Brownouts, Burnout, and Unpaid Work: Risks and Risk Management Practices of Filipino Virtual Assistants

Filipino virtual assistants (VAs) work from home for foreign clients, mostly as self-employed workers. Without an employer, they carry on their own the risks of losing income, getting sick, losing power or internet, and being scammed. This study describes the risks Filipino VAs face, how they manage these risks, and their use of social and private insurance. A descriptive qualitative design was used. Twenty VAs with at least one year of experience answered an online questionnaire with checklist and open-ended items in October 2026. Checklist items were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, and written answers were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by the risk management process of ISO 31000:2018 and the classic ways of handling risk. Brownouts or internet outages were the most common loss (80.0%), followed by typhoons or floods (65.0%), illness or burnout (55.0%), and not being paid (45.0%). Respondents relied mostly on keeping their own savings and on loss control, such as backup power and internet. An emergency fund was the most common safeguard (55.0%). PhilHealth (75.0%) and SSS (70.0%) were the most common forms of coverage, but only 35.0% had an HMO and three respondents had no coverage at all. Cost, irregular income, and hard-to-use payment systems were the main barriers. The study recommends simpler payment channels, affordable individual health plans, and risk management training for VAs.