How to Spot (and Drop) a Toxic Employer

Hey, welcome to Work from Home Base, the official podcast from OnlineJobs.ph with your hosts Jehan and Jessica. Tada! Grab your favorite drink, sit back, and kick your feet up while we talk about remote work, real-life job seeker struggles, employer wins, and everything in between, straight from the heart of the work-from-home movement in the Philippines.

Welcome back to the OnlineJobs.ph Job Seeker Podcast, the go-to resource for online Filipino specialists who are building careers that last.

I'm your host Jehan, and I'm Klassika, and this is now episode 2.

Wow, pangalang episode na tayo kung mustahajes.

Ayos lang, gumaparin my init, at least na yon my content pa ulan ulana, so it's not so hellish.

Yeah, minsan ulan din dito pag-gabes, so thank God, at least bawasa dust. And ready for our next episode? Interesting topic natin today, no?

Yes, it's something that if you're a beginner, you might not expect it, but it hits you like a surprise.

Yes, and it will hit you if you're still not okay with remote work, right? At some point, you'll experience it.

Yes, and I think because we discussed a few months ago about negative feedback, even if you've been in the industry for a long time, it's still something that you need to remind yourself, kung ano yung proper way of handling.

That's right, Yan. And ayun nang patikim sa ating episode today. So today we're tackling a topic that isn't always easy to talk about, but it's absolutely necessary for your mental health and your professional growth. So we've all heard the success stories of finding that perfect client, But what happens when the dream job or the dream remote work starts feeling like a nightmare? So let's say you hit your deadlines, you track your time while working, so na 8 hours a day ka talaga sarado or more, and you pour your heart into every graphic or every copy that you write, only to be told by your employer or your client that is not enough, or only to be asked to work hours of unpaid training or additional hours per day. So does that sound familiar?

Yes, you aren't irrational and you're not alone. So today on the Job Seeker Podcast, we're talking about the toxic client. So how to spot them, how to handle the heat, and most importantly, how to walk away without burning the bridge.

That's the most important thing. And joining us today is one of our Yes, so joining us for this episode is our very talented graphic designer and video editor, and sharing you to edit audio for the podcast to share his frontline experience. Let's all welcome Elijah. Hi Elijah!

Hello, hello everyone, it's Elijah. I'm so happy to be part of the podcast, especially after editing the first episode.

Episode.

I forgot to mention that I'm also the intro, the intro to this podcast, the intro sound.

Yeah, the voice of our intros. What was that in weather, John?

Nothing new, it's still hot, hot as, hot as it can be. Just always praying for good weather. I heard yes.

Feedback mo sa invite for this episode, napaka-interesting nito ang topic today. So, um, can you share some of your experiences about the toxic client, or how do we end up— let's define kung ano yung toxic client or toxic employer.

So in my, in my own, you know, in my own words, I think a lot of people would agree a toxic employer would be somebody that is inconsistent with expectations. If he or she gives you work and gives a whole brief on how they want it to be, and suddenly out of the blue, the output is not something that they would appreciate, and it would be completely different from their expectations. That's something that will drive somebody crazy if it happens through a whole year, even a few weeks of that. Another thing I would define as toxic would be communication issues. If you have a hard time communicating with your boss or your client, and something that Shared Boss says is if you feel very sickly and angry, or if you feel like you want to barf every time you receive an email from that person, then that's probably a person you don't want to work with.

Yeah, also for the information of everyone, Elijah works a lot on creatives. A lot together nunsa blog.

Yes.

Medyo na hati-hati mangata. So everything like graphics, and then he also edits videos, and now podcasts also. So creative, I know, very creative field.

Can I ask, how long have you been working with our shared employer?

Oh, back at 2015 or 2016. I think I'm 11 years now, or I don't know.

But this is not your first— I don't know, this is your work with OJ is not your first remote job.

So OnlineJobs would be my third, third official remote job. Uh, I actually started very early, so I started in college, but I was working online. I found two jobs prior to OnlineJobs without using OnlineJobs.ph. I just, I just typed, I know, graphic designer online job, and then I was able to find one in college. When I, when I was first recruited, I didn't even use OnlineJobs. I mean, I haven't— I had an OnlineJobs account But John was the one who found me, and I didn't even apply. So I even told him I had one more employer, and he still allowed me to join. But later on, I just switched fully to online jobs as my sole— I know.

So during your stint, since college, you've— yes, like 3 clients. Have you ever experienced A toxic employer?

Oh yes, definitely. So my first employer, my first online job ever was an Australian client, uh, business cards. I thought it was my dream job because I had a taste of being able to work from home, work from school literally. During my breaks I would work from school and I didn't even care about the salary. It was around $3 or maybe $2.50 an hour. I think it was classified as part-time. I didn't even need the money in a month to survive. I was just a student, maybe for baon. I just wanted to feel like I had purpose, or I just wanted to feel busy during my breaks aside from studying. And it was so fun. We would have good back and forth. The communication was through email. I would be making different business cards for his clients abroad, so I would be exposed to different, like, styles of creative. Some would be auto industry, Some would be doctors, lawyers, who wanted different logos. So because of the business card, I was able to practice my logo making. I was able to practice my branding. And then he even taught me a few things like UV spot, like whatever that means. I don't even remember now, but it's like how to, how to do certain things with business cards. So it was like a, a very educational experience for me. And then one day, uh, suddenly he, he became very strict in terms of like requirements, because I told him I was studying and I wanted a part-time thing. He suddenly shifted into a very— he was demanding more than I signed up for, but I was still able to make it work. But at the very end, when I made signal for that my last month, he didn't pay me. So I just kept emailing him. I said, this is the hours I worked, are you gonna pay me? And then he never— he would reply, he would say, "No, I'm not gonna pay you because it doesn't seem like you want to work more hours for me." So that was my first experience and I was like, "I wonder how this bitter— how this sweet dream came to such a bitter ending." I was like, "Do I still want an online job?" And then it was so weird because to me he was my dream boss at that time. I would tell my parents, "This guy I'm working with, he's so cool, he's so fun, he teaches me everything." And then suddenly he doesn't want to pay me anymore. And just, it was just, it was so weird. And then I would, I would, I mean, I even asked my dad to help me craft this, uh, demand email asking for my last, my last salary. It was so, it was so crazy at the time. I was, I wasn't even, uh, 18 years old yet. I was just, it was cool. It was so crazy. It was a life-changing experience for me that I felt scammed, and I felt scammed by a friend because he felt like a friend already.

At which point did you decide not to pursue that demand for the last pay na lang? Napa-rung sig na let go ko nato? Ah, si, yung iba na kikita ko sa online pang dated to really annoy. Ah, habulid talila?

Oh, so at that time, I guess it was more of— it was already stressing me out. As I said a while ago, I didn't want to receive any more emails from him because I would I would feel stressed, like it's about the payment, it's about how I'm not fulfilling his— I know, his requirements. And sabiko, I guess I should just let go and move on because it's not worth it. And you know, it was just like $2.50 an hour, so sabiko, I can, I can just pause this first and move on to another, find something better. It was very sad just because I learned so much and it made me realize I could be a graphic designer at that time.

At least he served his purpose.

Yeah, he served his purpose. My confession is I still stalk him sometimes online just to see what he's doing. I think his business closed now.

Yeah, when it comes to employers, especially when they start out as your dream employer, tapos biglang nagging toxic, it feels like They're part of who you are, how you got to where you are. Because you learn a lot, not just actual work, but also how to deal with people. Because like I said, it always comes as a surprise.

Yes, I agree.

Actually, so far, parang wala pa namin ako na experienced na like super toxic, like how you define it na they ghost you, they— oh, I had one, pero I'd rather forget about it. For your mental health, especially if, you know, we do have as part of our— I know some— because we just talked about OJFP group, and yes, I do read a lot of posts there, for, you know, to just to share what they feel. Now, eto meron tayong isang papakingin na babasahe na story here, manager na toxic. So his story goes, I would like to seek your advice. Two years na ako dito sa client ko, sobrang bait ng boss ko at ayos na maniyo trabaho at yung sahod, the only thing is my manager is very toxic. Every time there's a small mistake, is super big deal na sakanyan ni, tipong papahiya ka sa meeting at lalamunin ka ng buhay wow. There's a time na kayati mo naman kasi lanan, ikaw pa din sisihihin at gagawan ng paraan para masisi ka. Kanto ba talaga ang manager, instead of solution, paninisihan in una? Anyway, yung manager namin is tagay US. Nayinis lang ako kasi kapag mangakalahit nila yung my problem, tinatawanan lang nila kapag kami magapinoy sobrang big deal sa kadela. Dabubuhay dugod na manager namin kapag may issue pero kapag need namin ng help nya or my question kami, in abot ng days or weeks, bagongya sa goten. Hindi ko rin marries sa boss ko kasi feel ko biased shalek in the end. Kami Papa Negan, no, no, please advise. If I were you, girl, let go of that client.

I would say the same thing as, as I keep— I'll probably reiterate this in the whole podcast— is if you don't enjoy receiving communication from that person, to it's probably not worth it. I would— if I would get an email from that person, I would be so stressed just opening it if I'm— if I have to deal with whatever, I know, whatever expectations that person— it's not a client that I would keep. Yeah, it's not worth it.

My difference versus its entire company culture. Oh yeah. Ang hila kya ta'ikip nyan every day tapos yung work.

I know, sometimes I think it could also be a factor how we take the feedback. Parang factor din yung hindi sha verbal na nareading mo kasi maybe it's possible na mami-sinterpret mo lang din yung sinasabi if it's just through chat or email. Nang experience si ba yung ganun na parang akala mo galet pero Oh yes, yes.

When it's email, you are creating the own tone for yourself. And when you read it, sometimes, especially if you're communicating from somebody from the US or not from the Philippines, talaga, iba talaga ang use ng emoticon. It's the way other cultures type. You have to learn that it's not personal, talaga. I would, especially in my generation, we use emojis everywhere and now we use memes. So when you experience an email with no tone, you always think that they're angry or they're not interested. That's not always the case.

I know, eh. I'm not sure if the two of you already experienced this. All of the time. If you've been working for a US client for the longest time, you have a tendency to adapt to their communication already. Paano kung baliktad? Hindi, you're not reacting to it negatively already because that's the normal for you. Alam mo na hindi, amadali yan Hindi and Galit. And now, how you chat with other people, how you email with other people, feeling nila Galit ka din. That's a good point, Senyo.

Yeah, so far, we haven't reached the part of code-switching, but I hope we will get there. Because sometimes, feedback through email or through chat, even if they don't mean anything bad from it, sometimes we can misinterpret it. But in general terms, how can we tell if the feedback is constructive to help you grow, or if it's a character attack. How do you differentiate between the two?

I see. Uh, for, for my work, it— I think I have a very clear, uh, detectors because I, if I work in creatives, so if the email really tells me tips or direction with the output then it's very clear that even if it's in a negative tone, it's very clear that it's— the tone is more encouraging than toxic. For example, if I give an ad— this is from a real-world example. We had in our work in OnlineJobs.ph, we used to have another helper with ads a long, long, long time ago. She's not with us anymore. She would be— she would help me create Facebook ads. And for a long time, she's been telling me every time I send a new ad, she would— it would be different from the other. So I would get gulo on how— on what exact ads I need to make. And I felt that she was already attacking me, but I looked into myself. I read the email again and again. I worked with her, and I just followed. It was very clear that I just had to follow what she had to say, and we're all okay. So a real example would be is when I was making ads, she would tell me that I shouldn't use the color blue for Facebook because it's not effective daw. And I really couldn't fathom at that time because in my past, whatever, I would use blue for any ad on Facebook and it would be okay naman. So I was just like, is she just trying to give me a hard time because I'm new? And then I just really couldn't wrap my head around it. And walang among emoticons or whatever, just don't use blue next time, follow the rules. So I'm just like, okay, does she— is she angry at me? She wasn't na man mean, but I would interpret it as mean. I'm like, because she would just say, don't use blue, follow the rules next time. And then she would send me a handbook. I'm like, oh no, she hates me. I know, I'm just like, okay. And she was really a woman of, you know, little words. So, "Don't use blue, follow the handbook, Link." I would say that she was just, you know, giving me a push forward in her way. She wasn't attacking me. So to cut the story short, in my field, if it's creative, you have to understand if the feedback is more on the work versus the person.

She didn't naman say, "You're not good at following instructions." That's how I differentiate between constructive critique or constructive feedback versus character attack if they say, if they use the word "your" or if they don't use it. Kasi pag nag-feeling ko kasi because I'm a writer and if it's already saying "your" or "your work" like that or it's saying na, "Is this your work? Is this the best copy that you can write?" So parang that for me is a direct attack but You know, sa recent works ko, pang nagpapakyuha, I think the way na constructive feedback is given is para it really focuses on the output instead of the person who gave the output. Pero pong kayo yung ano, if you were that person who posted sa ating OJFB group, would you stay with that employer or would you para take time to inform the owner? I guess kasi dun sa scenario that I read kanina, there's a different owner and then there is a manager. So would you go directly to the owner to raise that issue about, you know, the toxicity in the workplace, or would you just, you know, let it go? Magresign ka na lang.

I see. You know, I think I can answer this in two scenarios. So one, if I was younger If I was very— if I was younger, maybe 3 years younger than I was now, I would tell the manager, you know, I still have energy and I have time to kill. Yeah, I tell the manager, I'll see if I could work it out. But if they ask me now, these are worth it for my mental, my mental health right now, I would, I would leave. I would say that, you know, it's not— that's not the environment I'd like to be in. So at the end of the day, it's— you have to see where you are in life. If you're willing to try, to try to see if there's a way to remedy that, maybe the feeling of toxicness in the work culture, then you can try. If you have other opportunities to find another job, it's better to leave and spare yourself the stress if you can.

Yung age talaga ang nagmamata yung change.

Thank you, Elijah, for a very millennial answer. Pero ano din ako, I would leave because even if it's true or not, ang sabi niya, kaiti mo yadi ano din bias. So the fact na my assumption na siang ganyan, assumption or if it's true, whether, you know, either of those situations, you have bias already. So I would leave and look for a different job where I'm happier.

Yeah, yeah, I agree. Actually, in my past job before onlinejobs.ph, I was really not, um, I was really hesitant actually in leaving that job because the most of the managers there were millennials but with a Gen Z mentality where mental health really matters for them. So the way that they constructed the feedback was very emoji and the way Gen Zs give their— I don't know why, just put emoji. So pangakayin na Google lat, why? But I guess kung akarinyo ano, I would also. And actually, based on the comments then that we— I was able to gather from that post, most of the OFS din na nag-comment dawon. They agree na, ay, not worth your time and effort. Madaming waste komitan ng pera. Choose the one who brings you— who brings out your A-game. And these are just some of the top comments and If my safety net resigned agad, enough na 2 years, hindi na worth it kapag may toxic na um-exhale na. Save your energy, save your energy. It's better spent on doing your job na lang kesa mag-deal pa with toxicity. Yeah, and so a little bit, so thanks to Gemini for sharing the 3 signs that it's time to resign based on the scenario that we have earlier. So these are the 3 tipping points. For our OFS, if your health or your sleep is suffering, if number 2, you've stopped looking for other, um, better employers because this one already drains all your energy, and number 3, the employer has violated the integrity rule like late payments or hindi na siya ganun ka honest with you, then I guess it's really time for you to let go. Kahit ganun pa ka tasi yung hourly rate and agree.

Yes, agree. I agree.

That's right.

I actually have a story. So I have a— this is the second client I had before onlinejobs.ph, and it actually, um, it was sabay na after maybe a one month or so. It was for a fashion YouTuber that I looked up to before, like when I was a kid. He's not that famous, but I, I know I would know his, uh, his channel because if you type Fashion for Men at that time, his, his name would pop up. So I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna be able to work with this person. And when I joined the company, you're not allowed to message him. He was the boss, but you were not allowed to— you're not allowed to message him. And he would have, uh, another person who would manage us, and he would just relay the feedback that he, that he gets from him. To us. So we were on a trial period, me and 3 other Filipinos, for the YouTube thumbnail project. I was so excited. I was college at that time also, and we would work from Monday to Friday. And then I was waiting for feedback, and then suddenly he would message— the— our manager, he would message us on a Sunday. He would, he would ask me, why didn't you report for work? And I was like, 'But it's Sunday here in the Philippines and it's Saturday in the States.' And he would tell me, 'It doesn't matter, you're supposed to work for the whole 7 days,' which wasn't even— it wasn't even posted in the job. You just said you have to be available when the schedule is available. And I'm like, 'Oh really?' So I stopped everything I was doing. I was just doing homework. I stopped everything I was doing and I logged in and started doing work. And that would happen until the next Sunday, and I would be so tired working for them. And it would be US hours already also, because he would want me to be available. So these are the things that he didn't tell me while I was getting the job.

It's a recipe for burnout.

It was. Even if I was young, I was already getting tired. It would switch on a random day. He would praise me with so much feedback, and those are the times I would say, sigin na, I'll I'll just stay. I'll stay. I'll stay with them. And then at one point, he really said, um, they just messaged me one day. I remember it so clearly because I had a final exam for— I forgot what, what subject, but I had a final exam. And in the morning while I was studying, he said, can I go— can you go on a Face— on a Google call? And then he just said, sorry, we, we don't— we can't— our work schedule and our— and whatever does not align, so we have to let you go. And then that was the same day— that was a week before John found me. So I said, okay, you can let me go.

He saved you the ananao of resigning.

Yeah, at least he did. But I was already thinking about resigning. But as I saw here, the tipping points—

I stopped.

I stopped looking for, for anything else because it was just— I was so consumed. I was working until Sundays, and then Sunday night to midnight, it It was crazy. The revisions were also intense. I was like, wow, is this worth it? I think I was blinded by— I was blinded by the fact that he was— oh yeah, may time tracker yan, because I mean, I forgot the app he used. It was a— parang sa Basecamp, but it looked different, like it was BB something. And then there would be time tracking and whatever. And I was blindsided because he looked up to that YouTuber, so I'm like, I, I should stay. But I never got to talk to him at all, ever.

Could really track your time if you're working on weekends or not, because in my time tracker—

yes, and it was super, super strict, super strict. Like, you— I didn't know at the time, since I was college, I didn't know any better, so I didn't know if that was the standard. So I was just going through the motions. It was crazy for me because I wouldn't be able to talk, not to my family, during Saturday and Sundays because I would be on my laptop the whole time waiting for any comment because you have to answer agad. And he kept saying we're on trial even for a whole month. So if I didn't do well, I would be let go, which I was, even if I was really chasing— What was that?

I forget the things that we're willing to do when we're young. Even work 7 days straight.

Oh yeah, it's very different. I was— I was really chasing the dream, chasing the high.

But how was the pay for that client, Elijah? Was it worth it, manlang ba, the money that he was paying you?

Especially I came from $3 an hour, diba? So this was a fixed salary. So it felt worth it at the time, but I don't think it's worth it now. But to me as a kid, I was like, wow.

This one is not a personal story, but it's it's a friend's. I think I've mentioned this before, ano siya, toxic rin yung employer niya. So a lot of her fellow OFS talaga ang nasain na kasi asin bad words and all, muda ng muda. Pero shado kasi iba yung perspective niya, she can detach and every time nagmumuta do yung client niya, bibigay ng bonus. So siya, stick to this and okay, ako hindi naman ako affected. Wow. Not everyone, but she's a different kind of person. She's built with different things.

Wow.

I think so. If that was me, like the moment that I remember lang kasi from my past before my OG and I think two clients and 2-3 employers ago, especially pag sa social media ka, sometimes they would expect you to be online on weekends. Kasi nga lalo sa Facebook group moderation or answering inquiries sa page. Ah, katalaga, I really said that with that one employer, sinabi ko na, pang Saturday, please don't expect me to respond to your Slack messages or respond to any emails or anything. So I really, I think I was old enough to set my foot down with that client. I was mature enough to say no to Saturdays only. I will respond to you on Sundays but not Saturdays. It took me, I think, 3-4 months to, I know, discipline him to not message you on Saturdays. That's it. Means, like, Sometimes he's that much of a workaholic that on Saturdays he would really just, "Jehan, magrep like a piece of cake this alone." But I know, kait na kakeitan niya siya kung nang messages niya, I would not respond to him. But after that, tadisipina ko na man na sha in fairness. So I lasted like, I think 5 years, 6 years with him, but for the first 4 months it was really a struggle.

Na Saturday, Sunday, he really expected me to be online to answer inquiries and Yeah, I'm sure his next OFS will thank you for disciplining him and teaching him.

I hope. I hope. Kung may yung new VA. Yes, okay, but yeah, I think, I know, you just have to set the right expectations. So let's talk about the graceful exit. So when you decide to leave that toxic client, how do you exit? You know, Elijah, that you sent a demand letter to your first client.

I did. Very bold of me.

Yeah, but you did not send a resignation letter.

I did not send a resignation letter. It's just after the demand letter and saying that he won't pay me anymore, I think it was on mutual terms that we just said we won't pursue na the next steps. So I don't think I ghosted him, but he definitely did not reply to me anymore.

He ghosted you.

After I sent my demand letter, he replied pa. He replied. Like, I think he replied in a way that he was saying, "There's no way to prove that you worked these hours anyways." something like that, and then we ended it there. I won't reply na to this.

I think when it comes kasi to ano eh, to toxic employers, there are two things that will potentially happen. It's either you end in bad terms that you didn't start, yung si employer kasing toxic sha, so medyo my issue na that's arising that would lead you to being pushed out, or toxic employer, hindi ka pa nag-react, and then you decide to leave. So I think that's the only time na makakha graceful exit kapa. Yeah, question lang is pa no, pa nuwi yung gagu.

And that's actually a topic for a future episode of this podcast. We will delve deeper into that on a future episode, the graceful exit, why it's important not to burn bridges with your online clients or employers. Kahit na deserve nilang iburn yung bridge.

I worked with the fashion influencer, right? And when I was fired, maybe 6 months in while I was doing OnlineJobs.ph, the manager messaged me to ask if I could edit his video because he quit now and he wants to become an influencer. It was a one-time project, but I was like, I'm happy I didn't like, naman, shout at him because he was the one who fired me, diba? So I'm happy I didn't burn naman my bridge.

That's one of the good things about not, you know, burning bridges or not retaliating for their negative behavior is they tend to come back or, you know, reach out to you again, no? Especially if you did a good job naman during your term with them. Exactly, yeah. Okay, so we're on the— yeah, that's the last segment.

Jess? I was just blocking out because na easy ko lang kasi as much as we also like to remind our employers that we're humans, you know, we have our bad days, the reason why it's also not ideal to burn bridges is because, you know, we never know what their situation also is during that time. So baka, you know, people change, circumstance change, so baka naman there's still future, even if your previous relationship wasn't that good. Yes, toxic employer is similar to toxic relationship.

Relationship, exactly.

Yes, gaslight, ghost.

Ghost, yes, actually. Oh, now that you bring that up, Jess, Do you also give feedback to your employer based on how they, you know, critique your output or how they treat you? Have you experienced that before? By like, like how I disciplined my past client?

At this point, I'm not sure if I experienced it that way, but because when I experienced all of these quote-unquote toxic employers, I was so young, I was afraid to speak out. The most bold thing I did was to demand better. I wasn't able to put my foot down. That's why I said it's probably an age thing, no? And but I would say it now, I would hypothetically— I'm happy it hasn't happened, but I would probably put my foot down and, and say, and say what I mean. And you know, I think at the end of the day, both people are humans, you and your employer. I think if they're decent enough, they will listen to you.

Yes.

And if they don't They're not decent. Sure, agree, agree, agree. Thank you so much, Elijah, para andami kuna tutunan sa 'yo today. But do you have— what's your one piece of advice for the OFS or for our fellow online Filipino specialists who feel trapped or who feel like hindi delikayan toxicity or if they're still gaslighting themselves, kung toxic na ba 'to or not, what's a piece of advice that you can tell them? Siguro key takeaway from you.

Sure, so from all my experience, from my two toxic work experiences, I would tell my younger self that you should really assess your priorities and put your mental health first. And if those things don't align, and if you find yourself not enjoying the company or not enjoying communicating with your boss, and if you feel stressed every time you see or you hear a Skype or Viber notification or a Gmail notification, and you're scowling in your room thinking that could be your boss, I think it's time to leave that toxic workplace. And, you know, it may be hard to find a new job, but it's much better than feeling like you're trapped. And the last thing I would say is just, just be bold, you know. If you're— if you, if you found this job, you'll probably be able to find another job. You believe in yourself, so if you, if you got the skill, you can do it. Don't, don't, don't settle for something that's not making you happy. That's also love advice.

Yeah, thank you Elijah. Yes, so we are so glad that Elijah shared this experience back when he was still starting in college until he find the right employer for him, which is OnlineShops.ph. So we are leaving you with the same message, you know, when you find yourself— not all employers are perfect, so if you find yourself in a really bad situation where you're not happy your employers are toxic, although not all employers are, but if you find yourself in that situation, just remind yourself that know your worth and pump up your skills, get new skills, and there are a lot of really good employers on onlinejobs.ph who are willing to hire you, train you, and be good to you as long as you're willing to work and who will value your integrity and hard work.

That is true. Ayann, thank you so much, Elijah, for— I'm perfect. That is so true. I really agree with that. And again, thank you so much, Elijah.

Sure, thank you as well. I'm honored. I'm honored to be episode 2.

Chamfer, thank you so much. And to everybody who's listening right now, thank you. For listening to our podcast. This is just our second episode, so if we sound like naganga papakami o naganga papaputale ka kami, that's the reality of it. But we really hope that you'll stay with us on our journey. Marami pa tayong matutunan on future episodes. I believe episode 3 is already also in the works, in progress na, and that's all about using AI for job search. So look forward to that, and thank you so very much Everyone who's listening, have a great day everyone.

Bye!

Thank you, Jess.

Bye! Hey, make sure to join the conversation in the OnlineJobs.ph Facebook group and subscribe to the OnlineJobs.ph Job Seeker newsletter. We're dropping even more tips and tea straight to your inbox so you don't have to navigate the remote world alone.