An Executive’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence and the Psychology of Filipino Workers

If a candidate wants to get hired, he primarily needs high Intelligence Quotient (IQ), but if he covets to get promoted, he must have a high Emotional Intelligence (EQ). In the same correlation, if an executive desire to be successful, he should have a team with high IQ, but if he aims for an excellent one, he must have a team who values EQ.

It was a proven fact that an executive can only achieve the ascendance from the monotony of success to the full culmination of excellence if he has a team who works together in harmony and in maximum effectiveness. The competition in talent acquisition has really been tough these days. It is on how human resource strategies get along with the rapid changes to explicitly respond to the demands of the competition without compromising the quality of hired employees as their company’s invaluable assets. The job has been tedious but there is a key for every executive and their recruiters to conclude a talent decision the company will never regret. Apart from satisfying clients’ expectations, the company can also attain a work ambiance healthy for everyone. Apparently, a recruiter could never go wrong with a candidate who possesses high levels of EQ. Regardless of job type, EQ has been a reliable predictor of a guaranteed positive performance in the workplace.

Long before, IQ has been the only gauge recruiters have to foresee a candidate’s viable success in the industry. But with decades of research, a missing link yet a critical factor that was long disregarded in the crucial process of talent acquisition has been found. This critical factor doesn’t just make the job of recruiters easier but just ascertained that they may have been losing potential top performers in the process. It was just in 1995 when this new kind of smart has been determined and coined. And in 2020, the World Economic Forum predicts this to emerge as one of the top 20 skills among human resources, even surpassing technical abilities.

 

Emotion Matters

Emotional intelligence or EQ surprisingly comprises that critical portion to 90% of star performers in every company. But by being intangible, it may be difficult to figure how much we have or how much we actually lack. Emotions are intrinsic to our humanness and are vital in controlling how will we behave within our premise. Inherently, candidates with high levels of EQ can manage their own feelings, can perceive and express themselves, can form and maintain social relationships, can cope with stressful challenges and can come up with personal decisions which guarantee favorable result. Such qualities may have been commendatory for many executives who envisions to have a healthy work environment and an excellent workspace. It so happens that people with high EQ are usually successful in most things they do. Every team wants to have them. Their attitude essentially brings good karma back to them.

Meanwhile, if you have an employee who get stressed easily, who could not stand tension and endure anxiety, who couldn’t manage their moods responsibly, who couldn’t handle conflict, who are quick to make assumptions and argues vehemently, who easily succumbed to pessimistic emotions, who always blames other people, who are easily offended by negative remarks, or those who are just being toxic in your workplace are indications you have overlooked the candidate’s level of EQ before absorbing them in your company. Along with an increasingly demanding professional climate various industry requires, higher stress levels, increased workloads and hours, and the pressure of the fast-paced environment make it more crucial. Executives should try to hire the most emotionally- intelligent individuals who could handle this or at the very least, dedicate premium for their manpower’s emotional needs.

While cognitive intelligence is as significant to determine whether a candidate could perform the job as prescribed, knowing whether he will succeed in doing such is where emotional intelligence plays a great role.  This will foretell a candidate’s motivation, creativity, drive, commitment, passion, and energy to carry out his function more than we expect.

IQ alone could not fill in your vacancies with ideal employees you ever wished to have.  A man with high EQ but low IQ may have intellectual discrepancies while having someone with high IQ, but low EQ may lead to poor performance. An ideal candidate is a seamless fusion of both.

Executives must acknowledge this strategy as their own competitive edge in their respective market and for such assets are keys which will never be duplicated by competitors.

 

The Filipino Psychology

There has been a lot of misconceptions about how western countries view the psychology of the Filipino people. Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, the Father of Philippine Psychology himself, pinpointed the emotional values of Filipinos that many western ideologies had subjected into bad light.

Enriquez highlighted in his contributions to the study regarding the emotional intelligence of the Filipino people the three core values that have been uniquely shared in its culture.

First is the concept of “Kapwa” or shared identity which emphasizes how Filipino communities have been established.  Everyone in the community is generally inclined with a people-centered orientation, that they are morally-obliged to connect and to build relationship with others.

Second is the shared inner nobility or the spirit of “Bayanihan” where people are willing to offer a helping hand for a common cause.

Lastly, intuition or in the western psychology, specifically known as emotional intelligence. This has been an innate quality among Filipinos where they can naturally read body languages, tone of voice, and hidden emotions by mere gut- feeling.

For Westerners, the ‘as- God- wills’ attitude among Filipinos is a sign of fatalism but in actuality, it is an expression of determination and preparedness to face whatever challenge is ahead. Some foreign countries also regard the concept of “debt of gratitude” as a return of favor with interest but on the contrary, it is not a debt obliged to be paid but only a regard to kindness being offered. The natural expression of shame among locals was also misunderstood by westerners as on how awkward we are to become socially acceptable but in fact, it is just our innate sense of propriety to whatever circumstances we get involved with. Even the way Filipinos aim for companionship was a misconception to debunk as it was regarded to avoid arguments or conflicts but in reality, it is just natural for many Filipinos to long for camaraderie, build relationships, and form harmonious community, and as a norm, Filipinos give the best treatment they think every human deserves. Lastly, Filipinos were seen as being too emotional. Studies have shown that the Philippines topped as the home of the World’s most emotional people, while Singapore, being the least. But to be more precise, being emotional is an understatement.

Psychologist regarded this behavior distinctively as emotional expressiveness, a relevant indicator of emotional intelligence. Expressiveness comes along with awareness in recognizing the entirety of emotionality.

After all, EQ is not being emotional alone, it is an umbrella term for skills such as: self- awareness, interpersonal communication, flexibility, stress management, and optimism.

Singapore has actually pioneered emotional intelligence education because of their alarming status on EQ while the United States, which doesn’t appear at the forefront in the statistic, has still to work on their level of self- awareness, a skill innate for 60% of Filipino people.

This nature has been considered by psychologists from Spaniards which had an occupancy of three centuries in the archipelago.  

While emotional intelligence is a set of core skills and competencies that we could learn and develop as we grow, Filipinos, in general, are innate to be intelligent emotionally.

Seasoned recruiters will always have an eye for star performers. Learn more of our best practices in talent acquisition and let us collaborate to achieve your business goals.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is the fastest growing recruitment agency in The Philippines. A career consultant that aims to go above and beyond the level of expectations of both the aspirations of the candidates and the dream team standards of employers through providing exceptional opportunities and unparalleled quality-driven recruitment services.

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The Filipino Brand: Factor, Flavor, and Fervor

For managers of multinational firms, recruiting Filipino professionals and technical staff means their company will inevitably and undoubtedly experience a bit of Filipino customs and culture. There’s a saying that the Filipinos have grown up 300 years in a Spanish convent, and 50 years of Hollywood, and another 70 years of trying this experiment called “The Filipino People”. This has led to a naturally warm, gentle, and hospitable nation.

For those who are not too familiar with our nation’s history, prior to the conquest of the Spanish conquistadors, there were no known “Filipinos.”  The archipelago was once a mixed bag of language groups and tribes.  It was only at the end of the Spanish Era wherein the local intellectual class awakened and recognized the patchwork of mini-nations is really one in character – The Filipino. The Americans built on their ideals, and transitioned the people to embrace nationhood, and upon independence, the leadership banked on it to ensure that we are one nation of many people.

One cannot find fault, but might even realize how amusing it is that The Philippines today is the only Latin Country in Asia, with a very positive outlook towards the West.  We love our basketball as much as we love our chorizos and tapas.  We cry over our Telenovelas as much as we are gripped in America’s Got Talent.

To define the Filipino character in a few words is like trying to describe how many colors are present in a rainbow to an unborn child.  It really takes one to experience or engage a Filipino to see that we are a hardy yet warm people.  One can probably look at the following:

Filipinos are slow to anger.

When crossing the streets of Manila, even at the point of a near accident and doing a Russian Roulette with the Grim Reaper, a Filipino would still smile and giggle about the incident.  The opposite would have happened if one was in Singapore, Vienna, or New York, where the pedestrian would assert his rights and even slam his hands on the car that cut him off. Filipinos have a concept called “pikon”, loosely translated to be weak tempered or cranky.  A person who displays this attitude would reap more teasing and be the butt of every joke – something that every Filipino wants to avoid as much as possible.  This is one of the first barriers of the Filipino mindset from getting angry.

Filipinos are service-oriented.

The global phenomenon of bumping into a Filipino nurse, flight attendant, or hotel staff across the globe –  from Alaska all the way to New Zealand is no accident.  While the healthcare, hospitality, and airline industries have clearly recognized this trait among Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), the mindset is deeply ingrained in the national character even beyond the modern times.  Being hospitable and helpful is considered as a matter of honor not just for an individual but even by Filipino families themselves.  If one is not known to be helpful or is churlish, brusque, or ungracious, this would be considered by the community as shameful.

Filipinos are family-centric.

Managers who have worked with Filipinos, and have helped in their onboarding would have an experience of him crying the first 2 weeks as he would grapple with homesickness.  However, that weakness is the very same strength that pulls him through this: his love for his family. His family is his primary motivation. They’re his reason why he would sacrifice to sign a 2-year contract bound to foreign and unfamiliar land thousands of miles away, bid his wife and children farewell so that he could get better chances in life and provide more for them.

Filipinos are cheerful.

This is often confused by many that Filipinos take things lightly.  However, it might be seen part of the overall character of the Filipino when it comes to coping with stress or difficulties.  It’s not uncommon to even visit a funeral in the Philippines and see people who would be smiling and sharing bits of laughter during the wake.  While western humor might be leaning towards sarcasm, Filipino humor is more of slapstick.  It’s no wonder why movies like Mr. Bean or The Gods Must Be Crazy are big hits in the country.  In the workplace, one would find their Filipino staff who has gained some comfort in his surrounding as someone who could bring a joke or two for the day – or light up the office with a little funny line during a stressful moment.

Filipinos are very culturally adaptive.

Whether the OFW ends up working as a nurse in Japan, or as Rigger on an oil platform offshore Brazil, whether it’s in the tundra of Siberia or deserts of Saudi Arabia, he or she would embrace with ease the local culture.  We Filipinos find it no difficulty to assimilate into the local culture.  In the Philippines alone, while there might be spits of racism you will find, not a single concept of xenophobia in and among the people.  Therefore, when Filipinos leave the country, you will never find them insisting their own culture upon the host country.  They will learn the language, they will shadow their hosts and take on their traits as well.

While all of these are true, one would experience a bit of the Philippines when they meet a Filipino.  It might not be a perfect national character, but it does work for those companies who want to improve their customer engagement or customer experience, or if a company desires staff who work with a heart.  That truly becomes an asset to many managers.

Finally, there’s another saying “You can bring out the Filipino from the Philippines, but you cannot take away the Philippines from the Filipino.”

Bring out the karaoke!

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is the fastest growing recruitment agency in The Philippines. A career consultant that aims to go above and beyond the level of expectations of both the aspirations of the candidates and the dream team standards of employers through providing exceptional opportunities and unparalleled quality-driven recruitment services.

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Succeed + Triumph + Prevail + Win with a Filipino Worker and the Right Partner Recruitment Firm

The Philippines is one of the biggest sources of manpower globally. Overseas Filipino Workers are preferred and sought after by most foreign employers because we are undoubtedly a gold mine for world-class talents. Moreover, due to the lack of local opportunity, more and more Filipinos are proactively choosing to leave the country for better chances in life. According to a study conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there’s an estimated 2.2 Million Overseas Filipino Workers (numbers estimated from April – September 2016) all over the world. These digits continually increase because of sluggish growth in the employment rate caused by rapid population growth and increased labor force participation. As per a survey done by the Social Weather Station (SWS) between July – September 2017, an estimated 8.7 Million Filipinos are currently unemployed. Contrariwise, professional opportunities abroad are increasing. In Western Europe alone, there are already 2.6 million jobs available (data-driven from Eurostat Database, 2017) for aspiring workers.

Forthwith, the rapidly growing communities of OFWs is surprisingly being accommodated. Even with stricter expatriate regulations everywhere. Apparently, foreigners love us because we are caring, hospitable, creative, adaptable, honest and passionate in everything that we do.  Case in point, in Saudi Arabia, a Filipino worker named Dawood S. Balindong, was recognized for saving a local from drowning in Jeddah during the heavy rains they’ve experienced last November. While in United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Filipino Domestic Worker, Melanie Manansala, was favored to be the “Best Nanny” of the year for her openness, honesty, and commitment. They are just some of the many OFWs who stood out because of their innately good qualities.


Fact –  having a Filipino worker in your team is the next big trend in the international recruitment space, and if you’re desiring to onboard one you must prepare yourself to go through a rigorous process. There are 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on, and so forth meticulous procedures, since the Philippine government strictly observes and regulates the overseas recruitment requirements. As such, you need to find a reliable recruitment agency that will not just fulfill your job requirements quantitatively but will also make sure the qualitative aspect is achieved, both in the process and the candidates.

Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is not an agency that aims to collect resumes for profit. We are a recruitment firm that advocates zero (0) fees for the candidates and promises a long-lasting partnership with our clients. Rensol not only works to get your requirements done but also ensures to give you a win-win recruitment solution – the consultant, the adviser, and the problem-solver, even after the deployment process.

While we provide you the quality workforce and we ease up the recruitment process for you, all we ask from you is to abide by the provisions of the contract to protect our people.

Isn’t that simple?

Hire the best talents now in the Philippines with Rensol! Let’s win together!

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is the fastest growing recruitment agency in The Philippines. A career consultant that aims to go above and beyond the level of expectations of both the aspirations of the candidates and the dream team standards of employers through providing exceptional opportunities and unparalleled quality-driven recruitment services.

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2018 Major Recruitment Trends in the Middle East

Why does being on trend mature into a critical issue in recruitment?

Well, it’s the thing called recruitment competition in knowledge on the know-how’s; competition in the crowded Recruitment Industry especially in the Middle East where strict compliance applies. To start becoming an effective recruiter you must know the ins and outs in the recruitment process or else, you’ll find yourself hanged out of the region.

Major Recruitment Trends in the Middle East are as follows:

Trend #1. Nationalization Pressure

One of the top priorities for Gulf region governments in recent times has been to increase the share of private sector jobs held by nationals.

Small populations and the lack of local skills and rapidly growing economy have driven ever upward the demand for foreign candidates.

Various countries are taking measures to increase nationalization. Saudi Arabia has embarked on Saudization, while Kuwait has also taken measures to make expatriates less employable, by limiting professions in which expatriates can be employed.  Similar measures have been taken by the emirates in the form of Emiratization.

Trend #2. Worker Protection

Governments in the Gulf are gradually working to improve worker conditions mainly due to the heavy criticism from international media.

This issue came to bear recently in the Emirates when a report from the Guardian found that dozens of South Asian migrant laborers were found to be living in poor conditions.

In response, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates have launched a wage protection system to ensure payment of salaries on time. UAE has removed a six-month visa ban on employees who left their jobs while the Kafala (worker sponsorship) system in Qatar changed to ensure more protection

Trend #3. Conservative Hiring

Reduced oil prices and government spending cuts have made businesses cautious in the Middle East. Companies are looking to reduce costs and improve efficiency by undertaking restructuring, merging job roles and outsourcing candidates for a lot of jobs.

With hiring under more scrutiny, companies are looking to focus on candidates who can perform a wide range of duties. This, in turn, created a market where top talent got freed up and was made available.

Trend #4. Tensions Building Between Countries

Diplomatic Tensions and burgeoning military conflicts have been rising steadily in the Middle East, putting further demands on government finances.

These tensions have translated to restrictions. The attention from international media makes it more difficult for companies to attract expatriate talents and securing employment visas for candidates continues to be a challenge. With political tensions on the rise, employers may need to look elsewhere for Arabic-speaking candidates.

Also, more pain is likely to follow if the current low prices remain the same which will have a big effect on the recruitment industry. Still, the Middle East remains a haven for large development projects, and these states remain in a better position due to investments and large government reserves.

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Why know these things? Simple… because recruitment is not easy, you should know everything by heart and mind. It isn’t just about meeting the requirements; it is all about knowing the country you are serving; their culture, their government and laws, their people and their beliefs to become successful.

To secure a spot in recruitment in the Middle East, first, you must be equipped with the right knowledge about the region.

Have you had first hand experiences on the Trends in the Middle East we’ve mentioned? Share it with us by leaving a comment below!

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Rensol Recruitment and Consulting, Inc. is the fastest growing recruitment agency in The Philippines. A career consultant that aims to go above and beyond the level of expectations of both the aspirations of the candidates and the dream team standards of employers through providing exceptional opportunities and unparalleled quality-driven recruitment services.

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