ride, and the occasional get-together in your house. This way, they will warm up to you and even tell you untold stories about your son. Is he taking life too seriously? Does he need to loosen up?
Sometimes we parents act like bulls in a China shop. No matter how much we love our children, we do not realize that we’re just charging into their world and breaking valuables along the way. My son’s friends see another side to him that I, his mom, can’t see. They give me a fresh way of looking at my son. They don’t treat him like a son but as an equal. And that’s just what I need, even with my grown-up son. Now, I see him the way his friends do. And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Now, I know that I have to advise him to slow down and enjoy his youth, even if I don’t know exactly how he can do that with a worried mom like me around.
If you can’t beat ’em, be friendly with them. I don’t mean attending their parties or joining them for lunch. I mean just letting them know that they can count on you when they need you.
Now that my son is always away from home, spending more time with friends and giving monosyllabic answers to my questions, I know can still have an idea of how he’s doing through the people he hangs around with.
And I can only cross my fingers that he chooses his friends well the way I advised him to. So excuse me while I check my phone directory again and see if I missed any name on the list.
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash
