Quest for the True North

American work ethics vs. Filipino work ethics

Filed under corporate shit, culture

I slept late last night to hear out an American colleague’s frustrations about the American workplace. I work closely with Americans everyday, so I knew what he was talking about.

American work ethics is not ideal, as what most Filipinos perceive it to be. Whenever I tell people where I work, they would say I am very lucky, and then assume that I have money more than I can spend. Which annoys me, because first, I am just another wage slave, and second, they don’t know what they are talking about.

I’ve had frustrations at work, and I am not talking about discrimination here, no. I can honestly tell the world that I have been treated as an equal, that my opinions were valued, and that my abilities were recognized even though I am Filipino.

I don’t have the time to read hate mail, so I am not going to mention what those American flaws are. I would say, however, that Filipinos are not lazy and incompetent, as what we believe ourselves to be. In my department at least, it is the Filipinos who are diligent, conscientious, and resourceful. It is the Filipinos who excel and make a mark.

So maybe some Filipinos are incompetent. But do you really think all Americans are not? Reading this article might shed light.

On the other hand, there are many American qualities that I admire, among which is initiative. They think out of the box. They consistently seek to improve processes. They are great with processes and systems and workflows. As mentioned in the article, this made them the great nation they are now.

I also like that they are very generous with praise and appreciation. They don’t pull each other down. They are conscious of their time, and they don’t have that I-am-the-boss-so-you-should-never-fail-to-call-me-Sir BS. We call our managers by their first names, and we can go in their offices anytime to talk about anything.

My stand is that: no work ethic, no culture, is better than another. There are positive and negative points in any culture.

I think this is why traveling is beneficial. The first time I was sent to our headquarters abroad, I refused (back then I was fresh out of my nationalistic university) to go, but my boss did all she could to convince me. She told me to “just pick up the good ones.”

That advice has helped me immensely to this day. I am glad she forced me to go. My outlook now is to learn from different people and different cultures when I travel.

So instead of looking for the best workplace, why not just expose yourself to different cultures, and then pick up the good practices? If I were an American, I would stay where I am, but because I am Filipino, I am sticking it out here.