Attitudes toward work change with each generation. In the past, it was the norm to spend sunup to sundown in the office and perhaps even do a few more work-related tasks at home. Devoting the majority of one’s waking hours to one’s profession was regarded as a requirement for moving up the career ladder and improving one’s lifestyle. These days, however, many professionals place equal value on their personal time and the hours that they spend working. Instead of sacrificing everything in the name of professional advancement, today’s generation aims to balance professional and personal endeavors and achieve more holistic development.

This applies to many young employees as well as some employers. Many traditional companies in the Philippines have even expressed openness to changing their work culture and promoting better working hours in order to attract young people who want to maintain a balance between their personal and professional responsibilities. If you’re in the process of finding jobs in Cebu where you can grow professionally while also cultivating a rich personal life outside of office hours, here are the signs that you should seek when looking for work:

The Great Resignation, layoffs and an impending recession in Southeast Asia

Their former employees speak well of the company

Just like employers ask their prospective hires to provide references, it’s also an option for jobseekers in Cebu to check how their prospective company performs as an employer. While it’s not common practice to ask an interviewer to provide references, you should be able to find reviews from some of the company’s former employees online. Perhaps you can check social media platforms and see if anyone in your network used to work for the company that you are currently applying to. You can solicit their feedback on the company and inquire whether or not they believe it is a good place to work and whether or not its culture promotes work-life balance.

The workplace setup offers room for personalization

Visiting the office or facility of the company that you are applying to is a good way to find out about the culture of the team that you are planning to work with. While waiting for your interview, observe the office and see if the place has spaces and facilities that are dedicated to the employees, such as a pantry or cafeteria, a library, or bicycle parking spaces for those who want to exercise on their way to work. If the office allows employees to personalize their workspace, that’s also a good sign that the business sees the importance of treating its workers as individuals who have lives outside of their 8-to-5 jobs. 

The employees arrive at and leave the office on time

Overtime work can sometimes be a part of the job, but it shouldn’t be the norm. A good sign that your prospective workplace values its employees is if the employees are able to leave the office or facility on time. This can be an indicator that the employees are highly productive and that the work that they are assigned can be completed during a regular shift. Perhaps you can schedule an interview toward the end of the day and see for yourself if most of the people are able to leave their workplace by the end of their shift or if more tend to linger and work after hours. 

Current employees have the option to work in hybrid environments

Hybrid work environments are quickly becoming the norm. Having the ability to work at home a few days every week can be a boon for people who want to spend less time commuting and preparing themselves in the morning and use more of their hours to get actual work done. Is such a work setup allowed and applicable in your prospective workplace? If that’s the case, then it’s likely that the office understands the value of their employees’ time and is more than happy to offer flexible work setups as long as the employees can retain or improve their productivity. 

There are guidelines about office communication, especially outside work hours

There are industries and occupations where employees are required to be on call at any hour of the day or night. This, however, doesn’t mean that employers in such industries can call anyone on their team for any reason at any hour. Even if employees expect to be summoned to work at any time, they should still be able to enjoy their personal time without fearing interruptions from work. This can be done by having strict communication guidelines in place. For example, the employer and employees can agree that any work-related phone call after 6 PM should be deferred to the next day unless it’s an emergency. Or maybe they can institute a policy that anyone on their scheduled leave should not be contacted by anyone in the office except for certain important situations. 

These are just a few of the signs that indicate that a Cebu-based company values the time of its employees and supports their holistic growth. Keep an eye out for these signs when applying for jobs, and you’ll have an easier time connecting with a company that values your time as much as you do.