Filipino

Traits At
The
Workplace
DEXTER GLENN R. ARGUELLES
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Word

C O N V E R S E
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B U R N O U T
 7 Best Traits of
Filipino Employees
That Make the
Workplace Efficient 

*A distinguishing quality or
characteristic, typically one belonging
to a person.
*Katangian or kinaiya.
 INTRODUCTION
Filipinos are best known as hard
workers, displaying resilience, creativity,
and resourcefulness in their daily lives.
These uniquely Filipino qualities help
them stand out and rise to the top of
their respective workplaces.
01
Resourcefu
l
Filipinos are naturally adaptable.

Filipino employees are equipped with the adaptability

and resourcefulness needed in the workplace.
They can easily improvise when an unexpected
situation occurs and create temporary fixes to
ensure things are running smoothly until the
matter is resolved.
01
Resourcefu
l
02
Passionate
Filipino employees not only work hard, but they also want to
be the best at what they do.
“Because of the importance given to work, you can expect
that Filipinos would give no less than what is expected of
them,” “And you can expect Filipinos to pay it forward—
by being the best that they can be and by their loyalty.”
This drive to excel in their field, along with an excellent work
ethic, leads Filipinos to deliver quality and top-notch
work for their employers.
02
Passionate
03 Takes
initiative
No matter what kind of position they are
placed in, Filipino employees go above
and beyond with their duties to get the
job done. 
“You can expect that they are willing to
adjust and adapt despite the many
changes that can happen due to external
circumstances”.
04
Responsible
Not only do Filipino employees work hard to deliver results, but
they also take great pride in their work and all it entails.
“Apart from the proficiency in speaking the English language,
there are other traits that they speak highly about of Filipino
talent. These traits include the high level of ownership and
accountability over their work”.
You can count on Filipino employees to be responsible for their
work—from ensuring all requirements are adequately met
to owning up to any shortcomings or mistakes. This makes
them reliable members of any team.
 05 Calm
under
pressure
In any workplace, things may not go according to plan. From
mishaps that create new challenges to unexpected and
disappointing results of a project, difficult situations raise
the stakes and the pressure on employees to weather the
storm.
What makes Filipino employees stand out is their ability to
adapt to any situation and remain calm under pressure.
While it is impossible to have complete control over a
situation, Filipinos rise above by keeping their cool, analyzing
a situation as best as they can, and responding in the right
06 Eager to
learn
In the workplace, Filipinos have a natural drive to learn and continuously grow
and improve. They’re also not ones to shy away from opportunities, even
ones that require learning new skills or knowledge bases. 
The reason for this is because Filipinos want more for themselves. “Filipinos look
at the opportunities that sprung from the evolution and expansion of the
Philippine economy and industries as a tool for social mobility.” This strong
motivation makes Filipino employees more eager and willing to fill in
positions that require continuous learning.
07 Ready for
leadership roles
Filipino traits in the workplace—like being responsible, resourceful, calm under
pressure, eager to learn, and taking the initiative—are consistent with the
traits of leaders who help move their organizations forward.
“Two dominant family values that Filipinos carry in the workplace
are pakikisama (being a part of a community) and pakikitungo (knowing how
to relate with others)”.
With these values, Filipinos can effectively manage while remaining in touch with
the needs of their employees and organizations.
Toxic Filipino Traits
 INTRODUCTION
Generally, Filipinos are known to be happy,
friendly and very hospitable people and we are
known for all these good qualities around the
world!
But, let us face it, Filipino people also have
annoying and bad habits that sometimes give the
country a negative reputation. These habits not
only pull us down personally but the entire nation
as well.
 “Bahala na”
Attitude
Roughly translated as “come what may”, this is the
Filipinos’ own version of fatalism, the belief of trusting
in Divine providence or leaving everything to the
hands of fate. It is a Filipino’s way of avoiding
rationalization or good reason,
While this trait can sometimes be helpful in time of
adversity, the mentality of “ what goes around, comes
around,” can also keep us from finding ways out of
tough situations.
Procrastination or
“Mañana Habit “

This is the Filipino habit of leaving for tomorrow what can

be done today. They tend to postpone their actions for a
later time thus reducing accomplishments.
Filipinos are fond of saying “bukas na lang” or  “sa susunod
na lang” due to laziness. This arises from a slack
mentality that a problem will eventually go away by
itself.
 Crab Mentality

Filipinos tend to possess this mentality especially when they

feel insecure. In a way, crab mentality also promotes an
unhealthy competition.
Instead of doing things that could help one to develop and
become better than his competitors, Filipinos devote so
much of their time gossiping and back-biting. It is their
way of deviating people’s attention on their inadequacy
by focusing on other people’s faults.
 Lack of self-
discipline
We have laws and regulations in order to achieve a harmonious
community.  However, most Filipinos have this penchant of
disregarding the rules in order to prioritize what they want.
There’s a theory that explains why Filipinos lack discipline or fail to
implement rules, and it is something that is ingrained in our very
culture.  Being oppressed by various colonizers for such a long time
made our ancestors defiant of the rules they believed to be
discriminatory; thus, creating a mentality of “self-righteous
disobedience.” This is reflected on how Filipinos break laws to save
time. For example, even when a signage clearly says ‘No Jaywalking’,
Filipinos will still choose to cross the fatal road because it’s more
convenient and for them “righteous” to cross there.
 Filipino Time

‘Related to the mañana habit, Filipino time refers to the

Filipinos’ own unique brand of time, which is known to
be minutes or hours behind the scheduled or standard
time. This behaviour drives time-observant foreigners to
get frustrated because Filipinos tend not to observe
punctuality at all. It’s a dreadful habit that needs to be
stopped as it hinders productivity and progress. Not to
mention that you’re not only wasting your own time but
other people’s time as well.