According to a human resources (HR) professional, companies that value family, education, faith, health and well-being as well as basic needs are more likely to retain their employees.

“We need to return to our common Filipino values ​​to [also] preserve our national heritage and enhance our national image,” said Sonnie E. Santosco-founder of HR Kolektivs, a company that offers HR services to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), in a June 12 episode of The HR Cafea talk show program of the Philippines HR Group (PHILHRG Inc.)

In a year-long study titled “What is important to Filipinosconducted in 2020, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts identified 19 common and shared values, of which the five main ones are mentioned above.

Mr. Santos said that the reason he did not migrate when he had the opportunity was that all these opportunities did not allow him to bring his family with him.

“Employees work for their families,” he said. “Whether English family malagay sa alaganin [would be compromised] because of work, then we know what the employee’s decision would be.

Companies can show that their priorities are aligned with those of their employees by developing training programs that extend to other family members or by offering health benefits that cover dependents.

“Whenever my clients extend HMO (health maintenance organization) coverage to their employees, the question that employees typically ask is, ‘Can we enroll our dependents as well?'” he said. he declares.

The inclusion of employee dependents helps with employee retention and also reduces requests for cash advances when a family member falls ill, Santos added in the vernacular.

Asked about initiatives to deal with rising inflation, Santos presented three options: a hybrid working arrangement; a temporary inflationary allowance; and perks for those working on-site, like unlimited rice from the office pantry.

Empathy, he added, does not mean ignoring company politics. In the event of delays due to long commutes, he said, management may have the option of offering different shifts (for example, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A separate study by a Singapore-based market research company Overview of the middlehave shown that honesty and integrity were most valued by Filipino workers.

“Katapatan [Honesty] is important. It causes unnecessary stress for Filipinos if they belong to a certain group that has no integrity in their practices,” Santos said. — Patricia B. Mirasol