Local Working Life

[SJB]

What are the do/don'ts for working in a local head office? Any interesting office etiquette/practices that a Brit should know?

[Traditional]

You can continue not to bathe or brush your teeth and also show up hungover in the morning and pissed after lunch.  The Brit expats like to keep traditions alive here

[office worker]

To when in Rome,

Well, working in the office swamped with people like you would inevitably pick up bad habits from your kind of people. That also explain the reason why the chinese in Singapore speak their mother tongue among themselves.

[MooMoo]

LOL!!! It must be an international crime to speak the language of your own ethnicity in your own country.

Ohh....someone should inform the Japanese in Japan, Koreans in S. Korea, the French in France etc about this.  

[ah lian]

Its heartening to see that  the brits in foreign lands still manage to keep their yob culture alive !

[Old Mike]

1 o not make jokes about politics or relegion.
2: Be polite. Do not cause someone else to be humiliated or lose face. The Chinese have their surname first. If you are John Smith, expect some to call you John and some Smith.
3: DO NOT touch a female co-worker. some will not shake hands.
4 o not swear.
5: Use simple words as far as possible.
6: Laugh at yourself.
7: Expect long working hours but do NOT expect people to work through lunch.
8: Expect to be asked your age, your family details and how much your watch cost. Feel free to ask the same questions.
9:If you can, eat with your colleagues. Use chopsticks, even if they have to show you how.
10: admit it when you are wrong. ( If ever)
11:If you are asked to a social function, ask how you should dress and what you should do.
12: " Taken your BREAKFAST/LUNCH?" MEANS "HOW DO YOU DO?"
13 :13 IS LUCKY.
14: 14 IS UNLUCKY.
15: If in doubt, ASK. Everyone knows you are foreign. They will help.
16: do not assume they are talking about you if they talk, Mandarin, Malay or Tamil.
17 RELAX.

[p^%sed off worker]

If your boss is local then expect them to take the credit for everything you do, offer you absolutely no career development, be 'too busy' to meet with you and send you off into situations that they could not have dealt with then when it fails say 'I should have done it myself but I'm 'too busy''

After 5 years my career has gone nowhere. I've had a nice time travelling up here and live in a nice apartment with a wonderful pool and a big plasma screen tele. This coming year I'm off back home..I know I'll be worse off financially but quality of life will improve dramatically....

[T2K]

Old Mike, very good points, all - especially #7.  Every Westerner working here with locals should read that.  Wish I had known all that when I first got here.

[Marc P]

Not forgetting that some people talk at break-neck speeds especially when they get excited. Took a little getting used to.

[no . no ,]

That's what we used to call one of my former colleagues.

And b'cos of her natural talent, she's pretty good at singing those fast numbers at our office karaoke functions

[Congrats]

Old Mike - Just wanted to say Congratulions on a job well done. Your post is informative and helpful, light hearted yet not condescending. It answers the OP's question, and does not get instantly into a bitching session.

I am an expat who found this site about 6 months back. At times it is helpful, funny and interesting. At other times it is frustrating, disgusting and from the POV ofan expat, incredibly embarrassing.

I know this is an old view on things, but to the whingers, I would reitorate the old saying , If you don't like, GO HOME! This is their home.

OP - Realise that your stay here will be interesting and at times you will see things you don't like and certain things will annoy you. The rule of thumb is this.

Singapore is hospitable, safe, friendly and provides the average expat with a life he/she cannot enjoy at home. Certain things are missing and some things are strange, but if you treat people here with respect, you will receive it . If  you open yourself up to the culture, it will do the same.