Contrary to my bustling one-hour and fifteen-minute commute on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit, or subway system in Singapore) from my host family?s home to my office building, the culture at work is calm and professional. On the first day, I was greeted and introduced to my friendly coworkers. While everyone seemed immersed in their work as I toured around the office, all my coworkers and bosses smiled and welcomed me to Singapore.
The first three days, different coworkers offered to take me to lunch and graciously treated me to their favorite lunch spot. During this time, the discussion was light and fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about my boss/coworkers. Other than lunch breaks and short office encounters, talking is minimal. Because of the limited space in Singapore, everyone except the CEO/COO level of position, works in a cubicle, open-air desk. Although people work very close together, I have noticed that it is uncommon to strike up personal conversations lasting longer than a minute or two which differs from my workplace in the United States. The company itself is full of bright and hardworking employees, willing to work hard for the good of the organization. Many employees work on more than one project and coordinate with a team outsourced from Manila in the Philippines. This revealed to me the competitiveness of achieving a good office job in Singapore. One must be multi-talented, highly educated, and an impressive communicator to perform well in this workplace. On the first day, I had a meeting in the conference room with my bosses and they explained to me the project I would be working on for the next several weeks. Wrapping my head around the scale of the project was a multiple-day process, not to mention slightly intimidating! In this company, one must be a self-starter to be successful. Because of the busyness and long list of tasks to accomplish in a given day, consistent focus is needed. I caught on to this fast, and have understood that this was expected of me.
Another aspect of work-life common in Singapore is facial recognition for entering and exiting the office. This process is easy and efficient, as it acts as a way to clock in and out along with its security benefits. Additionally, one of the dominant religions in the office is Islam. There is a dedicated prayer room and different microwaves/fridges for Halal versus Non-Halal food. Employees in my workplace are harmonious and accepting of each other, no matter one’s ethnicity, religion, or background which I appreciate and admire. I am just getting started and am excited to learn more about the different aspects of business and work hard to better myself and the company.
