Humans of Remotify: Juancho's Fulfilling Remote Career

Randolfh “Juancho” Balbuena is a Payroll, Culture and People specialist at Remotify with over eight years of experience in the human resources industry.

He learnt a great deal from his past workplaces. During his first year in the HR department at his previous job, he was full of idealism and purpose because he helped his colleagues fix their statutory loan problems (i.e. when SSS loans are unpaid or have lapsed, employees can't access their government benefits).

This just goes to show how important the HR department is in any organisation. A company’s greatest asset is its people, and human resources ensure that employees are managed and developed effectively.

Human resources aren’t just responsible for payroll management, though that is an important aspect of the department’s responsibilities. It’s the very backbone of an organisation as they encourage and support employees to perform at their best.

Juancho’s previous workplace was positive because his colleagues were fun to work with, but eventually, work became ordinary and empty. The team lost productivity and their sense of purpose in the work that they do. It got to the point where Juancho started to dread going to work on Monday.

“Every Sunday, I’d have this thought in my head: ‘Oh no, it’s Monday again tomorrow.’ I didn’t want to go to work anymore. Everything changed after joining Remotify. I enjoy working here! I no longer have that sad thought about work,” Juancho shared.

For this blog under the “Humans of Remotify” series, we’re taking a look at Juancho’s journey in the HR industry — from working in a lackluster workplace to finding purpose and fulfillment with Remotify.

Dealing with a lack of empowerment in the workplace

There was a lack of empowerment within Juancho’s team in his previous workplace when they lost one of their senior executives. Once the idealism was worn away by exhaustion and disillusionment, Juancho felt like he was just going through the motions.

“We lacked support for the proper training that we need to enhance our skills. We also had no control over our work and how we wanted to manage it. We weren’t given the opportunity to develop ourselves as leaders or even elevate the HR service that we aimed to provide to our customers,” Juancho said.

Juancho’s experience is a textbook definition of how different factors can cause poor employee engagement and performance. Without the proper motivation and encouragement, the team lost motivation as well as their sense of purpose.

The lack of strong leadership and poor relationship with the management impacted the team’s overall productivity and performance. On top of that, the lack of professional growth and even autonomy over their work made Juancho feel stagnant and stifled within the workplace.

Poor employee engagement inevitably leads to poor quality of work. This is more evidently felt within the HR department, as the team’s performance impacts the services provided to other employees within the organisation.

“I received negative feedback about our service, but I think it’s because we no longer had proper support and guidance after our VP left,” Juancho said.

Fostering a positive work culture that prioritises staff well-being, development and growth will increase employee engagement within an organisation. Encouraging innovation and independence within your team will empower each staff member and give them confidence in their work.

Transitioning to remote work with Remotify

Juancho already began his training as the lead HR for a different company, but when the Remotify team reached out and discussed the job position with him, he seized the opportunity without any hesitation.

“I chose Remotify because of the work flexibility they provided. I always felt exhausted commuting and working in a traditional working set-up where you need to report to an office every day. I wanted to shift from onsite work to remote work since I also believe that meaningful HR work can be done remotely. I also had a gut feeling that I can learn a lot from Remotify and that I can grow and level up my career as a Payroll, Culture and People specialist,” Juancho shared.

It’s unsurprising for Juancho to want to switch from onsite work to remote work. Most employees now prefer working remotely as it gives them freedom and control over their time and work schedule. It’s a win-win solution for employers and employees. It’s a cost-effective work model for both parties, as companies can reduce overhead costs while employees can minimise transportation costs for work. Remote work also enables employees to apply for great job opportunities even if they’re not based in the city centre themselves, which allows companies to find top talent from anywhere around the world.

Remotify ensures that employees are incentivised to work for the company not only by offering flexible work schedules but also by providing additional benefits beyond what’s entitled to them by law.

With so many opportunities available, it’s crucial to provide a competitive package for potential employees, allowing us to attract and retain top talent within our company.

Finding heart and purpose as a Remotify employee

Remotify’s human and warm approach isn’t just directed to its clients but also to its employees, something that Juancho could attest to.

Include this quote from Juancho: “At first, it was a big adjustment to work with my new team and to do my new role as a Payroll, Culture and People specialist. It was quite challenging in a good way because the conditions were different from my previous workplace.”

There were three main points of difference that Juancho noticed:

The opportunity for more flexible work
The open and efficient communication within the team
The promotion of real work-life-balance

“I can discuss anything with my immediate supervisors without the fear of being judged or getting scolded for no reason. While we need to accomplish our tasks, the team always prioritises our well-being. I appreciate when my supervisors check on me whenever I am sick and reach out as well if I am mentally okay and how things are going with me,” Juancho said.

A positive work culture can make a huge impact on the employees and, by extension, the organisation and the products and services it offers. It increases job satisfaction and motivation, leading to happy employees that work well together. An open and collaborative work environment also ensures that there’s always a free flow of ideas, thoughts and opinions from each employee, driving creativity and innovation within the organisation.

When asked what sets Remotify apart from his previous workplaces, Juancho had this to answer: “Remotify is a great place to work because here employees are not just taken care of, but guided and trained to be better each day. It creates a community where every individual is given the opportunity to grow, and Remotify helped me to find my purpose as an HR Practitioner—not just to be the processor of HR-related requests but to be a real partner for the companies and for the employees we support. We are trained and work to be someone they can rely on.”

Since joining Remotify, Juancho has become an integral part of the team, and he has been incredibly helpful in supporting Remotify’s clients. This is our goal for every employee we take under our wing. We are committed to training and supporting our staff members, it’s our mission to create a thriving community of remote workers with the Humans of Remotify.

The Humans of Remotify are inspired, empowered and talented. Contact us if you want to grow your team alongside our thriving community of remote workers.