Part of our guide: How to manage a remote team in the Philippines
Managing a remote team in the Philippines is mostly good remote management plus a few local specifics. This guide anchors our managing remote PH teams cluster.
How do you set schedules across a 12- to 16-hour time difference?
Philippine Standard Time is UTC+8 with no daylight saving, so the gap to US time zones changes when US clocks do. Most assistants supporting US clients work a night shift aligned to the client's day. Agree fixed hours, keep them stable, and avoid frequent changes, which are hard on sleep. Use our time-zone overlap calculator to plan.
Which communication norms work best?
- A short daily check-in and an end-of-day summary.
- Written instructions for anything recurring (an SOP).
- Clear escalation: what to do if they can't reach you.
- One channel for urgent items and one for everything else.
See async communication norms.
How should you give feedback?
Be specific, private and prompt. Many professionals will not push back openly on a manager's instruction, so invite questions explicitly ("What's unclear?" works better than "Any questions?"). Our feedback guide goes deeper.
Which local practices should you know?
- Holidays: the Philippines has regular and special non-working holidays; plan coverage early. See our holiday guide.
- 13th-month pay: a long-standing practice for employees. See 13th-month pay explained.
- Infrastructure: internet and power continuity matter. See internet and power continuity.
How do you keep good people?
Stable hours, clear growth (more responsibility, new skills), recognition by name, and inclusion in team rituals. See including remote assistants in team culture and overnight-shift wellbeing.
Want a dedicated assistant who already knows this playbook?
ExecWing places full-time, managed assistants from the Philippines with US leaders. Month-to-month, from $1,900/mo. See pricing or how it works.
Book a 20-minute fit call