Establishing Trust with Your Filipino VA

You’re all ready and hyped to make that big move for your business. You have hired what seems to be a reliable Filipino virtual assistant who’s been working for you for a month and is waiting for feedback on a new task. Then one day, you open your email and get… NOTHING.

Your VA has disappeared.

Okay, why is this happening?

Take a step back and think about the weeks leading up to it. Did any of the following scenarios happen?

a. Your VA refused to try a new method you recommended.

b. They submitted a report but skipped answering important questions you sent them.

c. They completed the mundane tasks but left an important project untouched for a month.

d. They made a mistake halfway through a project and suddenly became difficult to reach.

You can think of a million different theories about why this happened. But the real issue is this—your VA doesn’t fully trust you.

Whether you’re learning how to trust a Filipino VA for the first time or already managing a remote team, one thing is for sure: you won’t be successful unless you’ve built mutual trust and respect. Online employment requires the same level of trust as onsite employment — sometimes even more.

That’s why establishing trust with Filipino virtual assistants should start long before the first task is assigned. When trust is present, communication improves, expectations become clearer, and both employer and VA feel more confident working together.

So how do you build that trust from the very beginning?

Below are different ways you, as an employer, can utilize all the resources and information you have to forge strong working relationships with your Filipino virtual assistant. By investing in trust early, you’ll be far more likely to build a productive partnership with a reliable Filipino VA who stays engaged, motivated, and committed to your business’s success.

While Hiring Your Filipino VA

1. Write a great job post

2. Follow the site guidelines and recommendations.

3. Schedule an interview before hiring

4. Tell them about the other virtual assistants/employees that worked for you

Once Your Filipino VA Starts Working

1. Tell them that they can’t disappear

2. Don’t assume your VA knows everything

3. Provide QUALITY training

4. Follow the “Sandwich Rule” when giving feedback

5. Pay on time

6. Be the boss that YOU want to have

7. Inform them when you go on vacation or will be unreachable

Over a year of employment

1. Go visit them

2. Give them a raise

3. Allow them to take on more responsibilities

Filipino VAs – A Trusted Investment That Grows

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While Hiring Your Filipino VA

Trust should be established as early as possible. This means you need to look trustworthy and credible—whether it’s the job post, the interview process, or your email exchange.

1. Write a great job post

You’re not the only one who meticulously checks every profile and résumé. The same goes for job seekers. So if you want to be taken seriously:

• Don’t post a vague, incomplete, or grammatically incorrect job post.
• The job title and job description should be clear and easy to understand.
• Give your applicants a chance to get to know you and your business. Include your company name and a brief description of what you do.
• Be clear about your terms. Do you have software or internet speed requirements? Do you prefer someone with previous job experience? Someone who can work in your time zone? Then make sure that’s included in the description.

Check out our guide on how to make your job posts attract great Filipino workers for practical tips.

2. Follow the site guidelines and recommendations.

Trust goes both ways. We know that to give trust, you have to find someone trustworthy.

While it’s very rare for us at OnlineJobs.ph to disallow something (as long as it’s not spammy or illegal), we do have certain guidelines.

One of those is to avoid adding contact details in the job post. This ensures that only registered (and trustworthy) job seekers are able to apply for the post.

We do a lot to make sure our registered job seekers are real and legitimate workers who have the skills and time to work for you. We have a verification system, and our VA regularly reviews reports of scam employees in our system and bans them right away.

If you try to work your way around that, you’re putting yourself at risk of:

• Receiving applications from scammers
• Putting your personal information online for everyone to phish

If you post a job on our site but get applications from people outside of OnlineJobs.ph, we can’t vouch for them or go after them if something bad happens.

3. Schedule an Interview Before Hiring

You’ve already exchanged several emails with prospective job seekers and think you’ve found the right candidate.

Is that enough? Possibly.

But before hiring, take the time to go beyond email.

Whether it’s a Zoom call, a voice conversation, or even recorded video responses, giving both sides a chance to communicate more personally can help establish trust from the start. In fact, some employers find that recorded video responses are an effective alternative to traditional interviews because they allow applicants to showcase their communication skills and personality without the pressure of a live call.

The goal isn’t necessarily to conduct a formal interview. It’s to create a human connection. When you can hear someone’s voice, see how they communicate, or learn more about them beyond their résumé, it becomes easier to build confidence in each other.

Likewise, it gives job seekers an opportunity to learn more about you and your business, ask questions, and determine whether they’re a good fit for your team. Once both sides recognize that there’s a real person behind the emails, the working relationship starts on a stronger foundation of mutual trust and respect.

Knowing that, there’s an understanding that this work relationship is something that needs to be taken seriously.

4. Tell them about the other virtual assistants/employees that worked for you

If you have other virtual assistants working for you, introduce them to your new VA. If you have a great relationship with your team, they can easily vouch for you.

Sharing that other VAs have worked with you for months or years can go a long way in building confidence. It also helps new hires see that you’re the kind of employer they can trust. After all, learning how to trust a Filipino VA starts with showing that you’re trustworthy too.

Once Your Filipino VA Starts Working

After hiring your virtual assistant, it’s important not to lose their trust in the process. Earning their trust depends on how you treat them. This is very important because how you treat them (and how much they trust you) throughout your working relationship will determine how long and how well your VA will work for you.

1. Tell them that they can’t disappear

Why do I need to tell them they can’t disappear? Don’t they know it’s unprofessional?

Yes, they do. But they also know that disappearing— or what many employers refer to as employee ghosting— is the easy way out. By addressing the issue upfront and making it clear that open communication is expected, they’ll think twice about simply vanishing when problems arise.

But what can they do if they can’t disappear on you? That’s where #2 comes in.

2. Don’t assume your VA knows everything

When assigning new tasks, never assume they already know—or don’t know—how to do them, especially if it’s not in their résumé (or profile). Let them know that if they run into something unfamiliar, they should feel free to ask YOU.

It’s safe to say a developer knows how to code, but if you hired a virtual assistant for administrative tasks, you can’t just expect them to know email marketing.

On the other hand, they may have some experience, but not in the way you expect (e.g., your VA knows Mailchimp but has never used AWeber). Make the wrong move and you’ll either scare them or make them feel stupid—and you don’t want that to happen.

When you make your workers feel that way, they’ll just disappear because they feel they can’t talk to you. And if they can’t talk to you or ask for what they need to get the job done, how can they trust you?

3. Provide QUALITY training

As a business owner, you already know what kind of tasks your VA is likely to encounter. Prepare them so they won’t be rattled by new or challenging assignments. This will encourage them to trust your abilities as their boss.

It’s also important to pace your training properly. Check your worker’s DISC scores—it’ll provide clues on the pace and intensity of training you can give without affecting productivity.

Don’t hire a VA, give them a ton of work, then hand over e-books, videos, and PowerPoint presentations for two months and expect them to learn everything in a week. You know that’s not effective, and you’ll only scare them away.

As much as possible, pace your training so they can begin practicing right away with tasks that fit their skill level. Make it part of their responsibilities to study the materials, so they stick to their training even when you’re not around.

4. Follow the “Sandwich Rule” when giving feedback

I believe in the sandwich rule when it comes to feedback:

Positive → Negative → Positive

Tell them you appreciate the effort, then explain what needs to be corrected. After that, point out some things they did right.

It motivates them to do better. It also shows them you trust them enough to correct things because you know they’ve done some things right. In return, they’ll trust that you only want what’s best for them—making it easier for them to handle and respond to criticism.

5. Pay on time

Filipino virtual assistants work for the money.

Yes, they want to improve their skills, expand their career options, build a network, and advance their knowledge. But their biggest motivator is earning income. Their service deserves decent wages—paid on time. It’s hard to trust that your boss has your back if he can’t remember to pay you.

If you’re always paying your VA late, don’t be surprised if they suddenly leave. If you’re the forgetful type, ask them to send you invoices on payday as a reminder.

6. Be the boss that YOU want to have

If you were working for someone else, what kind of boss would you want?

Would you want someone who berates you or fires you over the smallest mistake?

Someone who makes impossible demands without giving you the time or resources to finish a project?

Someone who assigns tasks beyond your skill level but doesn’t provide the training or time to complete them?

I encounter a lot of employers who brag about how tough they are. They say I should hire slow and fire fast. That I should kick my worker to the curb if they make the smallest mistake. Whenever I hear this, I ask, “If you’re such a great boss, would you want to work for YOU?”

Nine times out of ten, they say they’d quit.

If you don’t want to work for that kind of boss, what makes you think a Filipino would? Sure, many need the money. But skilled and experienced workers have options. Chances are, they WILL find someone who pays just as well and treats them better.

7. Inform them when you go on vacation or will be unreachable

Anyone with common sense should take the time to inform their team when they’ll be away—but you’d be surprised how often people forget this simple courtesy.

I admit I sometimes forget to tell my staff when I’ll be unreachable for a week because I’m at a conference or on vacation. And when I do forget, I get bombarded with panicky emails asking where I am and why I haven’t replied.

Most of my business runs on autopilot, but there are still decisions and projects that need my input. Letting them know when I’m unavailable helps them decide whether to fast-track or postpone a project.

This small gesture shows them I value their time. Yes, I’m the boss and can take off whenever I want—but letting them know when I’ll be away shows I respect the work they do for me. I value the time they put in so I can have the time to do anything I want. And when you respect your workers and the work they do, you win their loyalty and trust.

Over a year of employment

1. Go visit them

If you can find the time, go visit your Filipino worker.

Daily communication through email, chat, or calls helps—but nothing cements a relationship better than meeting face to face. Even if you know they’re “real,” it doesn’t feel truly real until you’ve seen them in person.

I visited my team a few years ago, and that experience helped me understand a lot about them and our work relationship. I knew them in a professional capacity, but spending time together on vacation helped me understand them on a personal level. Since that trip, it’s been easier to communicate with them because I understand them better.

2. Give them a raise

If they’ve consistently done good work, there’s absolutely no reason not to give them a raise. Nothing boosts morale and shows appreciation better than a bit of extra cash.

And how does extra cash build trust? A boss who can afford to give a raise shows that the business is booming—which reassures your VA they’ll have a job for as long as you want to work together.

3. Allow them to take on more responsibilities

Once you find a loyal and responsible employee, make them feel more involved by giving them more responsibilities. Filipinos like to feel they’re on a career path, and giving them more responsibility—or a team to manage—gives them just that. It gives them a sense of importance, and it gives YOU more free time because you finally have someone who can take on the job you used to do yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I can trust a Filipino VA?

Trust is built over time, but there are ways to evaluate a VA before hiring. Review their work history, conduct an interview, check references when available, and start with smaller tasks to assess their communication, reliability, and work quality. Just as importantly, employers should demonstrate trustworthiness by communicating clearly, paying on time, and setting realistic expectations.

What makes a reliable Filipino VA?

A reliable Filipino VA consistently communicates, meets deadlines, follows instructions, and takes ownership of their work. Reliability isn’t just about skills—it’s also about building a strong working relationship where both the employer and VA feel respected and supported.

How can employers build long-term relationships with Filipino virtual assistants?

Establishing trust with Filipino virtual assistants starts with transparency and respect. Providing proper training, giving constructive feedback, recognizing good work, and maintaining open communication can help create a partnership that lasts for years rather than months.

Why A Reliable Filipino VA is A Trusted Investment

Once you find the perfect employee, that’s when you’ll finally be able to replace yourself and live the 4-hour workweek. So once you find that worker, treat them well.

Train them—but also give them the freedom to be creative and do more.

Guide them to do better. Motivate them with praise and a good salary.

And finally, treat them as you would treat any valued employee: respect them and value their work.

Before you know it, you’ll have a worker you can completely trust—and who trusts you just as much in return.

Ready to find a reliable Filipino VA? Create your job post today on OnlineJobs.ph and start building a long-term partnership with talented Filipino professionals who are ready to help your business grow.

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