liezlslearnings

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Handling stress and emotion, separation of personal and professional emotion

Stress is a normal reaction to the pressures of everyday life. Worry, fear, anger, sadness and other emotions are also all normal emotional responses. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children, symptoms maybe physical or emotional.

Emotional stress maybe specifically difficult and be disputing to handle. They are all part of life. However, if the stress that underlies these emotions interferes with your ability to do the things you want or need to do, this stress has become unhealthy. Overthinking for a solution can easily turn into rumination and co-rumination. This may result to repetitive, excessive and negative thoughts that can exaggerate your stress levels.

Warning signs and symptoms of emotional stress can be physical, mental, behavioral or a combination of any of the 3. Common reactions may include increased heart rate or chest pain, shoulder, neck or backpain, headaches, anxiety, depression, loss in appetite/sleep, being more emotional than usual, feeling overwhelmed, trouble keeping track of things or remembering, deterioration of health, difficulty in concentration and decision making and tendency to turn to alcohol, tobacco and other substances.

Learning healthy ways to cope and getting the right care and support can help reduce stressful feelings and symptoms. Here are a few tips on how to cope better with emotional stress.

Take some time to relax: Take some time to care for yourself. Even if you can devote only five to 15 minutes a few times a day to relax, take a break from reality. Give yourself ample time to think about the current situation and mull over solutions. Concoct hypothetical possibilities. Do whatever you feel the emotional urge to do.

Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is learning how to focus your attention and become more aware. You can learn to feel the physical changes in your body that happen in response to your changing emotions. Understanding this mind-body connection is the first step in learning how to better manage your stress and how emotions affect your body. If you can figure out what helps you feel more calm and relaxed in that moment, you know you’ve figured out one of your stress triggers and what works to manage it.

Distract yourself: Stuffing or suppressing our emotions is unhealthy and can bring other problems. Focus your mind on something other than what’s causing your stress can help you feel better. Do something fun. Watch a funny movie, play a game, take a good meal or engage in a favorite hobby. Do something with people you enjoy.

Seek professional help: If you find your level of emotional stress interfering with your daily activities or threatening your well-being in other ways, you may consider seeing a therapist for help working through emotional issues. Whatever the cause of your emotional stress, you can work toward lessening and managing it and feeling better in the process, without losing the 'messages' that your emotions are bringing you.

If your stress primarily comes from work, it is important to learn how to separate your personal and professional emotions. Let’s be honest, It is hard for us, as humans, not to be emotional. Whilst it is generally good to be in touch with our emotions and to not suppress them, there are situations where we must somehow manage our emotions especially well. That’s notably the case at work.

Emotional outbursts at work could be due directly to work-related matters or to stressors from our personal life spilling into our work life. Handling our emotions (particularly negative ones) at work is often seen as a measure of our professionalism.

(Photo grabbed from Google)

Though we may never fully suppress our negative emotions at work, we can try to effectively manage our emotions with the following:

Compartmentalization: Try to leave personal matters and issues at home. When you commute to work, use that time to tell your mind to let go. You can compartmentalize work-related stressors as well so that your emotions at work don’t spill over into your personal life. It is good practice to let go of any anger, frustration and unhappiness at the end of every workday.

Relaxation techniques: This will help with emotions like anxiety, worry and anger. Take deep breathes, inhaling and exhaling slowly until you calm down. You can also take a walk to cool down and listen to relaxing music. Find something that helps you relax and stick to it.

Clarity: Always clarify before reacting. Most of the time simple miscommunications or misunderstandings can lead to something more. Remember that overthinking can lead to emotional stress.

Never make a decision if you are angry: Never let your anger or unhappiness cloud your judgement. It is easy to shoot an email that you may regret later. Hold off all communication while you are still angry. You can type it first but save it as a draft and sleep on it for a day. Re-read it the next day or even let someone you trust take a look at it before you send it.

Know your triggers: It helps when you can recognize what upsets or angers you. This way, you can prepare yourself to remain calm and plan your reactions should the situation reoccur.

Be respectful: Always treat your colleagues the same way you would like to be treated yourself. If the person is rude, there’s no need to reciprocate. Remember your relaxation techniques and never make decisions if you are angry.

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Working Station Level Up!

In an effort to minimize the number of covid infections, numerous companies initiated multiple business continuity protocols to ensure employee safety. One of this protocol is to allow employees to telecommute or work from home remotely for support. Although this is not applicable to certain industries that require face to face interaction with customers, the work from home setup paved the way to working in the “new normal” and at the same time, observe social distancing to mitigate coronavirus transmission while keeping the business running.

(Photo grabbed from Google)

Since many of us are working at home right now (and perhaps weren’t expecting it), lots of people are improvising their “workstation.” For some, that means working at a desk, and for others, that means sitting on the couch or the kitchen table during work hours. Given that the new way of working in the “new normal”, it is important that employees are properly equipped with the tools and accessories that can help them work more efficiently and safely. This is where ergonomics come in. Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems so that they fit the people who use them. Most people have heard of ergonomics and think it is something to do with seating or with the design of car controls and instruments. Ergonomics applies to the design of anything that involves people – workspaces, sports and leisure, health and safety.

To create the ideal work from home office, the most common factor to consider is maintaining a neutral spine. A neutral spine is one that stays in its natural curved shape. A neutral spine is basically an S-shape. That means at the top of your spine, near your neck, your spine curves in (toward your front). In the middle, your spine curves out, and your low back curves back in. Whether you stand or sit for long periods, this is the best position for your spine. It takes “less work” for you to maintain a neutral spine, meaning it’s not as hard on your muscles. As you set up your workspace, take a few moments to focus on how your back feels. If the position feels tight or “unnatural”, you’re probably not in a neutral spine. Keep adjusting and testing until things feel more “neutral.”

You can invest in a comfortable office chair to maintain the neutral spine. Find one that supports the curve of your back, enables your feet to rest flat and firmly on the floor, can be adjusted, and most of all, comfortable. Adjustable features on an office chair will save you from lumbar and neck discomfort. In case your feet dangle, you may improvise with books or foot rests so that your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor and your hips are slightly higher than your knees. Doing this will reduce stress on your lumbar spine.

Another factor to consider is the eye and elbow height. Ideally, it is best to maintain a 90-degree angle for your elbow which means that the table height and keyboard should be positioned at elbow level as well. Bending your elbow beyond and/or below 90 degrees might lead to discomfort in the long run. The top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye height and should be placed 20 to 40 inches (about an arm’s length) away from the eyes.

Find a desk that supports your working height. Remember that no matter what you choose as your “desk,” your keyboard and mouse should be at elbow height when you are seated. will promote better wrist alignment rather than impingement or carpal tunnel stress. To ensure that the monitor height is below eye level, you can opt to use monitor risers and laptop stands to allow you to position the monitor at the optimal height. Placing the laptop 20 to 40 inches away makes it harder to type which is why you can opt to use an external keyboard and mouse. Using an ergonomic keyboard and mouse can reduce strain on your hands and wrists. If you want, you can also use external monitors.

(Photo grabbed from Google)

To summarize, try to set up a workstation that you can make entirely your own. Sharing a workstation means you need to adjust your computer height, chair, and furniture every time you sit down. Find a good space with adequate lighting that fully illuminates the space without glare, shadows, or excessive brightness. A home office that isn’t optimised ergonomically can increase the likelihood back pain and spinal health issues (stemming from poor posture). Good ergonomics ultimately ensures maximum comfort and safety, enhancing your productivity, all while keeping you healthy and pain-free.

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Business Leader with a Heart

When I decided to take up MBA, I don’t really think about so much where to enroll or what should I consider in looking for a Graduate school. I ended up choosing De La Salle University because it’s closer to my work given the prior covid set-up of face-to-face classes, but of course its prestigious name is an enticing consideration for me to enroll. However, during my time in La Salle I learned how unique it was especially for the business school, and what it sets it apart to other schools. You would have thought that Master’s in Business Administration is teaching you to run business, to earn profit and be successful, but the Lasallian way teaches you how to do it in a right way.

(Own photo from 1st day of Class)

Recalling way back semesters, I also had the Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics and CSR as a subject. A Lasallian business leader is not solely for profit but on how to apply ethics on every decision making of a company or business. I also learned about CSR or the Corporate Social Responsibility on how companies give back to the community. Most companies have CSR to help the environment and the communities by building schools, making campaigns, etc. It gave me a redefinition on how should I be once I become a leader. Other subjects are also training us to use our sound judgment in decision making by applying the Lasallian Framework.

During my Aim2Flourish project. I got familiarized with what is a Social Enterprise all about. A social enterprise is “defined as a business with specific social objectives that serve its primary purpose. Social enterprises seek to maximize profits while maximizing benefits to society and the environment, and the profits are principally used to fund social programs” (Investopedia). We were tasked to find a local social enterprise business so that we can share their noble stories through Aim2Flourish website. That’s how I discovered about the EcoBoom diapers. These diapers are made of bamboo and fast decomposing compared to normal diapers. These bamboo diapers decomposes for 147 days compared to regular diapers that takes 400-500 days to decompose and sitting still on the landfills. But what I like the most about the experience in doing the project is I get to know the person behind the Social Enterprise and why she choose sustainable products for business. I met Ms. Valerie Pineda, the owner of EcoBoom Diapers, and she shared and somehow teaches me how to live almost zero-plastic. She shared that her love for the environment makes her start on her own will to live with less plastics and eventually sharing and encouraging her friends to do the same. Some of her ways are using menstrual cup, using shampoo bars, and using reusable bags. With her eagerness to lessen waste, what she’s doing is to continuously researching for a sustainable alternative products that she can offer in the Philippines. Ms. Valerie inspires me because of the mindset that she has on how she is doing business. Her company name is called NewEarth Ph, aside from diapers, she also has baby wipes, eco-friendly washable paper bags, and compostable face mask. She is dedicated to provide eco-friendly products for the Filipino with a goal to lessen waste. I was inspired with her devotion because not all businessman spoke like how she values our environment more than profit.

(Photo grabbed from Google)

Now, that I am almost at the finish line of my MBA journey, with few terms left, I am very happy that I chose this school. Lasallian MBA values and principles is the best built for a successful business leader. There is a huge difference between a leader and an ethical leader, but the latter is how a Lasallian business should be.

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Saved by Savings

Its been almost 2 years since the covid 19 pandemic took us by surprise. No one prepared us for this situation that would change our lives forever. When life has almost all come to a halt, our major life goals have taken a backseat and the complexities of human survival have boiled down to staying in our bubble and making the most out of it.

While majority of the labor force took a hit during the pandemic, some companies were able to continue business operations thanks to flexible working arrangements.

We often see wealth/money as financial independence to do what we want to do when we want to do it. This pandemic changed that perspective. Even for the wealthiest, the coronavirus crisis challenged the notion that money could buy anything. Covid made us redefine what it means to enjoy and what it means to be successful.

It is important that we, as individuals have enough knowledge on financial literacy. financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Financial literacy is the foundation of your relationship with money, and it is a lifelong journey of learning. The earlier you start, the better off you will be, because education is the key to success when it comes to money.

Being financially illiterate can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as being more likely to accumulate unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions or a lack of long-term preparation. This in turn can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing foreclosure, and other negative consequences.

This pandemic helped me realize the true value of financial literacy when it comes to my money, savings and possible investments.

Handling your finances the right way should be a priority, and it should drive your daily spending and saving decisions. Personal finance experts advise taking the time to learn the basics, from how to manage a checking or debit account to how to pay your bills on time and build from there.

Managing your money demands constant attention to your spending and to your accounts and not living beyond your financial means.

I learned to create a budget. One of the first building blocks of a successful personal finance plan is the ability to budget. Although it’s easy to understand, it’s also difficult to do because it requires a hard look in the mirror and a willingness to see what really stares back at you. I started tracking how much money I receive each month against how much money I spend monthly. This includes fixed expenses, credit card payments, utilities, loans, insurance, retirement funds, essentials and non-essentials (shopping, eating out, etc) and savings.

Saving is an essential component on good budgeting. Using a savings account allows you to prevent emergencies from draining the money you need for monthly bills and slowly build a reserve for making large future purchases. To build savings, I started saving a specified amount each month and setting that amount aside before I spend/allocate the rest of my expenses. I see to it that I don’t overspend on things with money that I don’t have yet. One good rule is to always have the money to pay for the item in full instead of paying it in installments.

I pay my bill promptly; making sure that all payments are completed on time. Doing this also improves my credit score which will help me obtain the best interest rates on loans for future investments and credit card deals. Never underestimate the importance of credit scores as it can be a strong indicator of your financial well-being.

Any improvement in financial literacy will have a profound impact on people and their ability to provide for their future. Recent trends are making it more imperative that consumers understand basic finances because they are being asked to shoulder more of the burden of investment decisions in their retirement accounts, all while having to decipher more complex financial products and options. Being financially literate to be able to take control of your money, savings and investments is not easy, but when mastered, it can ease life’s burdens tremendously.

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Manifest your Destiny

Hope can be dictionary defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen”. Hope may not be the greatest compared to love as mentioned in Corinthians 13, but hope is powerful as comparable to love. Hope can turn things differently. Hope can make a .01% to 100%. Hope can make us move forward and be our source of living.

The first chance I relied from hope is when I was in college. Back then, University of Santo Tomas (UST) is my dream school, however, I wasn’t able to pass the exam so I had no choice but to go with different school. My hope didn’t stop there. Therefore, I converted my hope into a goal. I didn’t lose hope back then, instead I created my game plan on how will I achieve to be in my dream school. I promised myself that I will get a high grades so that if I will transfer to UST, that I will earn to have an edge, or high chance of getting accepted, and I did! I was able to pass the exam and I was able to enroll in my dream school. However, maintaining to be a student there is not an easy task. Since college life is full of spontaneity and adventure, and friends, I lost focus in my study. I forget how I ask the Lord to be in that school and how I prayed so hard. A turn of event happened, I was almost kicked out from the school. I didn’t reached the grade quota and I am not eligible to re-enroll in the university so I needed again to transfer to a different school, which really broke my heart that time and what I have left is hope. I don’t have a plan B then, so I did everything to reinstate my student status. My first step is to apply to other colleges and hope that someone might give me a second chance, but I didn’t received any reply from the departments. The enrollment already start and I still didn’t know what to do next. But then a tun of event happen that turn everything around. I don’t know if God loves me so much because I met someone who is related to the school rector that time. He advised me to send a letter to the rector asking for forgiveness and second chance. Luckily, the rector accepted my plea and endorsed me to a certain department. Everything was quick, I was able to re-enroll and next thing I know I was sitting on one of the class. I really prayed hard for it, and I promised the Lord and my parents that I will now do my best in school, which I did. And yes, I was able to graduate from my dream school, based on hope and prayers. However, life doesn’t end in studying and getting your degree.

My next hope is to be at my dream job/institution. Being an average student, it’s not easy for me to land a job that I really like. I tried working overseas as an OFW to middle east with the hope to make good income, but things don’t work out for me so I decided to return home and find a job in our country. As an eldest child, I was pressured have a work so that I can help or at least, be a less burden to the family so I land a job on the first company that accepted me. Still, I am not someone who quits on her goal. I want a be at my company or at least be at a high paying job, so my search for a job that will satisfy me continues. After so many attempts to apply, so many entrance exams, so many interviews and after so many patience and hard works, I finally landed on my dream institution which is the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which where I am now.

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Quaranthings on my Mind

I often ponder how much this pandemic has affected us, how much it has taught us and how much there is that we have known of ourselves and of our lives whilst continuing to battle a global mission to save the World. When life has almost all come to a halt, our major life goals have taken a backseat and the complexities of human survival have boiled down to staying in our bubble and practicing good hand hygiene.

Going through this crisis is indeed not easy, and has never been easy with anyone else’s, too. Most of us have had difficulty coping during the lockdown. We were not emotionally and mentally prepared to cope with the situation. We are fighting our own battles right now. Being cut off to see our friends and family and the outside world may have been a struggle. I realized that most of us cannot stand being alone. We depend on external things or situations to make us happy. So, when everything closed down (malls, cinemas, bars, travel, etc.), we had to depend on ourselves and it made me realize, personally, how majority of us had neglected our inner being.

We all heard about the “half glass of water” anecdote. People can be optimists, pessimists and opportunists. I really related myself to this situation during these times. Pessimism is off my list, so between the other two I feel its purposeful to grab this opportunity, take your positive thoughts and change them into actions. The time you have, make the most of it, spend it doing things you could have only wished you could have done if you had time.

This pandemic unloaded an ample amount of time up our sleeves. Time which can either be spent well or just splurged away complaining how this whole situation has ended up messing up our lives; when we all know that we all are in the same boat, constantly battling the same enemy. With all this time in hand, it is normal to be overwhelmed. All the energy floating day in and day out needs to be constantly channelized. Self-discipline and self-motivation to achieve feasible goals need to be realized, and, it’s no less important to contemplate over what this pandemic has taught us. Giving us so many one-time life experiences and lots of amendments to our definition of ‘Normal’, to a point that ‘Abnormal is the new normal’.

While it’s important to be easy on yourself during these tough times, it is important to plan things which are impactful, de-stressing rather than mindless hours of social media usage. While this approach could be very wide ranging for different people, find out what it is and do it. Use this time, to do things you only wished you had time for. Be the opportunist.

More than everything else, we couldn’t agree more that we should not take anything for granted. No one prepared us that this pandemic will change our lives forever. This teaches us that nothing in life should be taken for granted. We must be mindful of what we are doing to our Planet, our country, our society, our relationships and to ourselves. We cannot undermine the fact that to be happy, we must do the things that make us happy. Learn to cherish things while we still have them. Learn to reconnect with one’s self. Learn to live life to the fullest. Life is short, always make the most out of it. I know that in time, we could get all through this together.

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Simple Work Ethical Consideration

In going to work, we often dress up in formal or business attire not just to comply with the HR dress code but we groom ourself to look neat and tidy inside the office. We also follow to the rules and regulation of the company regarding proper behavior and attitude, and to fully exercise outmost professionalism we should practice ethical conduct in the office especially to our officemates, but somehow we are forgetting the small actions that doesn’t show consideration to others To remember, here are some tips.

Part 1: Unacceptable Behavior

1. Do not shout, curse and insult others.

2. Do not spread malicious rumors or gossip to others.

3. Do not make unwanted physical contact especially towards woman.

4. Do not give offensive joke, comments or body language.

5. Do not exclude oneself and not cooperating with others.

6. Do not criticize others persistently and unreasonable

7. Do not purposely ignore emails and delay response in urgent matters.

Part 2: Resolving Conflict at Work

1. Act promptly – deal with uncomfortable issues as soon as possible, before problems and bad feelings arise in everyday work.

2. Talk together – set a time and place with colleagues to without interruptions to address misunderstandings and issues.

3. Listen carefully – respect the speaker and give your full attention to the person who is speaking

4. Find agreement – try to recall experiences from positive rather than negative

5. Provide guidance – to not take side or be bias, be there to help out your colleagues resolve their problem

6. Observe civility in the place – always be civil and respectful in dealing with your colleges

Part 3: Meeting Etiquette

1. Test the technology ahead of time – all the participants should test the technology ahead of time and make sure they are comfortable with the features, this will avoid delays in the meeting and respecting your colleagues time

2. Always provide an audio dian-in option – participants should be able to participate at least via audio, in case they can’t open the video due to connection issues

3. Stick to meeting basics – during the sessions, make sure that there is a prepared agenda and set a ground rules. Clearly outline the deliverables and timelines at the end of the meeting. Do not forget to adjourn the meeting

4. Assign a facilitator – it can be helpful to assign one individual or host who is in-charge of the meeting, to guide the conversation to make the participants focus on the flow of the meeting

5. Call on people – since meeting is for discussions, it is advisable to call on everyone to speak from time to time, to gather everyone’s opinion especially if the goal of the discussion is to come up with a decision

6. Avoid multitasking – give your full attention to the virtual meeting. Avoid doing unrelated tasks such as reading or sending emails or even checking your social media

7. Keep the mute button handy – to respect the speaker, we should mute our audio to avoid unnecessary background noises that could distract the meeting

8. Be patient – if someone doesn’t respond immediately, wait for a few seconds, the person might having a bad internet connection making delay responses or still unmuting his audio

9. Make an eye contact – even if looking at the computer camera, it is still important to make eye contact with your colleagues and avoid the distractions of other applications open in your computer

10. Assess and look for improvements – after the meeting it is recommended to seek your colleagues assessment on how the meeting goes, this will be a guide for improvement for the next meeting

Due to the pandemic, companies resolved to alternative work arrangements to safeguard their employees from the virus. Therefore, majority of communications and meetings are done online. The situation is sudden that everyone was forced to learn social platforms to conduct a meeting, however we should also learn the proper behavior in conducting online meetings to maintain professionalism even when working at home.

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Leaders of Sustainability

When taking about sustainability, what comes to my minde next is the business sustainably, 3Ps’ such as; People, planet and profit.. But why do we need to discuss sustainability in business and learn this as we craft ourself to being a good business leaders someday? In busines, we often associate “business” with profit or income, or our way to become rich and successful, that we are forgetting about helping the environment and creating an impact to the world and society. However, as business leader, we shouldn’t forget the people and the planet as consideration whenever we will start a business.

My dream business

Many aspire and dream to be successful businessman someday, however, few are those who dream to start a sustainable business in hope to help and save the earth, or at least contribute to its recovery. I am one of those who dream to make profit at the same time making the world a better place to live. My dream business is to create a sustainable case I will call Ecocase, or cellphone casings made with wood flour or wood sawdust to be collected in factories or construction sites, then to be molded as casing using sustainable lamination adhesive than) can lessen plastic or metal waste as substitute for cellphone casings, because in this generation of technology, we know that cellphones are the common product of technology. The product will be 100% sustainable and biodegradable.

Sustainable Casing

We all aware that cellphone brands have tight competition in the market nowadays, and models are quickly changing. As for Apple, they release it yearly, but not just for one variety, but it comes with difference sizes and models, with exceptional marketing skills of Apple, people patronize these phones buys a new one even if they still have a working phone, and this means changing the casing as well. Same instance with Samsung and other brands.

When one person changes her phone, what happens to the casings? And most of the time one person can own two or more casings. Especially this time of technology when shopping because convenience because of Lazada, Shopee and other online sites are friendly platform to buy products, and they sell cellphone casings too, that you can easily checkout and pay when it delivers to your home. However, I noticed that majority of the cases being sold online and in market in general is made of metal, plastics, silicon etc., - and they are cheap, the reason why people likes to buy it.

That’s why my solution is to reduce waste by creating an eco-friendly casing made with scrap materials that is recyclable and biodegradable. In this way, we can protect our cellphones at the same time, we are protecting our planet.

(sample product)

Big Business can make bigger change

Imagine if all businesses is advocate of sustainability, it can have a bigger impact in the environment. Recently, Apple switches to recyclable metal for their Macbook laptops for 2020, the units are cheaper compared to last year model, however the performance of internal softwares are the same. Apple as top producers of gadgets can create an impact to the environment in reducing metal waste at the same time they can influence other businesses to to switch to sustainable materials as alternative to their products. In small scale, some fast food chains switches to paper materials rather than plastic. A businessman’s main goal is to gain income however, a modern successful business man care about his people or employees, the planet and least to the profit. This will make wil an ethical businessman and role model to the future business leaders of the society.

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Maimpok na Samlok

Chosen Beneficiary

(photo grabbed from SAMLOK brief profile ppt)

Our group chose SAMLOK or Samahan ng Mandaragat sa Sulok Fisherfolks Association as our beneficiary. SAMLOK is an organization of fishermen in Lian, Batangas with fishing for aquariums or fishkeeping as their primary source of income; ornamental fishes include Ocellaris clownfish, Blue Tang Fish and the like. The major needs in the community are as follows; source of income (kabuhayan) as the primary need, followed by health, resources to fight Covid-19, education and means to strengthen their organization. Geographically speaking, the location of their community is in a remote area, therefore their resources are very limited.

Proposal

After a series of brainstorming and zoom meetings the group finally come up with an idea suitable for SAMLOK, consideratinf their situation and capability. The group will teach the community the importance of saving for emergency purposes and as an addition we included the MSME Law wheire the government can help those aspiring entrepreneurs to start their business by giving free trainings, and loans with minimal interest to the beneficiacy. We also create a challenge called “May Ipon Ako” challenge, this is to invite them to make saving money a habit we will provide saving guide or checklistfor them to follow on a daily or weekly basis. We believe that no matter how small a person can save, this is still an investment in the future, in this way they are secured and at the same time they can use this savings to start their own business. The proposal was approved by COSCA.

Video Presentation

Our group created a video presentation in Filipino language for the SAMLOK to better understand. Considering that many are not able to study, we created the video in a way that anyone, regardless of age will understand. We realize that it is not easy to make a presentation in Filipino, since the language mainly use in academics, even in work is English. Creating a Filipino language presentation with layman’s term is harder than we thought. In summary, the video tells them to start saving while younger, since every stages in life there is an expenses that we need to provide to ourself and to our family or future family, that we should always be prepared in any emergencies or situation that required money. We also introduce the ways of saving and how can they save.

Booklet

Along the video, we will give away a booklet or the saving checklist as guide for them to save. They can choose an amount depending on their capability or convenience of the person. The booklet was designed by the group then manually binded. In this pandemic, there are limited printing shop that is open and that meets our budget.

Pouch

The pouch design is also creates by the group. We search for an affordable supplier online that can provide us pouches within our given deadline. The size of the pouch is also customized to fit the booklet and the money.

Kits

The kits are the combined pouch and booklet and we called it as the “saving kit”. This is to motivate to to save as this will be their bestfriend in their journey in saving money.

Package

We prepared and sent the package to COSCA and they will be the one to deliver it to SAMLOK as agreed by the group and COSCA

Reflection

We are very enthusiastic in making the project. We look forward that the community will learn to save for their future. Contemplating in their situation, we feel blessed that we have the opportunity to study and better quality of life.

Pledge

As much as we enjoy doing the project, we pledge to extend our help to others especially those in need. To share our blessings always and to be generous to the less privilege communities.

Lesson

Be grateful. We should be thankful for all the blessings we received and to appreciate small things in life.

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Hashtags of Human Rights

It’s already 2020, the modern time of technology, equality and diversity where we encourage and raise awareness of the practice of Human Rights in the societies all over the world. However, there are still some events wherein Human Rights were violated that will create stir to the world addressing it via social medias. In this day of technology, people maximizes the use of online platforms to raise awareness and seek justice to every wrongdoing done by means of inequality. The the trend is to make a hashtag about it that can be used to create post that will encourage everyone to support certain movement.

#JunkAntiTerrorismBill

The Anti Terrorism Bill was created this year and it created range from the people of our country because they think that this is the way of the Government to stop the people from their attacks and threats to the Government in addressing their concerns and opinions in the way that the Government is managing our country. Especially this time of pandemic wherein funds should be used to battle Covid, however the people doesn’t see and feel that the money and other resources are being put to good use. The freedom of expression of the people will be violated it this bill becomes a law.

#SogieBillNow

The Bill is created to battle inequality for the LGBTQ community and anti-discrimination for them. The LGBTQ has always been fighting for equality ever since because there are till instances where gays are being discriminated, in the recent news, the killer of Jeniffer Laude, has been given a pardon to be released in prison. If Jennifer is a real woman? Would the criminal be given a graver penalty?

#cancelKorea

The hashtag is trending in the Philippines in response to the South Koreans discrimination to Filipinos on social media regarding the former giving bad comments to Filipinos in terms of appearance and intellect. The Filipino people who love to travel to South Korea and admires the beauty of the place and who supports South Korean entertainment such as; kdrama, kpop, and even Korean food expresses how disappointed they are on how South Koreans views on them. This triggered issues in racism as Filipinos being discriminated by South Koreans, saying they love Korea but Filipinos love their own country first before others.

#Blacklivesmatter

The death of George Floyd created an international movement to support anti-racism protest. As the hashtag says, Black Lives Matter. The story of George shows how police officers discriminate him because of his color and raise that led to his death. It has impacted the whole world because it clearly illustrates present time racism to the Black or African-American people like those that is written in histories and we never thought this could happen again, especially of a police or one in authority who should be a good role model.

#challengeaccepted /womansupportingwoman

Recently, there is a challenge involving woman to post a picture in black and white. The challenge is to tag your girl friends to post a picture in black and white and make them tag other girls too, and to put the hashtag #challengeaccepted and #womansupportingwoman. The campaign is to encourage every woman to support each other to battle violence against woman or woman abuse. Woman has not yet done battling abuse from man in all over the world, as seen on news, on social medias that there are still who suffer from domestic violence and discrimination in work, especially that there are countries who thinks than man is superior to woman.

#SpreadLove

Although there are still a lot of happenings that violates Human Rights all over the world, majority of people are still supporting movements to promotes equality and Human Rights and goodness to the world.

[liezlslearnings]

Disable but able

Workplace Diversity and Discrimination

In today’s world where diversity is given importance and awareness, there are lots of possibilities and opportunities nowadays for disable person. Some company’s hired deaf people as servers in restaurants or person with autism as salesman in boutique. This means that the world is now open for diversity and at the same time helping those person with disability live a normal life. Also, social media is a big help to raise awareness for discrimination, especially to the person with disability (PWD).

Workplace

In my workplace, our organization requires at least 10% of the population to be a PWD. I am amazed and proud that this rule is being implemented in our office. As I walk around our premises, I see disable people such as; person on a wheelchair, person who can’t walk straight because of lesser number of ribs and others. I smile as I them being employed and given an opportunity. I have a colleague who is also disable but very smart and very diligent in her work. We can’t truly judge a book by its cover. Our organization is also very open in terms of gender, they very well accepted gay, lesbians, bisexuals etc. as part of the community with no judgments and discrimination. I am happy to work in an environment that is very open and diversified.

But not just in workplace

Recently, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to drive, this is a big deal because we know that Middle East countries are very patriarchal.They didn’t give much importance to women unlike other countries, especially that they are Muslim countries and we all know that Muslim when can marry 5 woman, but woman can’t do the same. Some women also in Middle East aren’t allowed to choose their partner as they were already offered by their parents for pre-arranged marriage. Same goes to Chinese where the parents marry off their children for business expansion purposes. And same goes to Indians who offered their daughters for marriage to gain connections. Going back, allowing women in Saudi Arabia to drive is a big step for the country to transition to a diverse community like United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Women

Gone are the days where men are the only important human being in society, as stated in historical books. However, there is still issues today that women are being discriminated. Before, woman are not allowed to work and only to stay at home and to do house works, but today women are strong, wiser and independent, they also have their goals and wishes to climb the corporate ladder. But there as still companies who favors men to be the leaders in organization, especially in an Engineering field. I recall working in construction and contracting firm in Qatar. I was hired as a receptionist/admin executive, doing all the administrative work in the office, but I noticed that they only hire male engineers to do the Engineering works. Nowadays, Engineering has been a field for both men and women. Sometimes, the one who tops the board exam is a woman. Woman who is keep to details as they say, perfectionist and very neat can also do the handy works the main is doing. However, sad to say there are still companies who discriminates woman who sees them as weak, not smart and only can do baking at home. We, women already learned by experience and now flexible to do things even the “work for a man”. We already evolved to fit in any work and these days what man can do can also done by a woman, and sometimes we do it better than them.

[liezlslearnings]

Don’t fall for looks only

Don’t fall for looks only, as they say when choosing a partner for life. However, this is my motto when purchasing in online shops. As a woman and a young professional who is busy in work and Master’s, I always resort to buying online for things I need. This includes clothing, shoes, food, groceries, school supplies since e-commerce is the trend today due to the emergence of technology and with the current situation in our country which is the pandemic that limits our movement, but for safety purposes we opt to just stay at home as much as possible. E-commerce or online shopping is the most convenient way to purchase things, you just need to select the product and input your address and pay using online payment. Also, online payment has now become easier, every banks has a platform for online banking, bank transfers by just using your phone, there is also a Gcash that is like a digital banking app that you can use to pay. Most of he time, the address and payment details are already pre-recorded in the phone so what you need to do is click and click and then you just need to wait for your order. To add, due to the strong demands of e-commerce, logistic companies has also improved their service, you can get your order as fast as same day. Who wouldn’t love online shopping?

False Marketing

Online shopping has been now part of our system, therefore, there are businessmen who take advantage of its popularity by false marketing for online selling. I had encounter buying a product which is very far or different product from what is posted online. In online shopping, we only relay to photos, and words of the seller, because most of the time, online shops don’t show their reviews or testimonials from the previous buyers especially if it’s a bad comment. We easily fell for their traps because they will really post a good picture along with a discount, despite the fact the it is already cheap. And the fact that you can have it my mere clicking and will receive it right at your doorstep – without realizing that the discounts and vouchers or even freebies are their form of manipulation and also deception that will make you impulse buy the products. I am one of those who fell for marketing of posting the most attractive photos and immediately buying it without assessing first the item. Their marketing is very persuasive that it happened to me more than once, buying a product different from what is shown in the website. Expectations vs. Reality as they say! And when you ask for a return of product or refund they will ask you to cover the delivery fee for returning to them, and to avoid the hassle you just chose to let it go. Suing or taking legal action will also cost you money and time for a purchase you bought for less than 500, that leaves the seller free of prejudice, that he will continue this kind of habit – this is clearly a scam.

Why?

My question is, why there are businessmen who do this kind of scamming? And this false marketing is still prominent especially today that people are into online buying (Shopee, Lazada, etc,). However, I know that these kind of entrepreneurs won’t be successful in the end. I hope there will be a law created to protect buyers from this kind of sellers. Can poverty be a reason for this kind of doing? That they desperately need income to the point that they deceive customers. Poverty can never be justification to do bad things because there are other ways to earn.

What to do?

As for me, I only buy products from established online shops and I thoroughly check the product by asking actual pictures, close up shot of logos or any proof of authenticity depending of what product. I promise myself not to impulse buy on things online that is edited or heavily manipulated to look good or even posting different items than what is written. So always remember, not just in choosing a partner but also for our choices of what to buy online, don’t fall for looks only.

[liezlslearnings]

Beyond Grateful

Job, Career and Responsibility

I am one of those who are lucky enough that is not affected by the on-going crisis in terms of employment due to Covid-19. How can I say this? My work is “covid-proof” in a way. I work in a government and I received the same income as before with all the benefits still complete in my salary package. Also to mention, other benefits like vitamin supplies, work from home arrangement and flexible schedule during this pandemic – this all are more than enough reason to be thankful more.

First of all, I am beyond grateful that I have a job despite the high unemployment rate of our country, but also, I work in an institution where we receive a fair amount of income and benefits. When I watch the news and see collapsing businesses, employment layoffs, and people who can’t work due to the quarantine, I always say “thank you Lord, thank you so much”. Do I even deserve all the blessing.

Before pandemic

I already value my work because it is my dream job and a goal I ticked-off in my list. However, it really takes pain and hard work before I achieved it, it takes a lot of challenges and obstacles before I land to where I am now, such as; I experienced working on a call center, work abroad, I applied for numerous openings and didn’t receive any feedback, but worst is going to a lot of interview and never receiving a phone call, considering all the effort to travel and practice and dress for that interview, and I also tried working for a minimum wage before I achieved my dream job. I started as contractual and I really work my way to be a regular employee by passing all the test, and doing my best in my contractual status. There goes a saying, if you work hard for it, you will treasure it, and that is what I felt that I want to grow and build a career in my current work.

Career

Many people of my age, is still not happy with their work and keep on changing company and changing career path because they can’t find a job that suits them. As I finally find a job that I will spend the rest of my working life, I already planned my career and plotted the timeline of my goals (as stated in the 25 year life plan). As early as my age, I am glad that I am already settled with my work that gave me financial stability, and now I am in the processing of building my career.

Pandemic

In our nation’s current status, having a stable job is a blessing. Whatever your job is, you should be grateful because not everyone have a job, not even everyone was able to study so they they can find a decent job, not everyone is as lucky as you are that you have the capacity to make a living. I believe that hard work pays off and that if you focus you can reach your goal, so whatever your job is, just do better always and improve yourself, because that is your way of investing in your knowledge and skills that will prepare you for your next step.

Great job comes great responsibility

If you want a nice job, and a good pay, of course it will take effort and greater responsibility. Always do your best at work because this is what you can do in return to deserve the salary and benefits that you are receiving. This subject (Lasalian Business Leadership, Ethics and CSR) teaches us that in order for us to become good business leaders someday we must start by being a good employee, by being responsible and not doing things that will harm the company.

On moving forward

If I were to advise the working class, I’d say, appreciate your job. You might hate your boss or your colleagues, but always love your job, and always continue learning, as for me I will continue to inspire and influence others work hard so that they can achieve their dream jobs. And to remind them to be grateful always because compared to majority, they are still lucky that they have a job.

[liezlslearnings]

YOLO or Savings?

Personal Finance

We, millennials have the habit of YOLO (You Only Live Once) and most often we are applying it on our financial management. YOLO is the mindset where we enjoy life to the fullest as they say “you only live once” and that we should be happy without thinking of the consequences, this extends to influence our thinking when it comes to saving and spending. We tend to spend so much that we forgot the importance of having financial security and stability. We spend too much thinking what will make us happy, but this happiness is only temporary, and it the end this happiness will turn to frustration if we don’t have any money left.

Personal Struggle

I have difficulty in managing my finances, and this is a major dilemma for me, especially in terms of spending, I always ask my self YOLO or savings? I am the type of person who ask for other’s opinion whenever I want to buy or spend on something, however, their replies will just add to my dilemma. Some would reply, “go and spend your money, its your money anyway and you work hard for it”, other would say, “just save your money and invest”, another answer would be “spend it you deserve to treat yourself”, and another “save for your future”. Different type of person have different opinions, different person have different way of handling finances, so most of the time I am torn on how to manage my spendings. Who should I look up to? Which influence should I take? The YOLOs or the frugals. To be honest, I am more on the YOLO side, I spend excessively on things not important ,thinking that it makes me happy. But still, I wonder, is this the right mindset? I always think that salary will always come, however I didn’t notice that I am spending all my salary and too dependent on the fact that I have a stable source of income. Also, since I still don’t have the mindset to start a family or settle down, I find it hard to save, or I don’t have the motivation to save, considering that my money is only allotted for myself, my wants and needs.

Pandemic

When pandemic starts, I thought that I will be able to save because I am trap at home, however like work and school, my habit also switch to online or online shopping. Also, maybe because of boredom or projection for my anxiety for the stress when the pandemic starts that I resolve to online shopping without realizing how much and how many I bought, that my salary is not enough to pay for the purchases, after the series of online purchases, I realize how I compromise my savings to the things I don’t need and that I am too much of a YOLO spender. Since this is also the time of crisis, I should be more selfless and considerate of others situation and extend my help to those who are badly affected by the pandemic.

Realization

I realized that I am spending too much on things not important and as I am growing older, I need to mature and handle my expenses wisely. I need to start saving and investing. I need to think of my future, and future spendings, so now I will prioritize savings and make sure to budget my salary every payday.

New Mindset

In moderation – this is my new mantra for spending and savings. I want to balance my spendings in way that I am saving but at the same time, not too much savings that I am depriving myself of treats from time to time.

On moving forward

I will start to save and lessen my spendings on unnecessary things. I will manage my financial maturely and be mature on handling money. I will extend my help to those indeed. So to answer the question YOLO or Savings? My answer will now be SAVINGS!

[liezlslearnings]

At your service, yes!

Service Learning Introduction (Corporate Social Responsibility)

Last term, in my Management Principles class, I had encounter the term Corporate Social Responsibility for the first time and I had learned that companies have CSR as their charity program. What is Corporate Social Responsibility? It is the company’s way or initiative of giving back to society, in different ways such us, service, financial assistance, education, livelihood, etc. It can be in different models such as Philantrophic model, Economic model, Social web and Integrated model. But I wonder, why do need to tackle this matter and why is it important that it also have its own subject such as the Lasalian Business Leader ship and CSR, and I came to realize that it is the lasslian way of teaching us to help others, be generous and always give back to the community.

A reflection

One Monday of synchronous session of our class discusses the introduction to service learning. As a requirement, we need to volunteer, or help one community in Lian, Batangas who lacks resources and privileges. We get to know the SAMLOK community and their struggles as they lack in source of income, education, etc. Each group was tasked to develop a program to help them in their situation. In doing our proposal and studying their situation, we came to realized how lucky we are compared to them, as we live a comfortable and convenient life. It is true that we easily envy other because of their status, wealth or a nice job but if we only look in different direction and look down to those who were in need, and compare our lives to them, then we will start to realize how lucky we are and that we should be contented on what we have.

Proposal

In our proposal, we agreed to create a Financial Management plan and Financial Literacy education video that would encourage them to save even a little despite there condition. We will inspire then to save even as small as 20 pesos a day so that in times of emergency, they will have a fund to use. We want to teach them that despite poverty, they still need to save money even if how small it is, so that they can have something to spend when they get sick, or when they need medicines.

E-Service Learning in relation to the Pandemic

As much as we want to meet the beneficiaries and to further engage in their community, and to better understand their needs, it is not possible due to the pandemic and on-going restrictions inline with government directive. This is also the challenge because the service learning will be done virtually, and given their situation and geographical location, they lack materials and connections to be able to communicate with us. In relation to the pandemic, if this community (SAMLOK) needs assistance for their livelihood, what more now that it’s the time of pandemic and resources are much limited for them, even the help or volunteers might not able to reach them.

Realization

I came to realize that, De La Salle is teaching us to help other and be generous, because sooner or later when we become successful businessmen, we might be blinded by money and become greed and forgot to help and give back to the community. Also, this is to remind us to be grateful always of what we have, that we our so blessed, that we are able to study and live comfortably compared to those who live in difficult situation. That we should be thankful for everything we had and not to compare our lives to others and be contented on what we have because there are a lot of people who are not privileged than us.

[liezlslearnings]

On the Dot

Have you ever feel doing the right thing but feels illegal? In my case, yes. Leaving on the dot at 5pm (official dismissal time) from work. But when I do so. I see all the co-workers looking at me while I stand up and pick my bag and ready to go home, or when is 10 minutes before time and I’m already gathering my stuff and fixing my table, my other co-worker would joke “excited umuwi?”. I am never type the of person who is being late for work, I always arrive one hour earlier before the start of office hours, therefore, I really look forward to 5pm, and this already means spending 10 hours of my time in the office. As I live far from my work, Fairview to Manila, waking up at 4:30 am for a 3-hour travel time is my daily challenge, or more than 3 hours if the traffic is really bad, so I really need to leave my office as early as possible so I can arrive also as early as I can, and the earliest I can arrive home is 8:20pm.

Another factor to consider is what if your boss/superior doesn’t leave early from work, and this is the major dilemmas from us staffs/rank and file employees, if we will leave them and go home instead. Our overtime pay requires at least 2 hours and sometimes, our bosses leaves at 6pm, this will make us stayed extra one hour in the office without any pay, and sometimes they are already done with work and just wants to leave late. So what is the right thing to do. I discussed this because I thinks it is against the moral rights of employees, especially the rank and file, and this is the culture in my office that I am having a hard time with. As the rank and file, they expect so much from us, our patience, our time, extra efforts and service. In my case, I live far from work, and I have a school to attend (before Pandemic), but how about those who have children, or other responsibilities asides from work. How do we achieve work life balance?

Equal treatment

I work in a environment wherein officers or employees with position are given priority and importance than the rank and file, they can file a leave whenever they want, they can leave early for work, etc. However, if a rank and file did the same, we feel the overflowing judgment of the people thinking why she will file a long leave when her boss needs her, even though she haven’t use her leave for a long time and she have enough leave credits – this is our moral right. When an officer request for a work from home schedule for convenience reasons, it will be immediately approved, while we staffs should have the most valid reasons to request for a work from home, because we are just a mere staff and we should be the one to fill the skeletal workforce in the office (in connection to new set-up for covid-19).

Toxic Inequality Culture

I am not generalizing that everyone is unfair and favors only employees with position, there are still who are understandable and considerate and values employees regardless of the position. There really some people in your office who favors to those with powers and leaves you behind especially it youb don’t hold such power. I am sad about this situation, however this is a very important lesson for me.

On moving forward

When I become a manager, I promise to treat my people with equality, regardless of the position. I will let them leave the right time leave and won’t force to do overtime, because me as a manager, I come a long way that I am already equipped with experience, learnings and skills, and it is expected of me to know about all the workaround from the bottom to the top, I can depend on my self, and I will put first the well-being of my people above anything else.

[liezlslearnings]

Right or Ethical?

An Introduction to Business Ethics by Joseph Desjardins, a review.

When someone ask you a question or advise to help for his decision. What answer will you give? We normally think and give answer on what’s the best for him or whats’s convenient and we ofter here the answer “do the right thing” but I had never experience an answer of “the ethical thing to do”. This is is a reflection on the readings from the book, An Introduction to Business Ethics by Joseph DesJardins.

My thoughts

Ethical or right? It seem that the ethical thing to do is not always what is right, but for me it is only the surface. Ethical thing to do is more than choosing what is right, it depends on the circumstances or the dilemma your are facing. Also, it depends on the one who makes the decision. For example, your staff who has a daughter that is sick and in the hospital, and your staff asks if she can leave 30 minutes earlier than 5pm to attend to her sick daughter because the guardian in the hospital is leaving before 5pm and your staff needs to be there to take charge. However, the staff also ask for favor to alter the log out to 5pm or the official dismissal time so that her salary won’t be deducted due to under-time because she can’t afford a deduction given the hospital bills of her daughter. As a manager what will you do? Will you allow and agreed to the favor although unfair to other employees or would you agree given her one-off circumstance. We say that being ethical means beneficial for the common good, but agreeing to the favor is unfair to the employees, but saying no is being inconsiderate to the staff’s situation. As a leader, what will you do? For me, this is hard decision-making. However, I will accept the favor and chose to give her consideration even though it’s unfair and against HR rules, this is what I mean that not all ethical is right and in accordance with the law. For me ethical decision-making is deciding in good faith what you think should be done. Although, still, ethics is vague and universal, and hard to decipher that even philosophers argues in the meaning of it.

My professor told us that this is the longest subject we will ever take for the degree, and that it so unique because it is the lassalian way of teaching values. I agree, this subject is unique. You can always answer math, you can always check dictionary for english, science always has facts and logic will always have reason but in ethics, it is never easy to come up with a solution or right answer in the decision making. I think that the purpose of this subject is to remind us to do good and be good always, to always think of others, or for the benefit of majority, because along the way when we businessmen starts to earn, many circumstances and opputunity will come our way, and we might be blinded by greed and be temped to do bad things. For example, if you find a way to escape taxes and doing in a legal way, would you do it to earn more? The role of this subject is to make us remember that we lassalians are shaped with values and virtues and not by greed. To always do the ethical thing even if it means loss on our company. I am lucky that I was able to enroll in La Salle of all schools that I was able to take this subject.

On moving forward

So for the next time that some will ask me for advise, my answer will now be: the ethical thing to do.