A paycheck a day keeps COVID away
Health or wealth? You choose. (Photo: Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Paying the pandemic away
If countries like China are taking COVID-19 so seriously to the point of dreaming of zero cases at the cost of its economy and everyone else’s, the Philippines thinks otherwise.
The National Economic and Development Authority believes that implementing a nationwide alert level 1 will be the key to solving the unemployment problem in the country—which is apparently still among the highest in emerging Asia.
In a report last Monday, NEDA emphasizes that alert level 1 will “help insulate the economy from external pressures,” mainly referring to the economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Philippine Statistics Authority’s monthly labor force survey showed that 63.8% of Filipinos actively looked for jobs back in February compared to the 60.5% in January. February’s less restrictive alert level allowed an additional 2.8 million Filipinos to get back into permanent positions.
As much as re-opening the entire country to operate like everything’s back to normal would be nice, the Department of Health warns that the possibility of another surge might happen after the May elections.
To date, it’s been over two years of restrictions for Filipinos with barely any effect. People are tired of staying at home. Minimal health protocols are loosely followed as the public begins to go out once more.
A youthful revolution
As it turns out, face-to-face work setups aren’t exactly going to fly in the post-pandemic era. Now that younger Filipinos got a taste of what it’s like to work in their pajamas without worrying about horrific travel conditions, hybrid work setups are the way to go moving forward.
Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trend Index revealed that around 46% of Filipino Gen Z and Millennials are “seriously considering” changing employers this year. Twenty percent already left their current positions due to “personal wellbeing or mental health, work-life balance, risks of getting COVID-19, lack of confidence in senior leaders and lack of flexible work hours or location.”
Meanwhile, 48% of hybrid employees believe that companies should make the trip to the office worth the commute. With the current state of public transportation and absurd gas prices in the Philippines, I don’t blame them for thinking that way. Moreover, 66% are fine with using digital platforms for meetings moving forward.
Besides, who doesn’t like saying they’ve met with their boss in boxers? Unfortunately, company leaders see a different future.
In contrast, the survey showed that 69% of company leaders are planning a full return to face-to-face operations—usually I’d say “nice” after those figures but this situation definitely doesn’t call for it. An example of this is already happening with how the government is now forcing BPO employees to return to the office. As you might have guessed, they’re not happy about it.
What does tech giant Microsoft have to say about it?
Of course they would want companies to “reimagine work-life integration.” Not only do employees enjoy the freedom of their own spaces and get paid for it, tech and software companies like Microsoft profit from the arrangement as well.
