Nice working, Toshiba Philippines!!!

For more than 10 years, Toshiba Philippines had been my second home. Thanks to the goodness of the Japanese expats and my local managers. Forget about the salary and the politics, focus on the training and work, Toshiba Philippines is a good place to start, a good stepping stone. For the more than 10 years I stayed with the company, I had seen it transform from just a start-up to a world-class manufacturing firm, from being the one who benchmark other plant or factory to the one being benchmarked by a local firm here or an international one. I have seen also the enhancement in training program both technical and professional. Well I could say is that Toshiba Philippines had a great training plan for its employees – from overseas technical training to in-house work-and-balance life. Toshiba Philippines got it. When I list down all the trainings I had attended when I left Toshiba, I almost filled up the entire A4 sheet of paper. If I stayed more, I could have had completed a two pages of A4 for the brief of 2 more years. (My advice to applicants who want to impress their interviewers for the training they had attended is that to be sure that you have learned by heart. The interviewer might be the subject expert on the training you have listed, and you might not be able to answer (‘wag naman sana”) the question he/she had for you. Learn by heart and mind so matter where you go, you can apply it always as needed.)

Toshiba Philippines’ culture is about training – both technical and professional life. In technical training, you have the mother company in Toshiba OME Japan wherein you can stay for the shortest period of 5 days to almost 2 years. And professional life training, you can have the how to operated the SLR to listening to the likes of our Philippine’s best inspiration speakers in Bo Sanchez and Francis Kong discussing about values formation.

Toshiba Philippines’ culture is about the day-to-day job, just like the other firms in the world. Being an employee, in our day-to-day job, bring out the best in you. Remember that in our work/job, it is love put into action and we are building or putting our love to God (“I not being too religious here”). Just want to emphasize that in the work we do, put some extra effort to it. It is with the job that we do that we glorify God. And with that good thing we have done, our management sees our effort and in a matter of a year and two, there will be line-up for promotion. In my stay with Toshiba Philippines for more than 10 years in two division (5 years + each) – Optical Disc Drive Department (ODD) and the Hard Disk Drive Department (HDD) - Quality Assurance Engineer of ODD to Supervisor of the HDD Design Support Center with the Design word being dropped out, they awarded me the best engineer and most outstanding engineer for Optical Disc Drive; and for HDD, I led (of course with the support of the management) in establishing the Design Support Center in the Philippines (Remember to drop the word “Design”).

Toshiba Philippines’ culture is about the politics. We all know that if there will be a second extension of the government, that will be the company we are working for. Is it either you make your way to the politics in the company by being a “sip-sip” (sycophant), or being a silent protester or worst is anti-management - “Trillanes group” or just a silent type doing the assigned task or the worst thing is doing nothing at all (too bad). I had seen those kind of people. I do nothing about the politics but I do things in relation to the work/job (remember that we bring glory to God in the work we do, just not to mention that I being too much religious…=) ). Well, Toshiba Philippines is not spared from politics. I’ve heard and learned a lot but do not let it affect you and the work you do, remember the karma, bad brings bad and good brings good and it is the timing went it will be back.

Toshiba Philippines’ culture is about the boss’ character. And for the Toshiba’s upper management where I reported to for the past 10 years +, I experienced having a strict Japanese boss to the talented boss and from having a local manager with other personality to the supportive one. Each one has their one character and with that we have our own unique way of dealing with them. For me, I had the great time with the strict Japanese boss and the local with other personality but I explored my potential with the talented and supportive one. So it is up to us on how we can adapt and deal with our boss personality.

I think the above culture best describe Toshiba Philippines. Well lastly before I end up, I just want to bring up the with the saying, love your job and not your company. But there is more into it, never speak bad of the company you are working for, you might not know when it will get back into you. Just always remember that in our work it is love put into action and we glorify God in the work that we do.