How to Write a Work-from-Anywhere Policy for Your Filipino Remote Team

You hired Filipino remote workers because they’re talented, dedicated, and cost-effective.

Now some of them want to work from their province. Or from a coffee shop in BGC. Or maybe from Siargao while visiting family.

And you’re thinking: “Is this okay? What if something goes wrong?”

Here’s the thing. You need a policy.

Not because you don’t trust your team. But because without clear guidelines, everything falls apart.

I’ve seen it happen.

A work-from-anywhere policy fixes this.

What Actually Goes Into This Policy

Let’s start with what you need to cover.

Eligible roles and approval process. Not every job works from anywhere. Your customer support team handling live chats? They need stable internet. Your graphic designer? Probably fine working from a beach in La Union.

Figure out which roles qualify. Then create an approval process.

Make them fill out a form. Where are they going? How long? What’s their backup plan if the internet dies?

Require at least 6 months of solid work history before approving anyone. You need to know they can actually deliver before they start experimenting with locations.

Core working hours matter more than you think. This is where most policies fail.

You can’t have someone working whenever they feel like it. Your team falls apart.

Set core hours. Usually 4-6 hours where everyone must be online. For Filipino teams, something like 9 AM to 3 PM Philippine time works well.

Outside those hours? They can be flexible. They can pick up their kids. They can avoid Manila traffic. They can work early morning or late night if that’s when they’re productive.

But during core hours, they’re available. On Slack. On Teams. Whatever you use.

Response time expectations. During core hours, they respond within 2 hours. Outside core hours, within 24 hours.

Simple. Clear. No confusion.

The Internet Problem Nobody Talks About

Here’s what you learn fast when managing Filipino remote workers.

The internet is unreliable.

PLDT goes down. Globe has outages. Someone’s working from their province and the only ISP there is terrible.

Your policy needs to address this. Require minimum speeds. 50 Mbps download is a good baseline.

Give them a stipend for internet. PHP 2,000 per month covers a decent plan. More if they’re in a rural area and need backup options.

And here’s something I learned from a developer in Davao: require proof of backup internet. Mobile hotspot. Nearby cafe with WiFi. Something.

Because when their main connection dies during a critical deadline, you’ll be glad you planned for it.

One startup I know of requires workers in provinces to show proof of Starlink if they want full WFA approval. Extreme? Maybe. But they’ve never missed a deadline due to internet issues.

Security Isn’t Optional

Your remote workers are accessing company data from different locations.

Sometimes from home. Sometimes from a relative’s house. Sometimes from a coworking space.

You need security protocols.

VPN mandatory. Every time they work. No exceptions.

No public WiFi. Ever. That coffee shop WiFi? Compromised. The mall’s free internet? Definitely compromised.

Device encryption. Their laptop gets stolen? Your data stays protected.

Remote wipe capability. You need to be able to erase everything if a device is lost.

Register every device they use for work. Keep a list. Update it quarterly.

I read about a worker whose neighbor literally hacked into their WiFi during a typhoon. Everything was exposed. Don’t let this be you.

The Philippine-Specific Stuff You Can’t Ignore

Typhoon season is real. June through November, expect disruptions.

Your policy should include automatic approval for emergency leave when there’s a typhoon. When Odette hit in 2021, teams that had this in their policy didn’t panic. Everyone knew what to do.

Family comes first in Filipino culture. Your workers have responsibilities to parents, siblings, extended family.

Build flexibility for this. Don’t make them choose between work and family emergencies.

What Equipment and Expenses You Cover

Some companies provide everything. Laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse.

Others give a stipend and let workers buy their own.

Both work. Just be clear.

If you’re giving a stipend, PHP 2,000-5,000 per month is typical. Covers internet, electricity, maybe some coworking space time.

If you’re providing equipment, make sure it’s actually good enough. A cheap laptop that can’t handle their work is worse than no laptop.

One thing that works well: let them keep the equipment after a year. Builds loyalty. They’re not going to quit and lose their laptop.

Tracking Work Without Being Creepy

You need to know people are actually working.

But you don’t need to spy on them.

Use time tracking tools like ManagePh. Simple. They log hours. You can see what they’re working on.

Focus on output, not hours. Did they finish the project? Did they meet the deadline? Did they deliver quality work?

That matters more than whether they worked exactly 8 hours.

Weekly check-ins help. 30 minutes to review what got done, what’s coming up, any blockers.

Some managers do daily standups. That’s fine too. Just don’t make them long.

The Cultural Piece Everyone Forgets

Remote work kills culture if you’re not careful.

Filipino workers value connection. They miss the office chismis (gossip). They miss the casual conversations.

You need to recreate this virtually.

Monthly team calls that aren’t about work. Just hanging out. Talking. Laughing.

One company does a monthly “kwentuhan” session on Gather.town. Everyone joins, walks around a virtual office, chats with whoever’s nearby. They said retention improved 30% after starting this.

Respect Filipino holidays. All of them. Not just the major ones.

When someone’s town has a fiesta, they’re going to want time off. Build that flexibility in.

How to Actually Implement This

Don’t just write a policy and email it to everyone.

Start with a draft. Use the components I mentioned. Add your company-specific needs.

Get feedback from your team. Ask them: “What’s your biggest pain point with remote work?” Their answers will surprise you.

Run a pilot. Pick 3-5 people. Let them test the policy for 3 months. See what breaks.

Iterate based on what you learn. The first version won’t be perfect. That’s fine.

Make it official. Have everyone sign an acknowledgment. They read it. They understand it. They agree to follow it.

Store everything in a central place. Notion works well. Google Drive. Whatever. Just make it easy to find.

Common Ways This Goes Wrong

Vague location rules. Someone decides to “work from Bali” for three months. Their work suffers. You didn’t see it coming because you never said they couldn’t.

Fix: Require quarterly location declarations. They tell you where they’ll be working. You approve or deny based on internet reliability and time zone.

Time zone drift. Your team is spread across different schedules. Nobody overlaps. Collaboration dies.

Fix: Core hours in Philippine time. Non-negotiable. Everyone’s available then.

Always-on culture. Your workers never disconnect. They burn out. They quit.

Fix: Hard stop at 6 PM. No messages after hours unless it’s an actual emergency. Some companies make Fridays a mandatory disconnect day.

Data leaks. Someone’s working from a shared family computer. Their cousin accidentally accesses company files.

Fix: BYOD (bring your own device) policies with MDM (mobile device management). Their device, but you control the security.

Start Simple, Improve Over Time

You don’t need a perfect policy on day one.

Start with the basics. Eligible roles. Core hours. Security requirements. Equipment stipends.

Get that in writing. Get everyone to agree to it.

Then improve it as you go.

Your team will tell you what’s missing. They’ll tell you what doesn’t work. Listen to them.

Every quarter, review the policy. What changed? What needs updating?

A work-from-anywhere policy isn’t something you write once and forget. It’s a living document.

But once you have it, everything gets easier.

Your team knows what’s expected. You know what to enforce. Everyone can focus on actual work instead of confusion about where people can work from.

That’s the whole point.