Bbc Apologizes To The Philippines

[Jollygoodfellow]

Never seen the show but sounds to me some truth in what is portrayed? :SugarwareZ-037: BBC apologizes to the PhilippinesFriday, October 24, 2008 05:20 PMThe British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has apologized to the Philippines for the offensive skit of the comedy show

[Call me bubba]

Just another example making a laugh or "right" :thumbsup: but having to Apologize in order to be "POLITICALLY CORRECT"

[Dzighnman]

An Inferiority Complex permeates the culture and eliminates the sense of humor when it comes to foreign interaction.In a similar vein, in my experiences I find that as I interact with more and more Filipinos, both on a personal and a professional level, I am constantly needing to temper my reactions, carefully word responses and instructions so as to not even remotely appear as I am inferring that they are of inferior intelligence etc. I personally feel that as a culture, they are so downtrodden that an inferiority complex has permeated the culture and puts many people on edge and immediately defensive, and assuming they are being unfairly criticized when even when that is not the case.Maybe an example helps with the message:We operate a small restaurant, serving many of our own recipes from the west. In training our cooks, we have written instructions for procedures and recipes, in English and Visayan.... and as an example, we review a recipe and how the plate presentation should be created, verbally... we work side by side with me making the recipe and them watching.... we then switch roles and they make it with my oversight... a few times if needed until they seem to get it.... I then watch food leaving the kitchen and monitor quality and accuracy in plate make-up.... mostly I see variations and sometimes completely different creations.... I immediately head to the kitchen, compare the plate to the picture instructions I provided and ask why the difference.... just like that, sometimes it brings tears to their eyes...no verbal assault, no yelling and screaming only asking why the difference.... most times, the response is " Sorry Kuya, I forgot"... I say forgot what? "Forgot how to do the recipe".... I point out that the pictures are in front of them so nothing to remember other than to look at the pictures..... and it goes on and on and on... and is why training/mistakes is/are my one of my largest overheads when you dig into expenses (ie: mistakes, time until one cook can do then work of two etc.)So like "Call me Bubba" says, "having to Apologize in order to be "POLITICALLY CORRECT" am I being PC in order to preserve that fragile balance of getting them to remember vs crying and keeping them on defense... .sure... should it be that way, no... but I guess my experience forces me to keep that balance and has led to my assertion that as a people, the pocket of folks I interact with generally are very defensive of any discussion that may lead to reflecting poorly upon their "intelligence tools". Hopefully in time they and I will merge to a happy medium of understanding and they will not cry when I find a mistake... and these are guystoo , not only the ladyboys, normal tough acting, hip hop, gangsta males,... WTF?I feel that this complex can be changed though, I felt that I was making good progress with being patient and "PC" but still only one wrong word and sadness would fill their faces and I would start losing progress.... this is all new to me as most would expect, in the western world, how many chances do you get to do something correctly before you are replaced????? How many excuses are acceptable?Not beyatching here, only offering up a view of why I feel a sense of humor is lacking as it pertains to foreigner interactions.I do not feel burdened really in having to "walk on egg shells" with my words and reactions.... as I feel it helps me stay relaxed and stress free... I just dream of the day when a task only needs to be taught ... say 5-8 times before it is learned and remembered. :dance:Possibly a bit OffTopic: I am a working Engineering Manager at this moment and as an example of how Phils life has affected me professionally??? I am awaiting (4 days and counting) engineering response to a supplier request for data...... Instead of sending off a nastigram email asking for several engineers to get off their dead ass and reply to a suppliers questions.... I emailed the supplier and CC'd the engineers saying, " Supplier: Thank you for your info request, our engineering team is currently handling a large work statement and I am confident that our engineering team members will reply to you with the requested data as soon as they possibly can." 15 minutes later, we had all but one of the questions addressed.....and the last guy sent an apology and promised it by the end of the day. Sure this was a more PC way of handling it, sure I would have felt like saying : "get off your dead asses and reply to a suppliers questions"..... but through my experiences with the team I have i nthe Philippines, I have tried to learn how to apply the old addage, " You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"Question: I would like feedback on: Through my behavior in these situations, am I doing a service or disservice to the employee?Is it a disservice to them to coddle them and have patience and then they possibly do not learn to be responsible as quickly, or expect coddling in their next job?OrA service in that I am helping them to mature to western styles of business expectations, build confidence and therefore be more prepared and more likely to succeed in their next job?Many days I wonder????? :thumbsup:

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Was it a comedy? Then it was a joke. Get over it. People need to lighten up and get a sense of humor. They all complain about everything nowadays. I've seen a lot of shows make fun of Americans or white people in general. I usually laugh at it. And if it is not funny to me it is still not offensive.

[JJReyes]

I immediately head to the kitchen, compare the plate to the picture instructions I provided and ask why the difference.... just like that, sometimes it brings tears to their eyes...no verbal assault, no yelling and screaming only asking why the difference.... most times, the response is " Sorry Kuya, I forgot"... I say forgot what? "Forgot how to do the recipe".... I point out that the pictures are in front of them so nothing to remember other than to look at the pictures..... and it goes on and on and on... and is why training/mistakes is/are my one of my largest overheads when you dig into expenses (ie: mistakes, time until one cook can do then work of two etc.)

You have a high employee turnover at the restaurant because your style in reprimanding the staff is Westen rather than Oriental. It has nothing to do with raising your voice or using a few curse words. The reprimand is even more severe because the staff holds you in high regard being the boss and owner. I have faced similar situations in another type of business. My approach would be to accept the blame for the mistake. "My fault. I forgot to explain that the food should be served exactly like the picture. The regular customer liked the dish and that is the reason why they keep coming back. If you change it, they won't come back." It is a reprimand, but there is no loss of face. Next time the staff will try to do it your way. The above is really difficult to follow and instinctively you may want to say, "My way or the highway." The alternative is to have a restaurant manager do it. You explain to the manager what's wrong and he/she will explain to the employee in a culturally acceptable manner.In Oriental philosophy, the first mistake is not a mistake. It is a learning opportunity. If the employee keeps making the same mistake, then you need to start looking for a replacement. Again, it's your fault (sort of). You are the person who hired the idiot. The bottom line is the high turnover is costing you money.

[Dzighnman]

My fault. I forgot to explain that the food should be served exactly like the picture

Firstly, thanks for your reply.Even though they and I both know the issue has been reviewed multiple times? Wouldn't that ploy seem like I was patronizing them? So is what you are saying that "Oriental" styles of interaction in the workplace are to lie and pretend there was no mistake and skip defrining the correction. That method seems to only serve to massage a persons feelings more than to identify a problem that needs correction. If I tell themn it was my mistake when it was not, what about my "face"? Don't I need to project a knowledgable lead for them to follow... of course, I often do accept responsibility if I know I missed something in the training.... Interesting..... I would think that they would walk away from that method you describe thinking, "Wow, my boss is a real dumb A$$... him making mistakes all the time, how am I supposed to learn from him?" The "No loss of face" and of more concern to my sense of logic, "no clear identification of the problem with the corrective action" seems that it is likely to repeat again and again. I should say that I thought I was saving their face by only discussing mistakes one on one... not in front of others ever. Hmmmm, me needs to re-think my strategy. I appreciate your perspective... I guess if it were easy anyone and everyone would be doing it. :thumbsup:I get what you are saying, I think, I should mention, I have not just fallen off the mango cart, I managed engineers in several SE Asian countries over the last 14 or so years. The general experience was that after a few repetitions for some, they would get it, some got the instructions right away and even expanded upon them with independant thought. No sensitivity like this was witnessed at not only a more educated Filipino level, but in any other of the several SEA cultures I was immersed into. What I was hoping to hear was that these few employees I had here were exceptions not the rule. I did have 2 really good ones that never had those problems that I ID'd in the OP and really showed alot of independant thinking capacity.

alternative is to have a restaurant manager do it

Maybe if we ever made it past a very small business scale we could insert the multiple levels of management. But that carries risk in and of itself to introduce " misunderstandings". You ever do that thing in grade school whee you start a message on one side of the class and whisper it around the room and then see how different the story became? "I do like the "My way or the Highway" but you know, I was trying to be understanding, some might say too much so.

Again, it's your fault (sort of). You are the person who hired the idiot

Of course, 100% agree, but I just do not want to give up on them if there is a way to get through to them... I will get over it and become a better judge of the Filipino character.... not easy as in the interviews mostly it is "sir, yes sir" to ever question.... I try, really I do to not be intimidating.... :thumbsup: I KNEW there was a reason I had to take a Psych and sociology course in my Engineering studies.I will also add that my wife and I interview together and share the confused state in regards to our training failures.. .and she has only been western for 2-3 years... So tying us back to the OP.... does the cultural inferiority complex and loss of a sense of humor theory hold any water as to why such a high sensitivity to constructive criticism?Thanks JJR, appreciate your insights! Edited March 9, 2012 by Dzighnman

[JJReyes]

Please remember that in either approaches it is still a reprimand and you are still expecting the employee to comply to your original instructions. There is no loss of face on your end. Actually, your prestige goes up because you found a way to reprimand without making it sound like a reprimand. If there is no manager, then it could be done by a more senior employee. This is the person who has taken a leadership position in minor ways, such as instructing a more junior employee to refill the empty water glass. What I am suggesting is to find ways to avoid the direct confrontation and the resulting crying fits. This has an effect on employee morale and possibly helps to increase your blood pressure.Filipinos are ill equipped for Western style verbal interviews. Try asking them to perform a task. If you need an experienced waittress, have the person set a table for five guests. An assistant cook should be able to prepare a simple dish. If you are hiring a helper with no skill, like a busboy, have him sweep the restaurant.

[i am bob]

I have a few thoughts on this subject but to be honest, I think I am learning more from listening to you and JJR than I have in a long time! I will wait to see what you two discuss next!

[billten]

Part of what you mention Ron about having to deal with employees in a more relaxed manner, is what about the Philippines has been so good for me. When i first arrived I was so intense and focussed, some people also said mean and grumpy ;-) Since a few years here, i find that i have had to learn to take the quieter and less 'in-your-face' path and frankly it has been good for everyone around me, me included. I'm not suggesting that you should change your standards, but personally, i have found life a lot more enjoyable when i can say 'hmmm, bahalana' and not go nuts about a minor issue...