No wonder companies like Costa Crociere greatly appreciate the enthusiasm of the Filipinos who work as service personnel on board their luxury vessels. I recall the happy faces of the Filipinos who served guests during the inaugural dinner with great eagerness and care. Their natural display of warmth while working, when augmented with skill through training, as well as an appreciation for the privilege of having a good job, is a sure win formula that results in a unique service level that sets Filipinos apart. And for many Filipinos working abroad, the extra mile with an extra smile works.
Are we prepared to take advantage of the increasing demand for excellent service by developed countries? Are we making the effort to understand and document what must-have service skills and standards, as well as what added value nice-to-have skills are in demand? Are we aware of our competition from other countries? Have we institutionalized skills development and work ethic programs for all the jobs Filipinos are aiming to fill? Do we have a business plan and strategy for each sector of jobs that could be filled by Filipinos? Are we aggressively addressing our weaknesses and enhancing our strengths like our English ability and our service with a smile?
I believe not enough. The dilemma we have and the internal conflict we feel about the export of labor, holds us back from having a clear, positive and consistent national policy/strategy that harnesses the opportunity as well as addresses the social challenges involved.
After my recent experience of the lack of service in Europe, a thought came to me that could perhaps free us from our internal conflict with a fresh approach. We should shift our viewpoint from being an "exporter of labor" to becoming an "exporter of service." This subtle shift would force us to look at our workers as human resources who need to be empowered with skill and other added value know-how that would make Filipino service synonymous with a unique brand of excellence. By doing so, we would establish the best schools and training programs, research what the market is looking for, hire trainors from all over the world to teach us, and market and promote our services aggressively. We would have the opportunity to augment labor, which is frequently valued at an hourly rate, with added value talents, creativity and solutions that could command higher price levels.
For example, a Filipino maid trained up to the standards of an English butler or nanny, who is warm, loving, speaks English, and works with a smile would be hard to compete with. We should inspire these providers of service to be ambitious – to look at work abroad as a stepping-stone, to learn world-class standards, to make contacts, to bring ideas home as entrepreneurs offering services from home.
Our great abilities would allow us to negotiate for excellent contract terms with annual home leaves to have time with our families. Or, maybe our excellent pay could pay NGOs and the church to organize good boarding schools for children left behind. Most importantly, we would stop feeling sorry for ourselves because we would be too busy being enthusiastic and great.