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Ba 158 WFR - Platero - Paper #3
Ba 158 WFR - Platero - Paper #3
Family comes first- -coming from a Filipino family, I’m sure we heard this phrase multiple times in
our lives, especially from our aunts, uncles, and parents. Strong family ties are a big part of Filipino
culture, and I would like to reiterate the point of Mendoza (2001); Filipino society emphasizes the
centrality of the family. Furthermore, the sense of community in the Philippines ends with the family.
Under the third resource for integration while working abroad, Philippe Pierre’s “asset of family”
mentioned that international managers highlight the flexibility of their family unit in relation to the model of
expatriation in choosing whether they will leave unaccompanied or with their spouse, or with or without
the children. It can be implied that the family really matters and plays a huge role in international
managers’ decisions in their careers. In line with this, I would like to focus my discussion on how families
affect the performance and decisions of Filipino International Managers or Filipino expatriates.
According to Selmer & De Leon (2014), it can be observed how Filipinos are family-centered
which is even visible in the workplace or business setting. This applies to all workplaces regardless of the
location as long as there are Filipino employees. Claver and Amponstira (2020) conducted a study
regarding the career satisfaction of Filipino self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) in Thailand. They found that
economic factors, professional considerations, occupational, and family considerations can greatly
influence the career satisfaction of Filipino SIEs in Thailand. Moreover, they also found that family
relationships, lifestyle, and individuals’ basic values and not only career-related aspects influence the life
Another study was conducted by Panganiban and Villareal (2017) which focused on the work-life
balance on the well-being of Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was implied in the literature
that for Filipino expatriates in Bahrain, the work-life balance is a dominant issue that negatively affects the
well-being, as both family and work are the most important elements in all of the Filipinos or even in
everyone’s life and it is very difficult to balance both at the same time especially for expatriates.
Moreover, another example is from my personal experience. I have an aunt who is working in an
insurance company in the United States. Before she made her decision in pursuing her career there, she
had several factors to consider and the major one was her family. It’s a good thing that her family went
with her to the United States and they have finally settled in the US and she is still pursuing her career. It
Based on these examples and several studies conducted in different countries involving Filipino
workers or expatriates, it can be implied that regardless of a Filipino’s location all over the world, his or
her strong family tie really plays an important role and influences major decisions in his or her career or in
life in general. Family can really play an important role for international managers especially for Filipino
international managers since strong family ties are on top of our culture.
References:
● Claver, V., & Amponstira, F. (2020). View of Career Satisfaction of Filipino Professional
● Mendoza, M. L. (2001, September). The crisis of management culture in the Philippines: Neither
East Asian nor Western. In 3rd EUROSEAS Conference in London, IK and the 4th European
● Panganiban, C., & Villareal, I. (2016). The impact of work-life balance on the wellbeing offilipino
● Selmer, J., & De Leon, C. (2002). Management and culture in the Philippines. Hong Kong: