Submitted by Riley Hazel the 2024 Spring program in Singapore, Republic of Singapore…
I’m finally in Singapore working as an Intern within the country. It’s an exciting experience and something I’m super happy about. This country is vastly different from America and Australia in culture and laws. However, as I’ll be working in Singapore as an Intern, I have learned about the different work cultures here. For the most part, the biggest factor is the slogan, “Work till you die.” While that may exist in cases within the States, work is your life over here and everything you do should be focused on it. I’ve noticed that boundaries are kept regarding clock ins and outs, but even then if you’re on the clock, it’s all hands on deck, no messing around. It’s a very serious working environment, much different from what I’ve experienced back home. Another thing is that there is a high superiority complex in Singapore as well as in most Asian countries. A rookie will simply not talk to the boss about projects, nor talk back to them about issues unless advised to. It’s vastly different from the U.S. as it’s both an individual and group-based work environment, compared to Singapore where the collective is more important than the individual. Everything is super serious over here even when breaks are handled, such as days would be 9 am to 6 pm as lunch is not considered a working hour. Life is also super fast-paced as everything needs to be done in short time lines, but its also super organized. It’s crazy to see how downsides can quickly be turned into positives over here, but then again the work culture is stressful. A lower employee can’t give as much feedbac k on a project as back home in America, and even then it’s hard to move up in the chain without respecting that. Thats’ the work culture I’ve seen so far, and it’s really interesting to see it all at work. (Submitted on March 26, 2024)