This Women’s Month, a radio icon graced the studio of an equally iconic podcast, tackling hustle culture and generational differences in the workplace. Having been in the industry for decades, Love Radio DJ Nicole Hyala witnessed the shifts and developments in how radio DJs connected with their listeners throughout the years.

In an episode of the Dogshow Divas podcast, hosts Baus Rufo and Macoy Dubs, sat down with the ever-iconic radio personality, expressing their sentiments as freelancers and the all-too-familiar hustle culture among millennials.

Burnout vs Bayarin

On the topic of burnout versus bayarin, the Love Radio DJ echoed Baus’ sentiment, stating that as freelancers, if they get burned out and pause work, they would have no source of income.

In fact, Nicole shared that she was on a livestream recently, when someone commented, surprised that she is still a radio DJ. Being in the industry for 22 years, the radio personality said she understands why some people would be surprised to see her still in the same job, decades later.

“Super message siya, ‘Bakit hindi ka pa umaalis? Bakit hindi mo hayaan na ‘yung mga bata na ang magtake over?” Nicole said, jokingly adding, “Sabi ko, seven years old pa lang ‘yung bunso ko, siyempre magpapakamatay akong magwork…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Baka nasanay na rin [ako].”

Although some people say that hustle culture is romanticized, she emphasized that it is not romanticizing if you are grinding for the sake of your children's future or if you have responsibilities to fulfill at home.

The sandwich method, as she described during the discussion, means having fun despite the (sometimes) overwhelming workload.

“Having fun means, kung ito ‘yung ginagawa ko, madami akong ibang mga racket na medyo fun naman. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay,” she said.

Gen Z and Millennials in the workplace, what’s the difference?

Along with developments within the industry also come changes and shifts in employees and co-workers. When asked about the generational differences in the workplace, Nicole highlighted that Gen Zs take work-life balance and training seriously.

“Siguro it would be ‘yung important talaga sa kanila ‘yung work-life balance. Important sa kanila ‘yung rest, important sa kanila that we take into consideration rest. And important sa kanila ang being trained,” she explained.

“Sa akin kasi, I learned a lot of things on my own. Hindi ako parang, ‘ite-train kita to be this’ Hindi eh, I learnt them on my own,” she added.

In previous episodes, Baus and Macoy had also discussed how they had to learn the ropes in the industry on their own. Now, a new generation is shifting corporate perspective, pushing for the importance of mentorship programs. Although it is something that she admires about the younger generation, the radio personality admitted that it also puts pressure on her.

“‘Yung bound ka by your work hours. It came to me as a surprise kasi na somebody said na may mga hindi na-deliver na stuff to do because this person said na she only works from this time to this time,” she expressed. “Mahalagang mahalaga kasi ‘yung work na ‘yon eh…at may kliyenteng involved. Sa akin, kung hanggang 7:00 PM ka lang, kung mahalagang mahalaga at kailangan ito ng 9:00 PM, bakit hindi mo gagawin? Gawin mo siya kasi may kliyenteng nakasalalay.”

“‘Yun yung medyo…I’m trying to figure it out and trying to understand. Kasi infairness, totoo naman, kung bayad ka naman ng 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM doon lang naman talaga. Siguro lang nasanay lang din talaga ako na at any time kahit 11:00 na ng gabi pwede pa akong tawagan,” she continued.

The scenario was something new to Nicole, and is still something she is adjusting to. She assured listeners that she understands where the employee was coming from, but said that she also explained that they have a culture in the industry where they prioritize clients, adding that incidents like such, would affect the whole radio station.

As a Gen Z bestie

According to Nicole, Gen Z is the reason why she was inspired to pursue additional training. One of the things she noticed among the younger generation was that they also value structure in the workplace, and that includes coaching.

“Na kailangan mayroon kaming matutunan mula sa iyo, na I want to share. Siguro it's the Gen X slash Millennial in me na gusto ko mayroon pa rin akong ma-iimpart sa inyo,” she said.