We are six months in a pandemic and not much has changed about our working conditions. This is especially true for a Manila girl like me. I work at a medium sized advertising agency and we have been on Work from home set up ever since March 2020. Since June 2020, we are asked to report to the office only twice a month. All of us at the office are feeling the anxiety of the pandemic. My usual two way P60 fare commute from Quezon City to Makati now reaches P300! A lot has changed every time we are at the office as well. Masks and face shields worn at all times. Seats are at least a meter apart. “Salo-salo” style lunch is non-existent anymore.
Adjusting to COVID-19
Don’t get me wrong – I really appreciate every single safety precaution my employer has been taking to ensure our safety. I just can’t help but reminisce about the good old times. Our office is literally beside Starbucks and usually, at around 2PM, us employees would frolic our way there for our daily dose of afternoon coffee. Despite all this, one thing I am thankful for is how my employer has managed to full operate our office on remote for months! From the moment an Enhanced Community Quarantine was announced in Metro Manila, our boss has managed to keep his cool and assure us that remote set-up will work for us and that our jobs are safe. Some people ask me why I love working for our firm, it really is because of my boss’ mindset and how he was able to rub off some of his positivity on me.
Here are 5 ways my employer has kept us calm and cool amidst COVID-19:
1. Constant Words of Appreciation
My employer never fails to let us know how much they appreciate us. It is very rare to belong to a company where you witness first hand the compassion and love a CEO has for his employees. He personally greets us for a job well done on projects which we have accomplished. No distance can keep us apart for his constant words of praises and appreciation towards the employees!
2. Care Packages
On our last onsite meeting, my employer handed out vitamin C packages to all of the employees. How cute is that? I love that I am surrounded by people at work who sincerely care about me. They also handed out goody bags filled with snacks for us to munch on at home!
3. Constant Check Up on Our Wellbeing
From time to time, my employer checks on us to see how we have been. Some employers feel that they need to police their employees all day long especially if you are working on a work from home setup. Luckily, this is not the case for us. Our office management has trust on its employees. I feel touched whenever my boss asks not just about myself but also that of my family’s.
4. Prioritizing our needs before any clients
Our company never did remote work setup prior to COVID-19. This whole thing is all so new to us. Oftentimes, we find ourselves overwhelmed with the lack of differentiation from office to personal life. Truly, working from home has its dark side as well. But, the good thing about our employer is they prioritize us before any other client. When work seems overwhelming, they offer to take off the load for us personally. They also know how to reject a client if we cannot take any new projects anymore. Lastly, when a client is complaining, they know how to protect their employees from a client’s wrath. Most companies only care about earning money. I’m so thankful this is not the case for me.
5. Constant hustle to keep our jobs afloat
During the pandemic, a lot of Filipinos lost their jobs due reduction of manpower to sustain the company, closing down of businesses and etc. As of the moment, we are looking at 4.7 million of Filipinos unemployed because of COVID-19. Many companies are also losing clients daily. As they say, the first one to go when a company is cost-cutting are the consultants. Being in the advertising industry, we have lost clients because of the pandemic. Some days, I fear for my job or if the company I work for will be closing down. Thankfully, my employer never stops hustling to find new clients to keep our jobs secure.
Hoping for a better tomorrow
I hope that wherever you are in the Philippines and in the world, you get a chance to belong to a company who is really all heart towards the employees. Creating a great working environment like this really makes me happy and contented with what I do. More than the salary pay, I think what most people fail to consider when looking for a job is the culture of the office and how the bosses are in the work environment. If you are currently seeking for a job, I wish you the best of luck! If you are currently employed, I hope you experience the same happiness and calm like I do!
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By: Danica M.
Worky.ph Online Contributor