John Jonas argues that empathy is what separates employers who keep their teams from those who burn through staff. He shares stories like Elishama supporting a team member whose mother had stage-four cancer, showing how kindness and flexibility create loyalty and better work without constant oversight.
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Welcome to the Secret Sauce of Outsourcing podcast that's dedicated to making you better at working with OFS online Filipino specialists. This is episode 338, a common denominator among successful Employers. So I talk with a lot of people about hiring ofs. I see success, I see failure. I see people come back over and over and over again because they're hiring again and again and again because their teams are growing. I see someone who failed and they're trying again. I see someone who failed and then says, oh, this doesn't work, you suck. I see all of it. And I regularly talk with people who have had people in the Philippines working with them for 10, 12, 14 years and they have teams of eight or 20 or 75 people in the Philippines. And so I see, I see a lot of, I see a lot of stuff. And it's so interesting that almost every time when I see someone who's doing really well, there's a common denominator among them. And the common denominator among those who succeed and often lacking in those who fail is empathy. And yeah, that's not, that's not the trait that you expected. You expected to, you expected to hear like they're a type A personality or they're really driven or they're willing to push through. And that's not what I see. What I see is those who succeed with building a team in the Philippines, which means they're succeeding in their business. The common denominator is empathy. Successful people are kind and they treat people well and they care for the people that they have working for them. They consider people their biggest asset. And this is because kindness works. So after my last podcast about Karen's story and her compassion and I got an email from Elishama and he, Elishama is one of the employers that I see that he has a really good team and he is compassionate and has empathy with. And he told me how he cares for his team. Here's what he says. I fully agree with this and can relate as well. I take care of my 87 year old sister all day as I work and manage my team of ofs. So when they need time to help a relative with appointments or anything else, I give it without hesitation. They are always offering to make it up. In most cases I don't require them to make up time because I appreciate having loyal ofs that I don't have to micromanage. So I support them as much as possible with their responsibilities at home and in turn they become very loyal team members. I also admire them for how they take care of the elderly and sick, which I do too. The Philippines is really great and I think a lot of Southeast Asia is like this where they take care of those who have taken care of them when they were little, he continues. I just recently had a team member make me aware that his mother was admitted to the hospital and found to have stage four cancer. I told him to take all the time he needed and not worry about anything here. I told him he would receive his pay as always. I lost my mother to cancer two years ago so I can relate. I didn't want him to have the additional stress of worrying about his job. He's decided to come back to work after three days of absence, but I've informed him he has the option to take off any time necessary. He's been with me for more than a year and is one of my most trusted and loyal ofs, so I back him and support him as needed 100%. So interesting. He came back to work three days later. They don't want to lose their jobs. They're concerned about it. Going to take care of a family member means weeks off of work and that means you have to quit your job and find a new job. And Elishama is a really good boss and takes care of his people. And whoever this OFS is probably came back in three days because Ellie Elisham is a really great boss and he wants to work for him. He wants to do good work for him. When you show empathy and compassion for the people that work for you, they're more likely to be loyal. They're more likely to go above and beyond. They're more likely to show up on time or to just show up despite you not forcing it. Are there some bad apples out there who will take advantage or who won't show up? Yes, there always will be bad apples. But for the most part, if you treat them with respect, pay them well and show appreciation for their work, they'll care for you. They want to take care of you. So again, that common denominator among successful employers. I see empathy. Try to care for the people that you have working for you.
