S’porean says he experienced culture shock when he moved from private sector to government work

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user in his late 30s took to the platform to talk about the culture shock he experienced when he transitioned from working in the private sector to working for the government, and wondered if there were others who had the same experience.

In a post on r/askSingapore on Monday (Aug 11), u/heyothebasilleaf wrote that he had worked for large American and Chinese MNCs for more than 10 years, and that he had a lot of experience working with international clients and bosses.

Recently, however, he started a middle management role in the government, taking a small pay cut in his desire to secure work given the current headwinds.

It appears that compared to his previous roles, his work today is very different, saying that he is “shocked by the amount of inefficient stakeholder management” he has to do in order to get things over the finish line.”

Some examples he provided are having to spend a lot of time convincing his current superiors that his plan of action will work, compared to when he worked in the private sector, where more trust was extended toward him.

He also noted that his colleagues rarely challenge their director, who sometimes issues ambiguous briefs that they’re expected to figure out on their own.

“We are expected to do things fast and churn out deliverables constantly, but are not given the time to think and strategise. I don’t think that is good for my professional growth long term, and I feel like a McDonald’s burger marker at this point,” he wrote, adding that he’s

“Ready to call it quits after six months in government, as I feel like I’m exposed to the worst aspects of the Singapore Incorporated culture.”

He also wrote that he is “99% ready” to give up his bonus, which is due next March, and do freelance work while applying for his next job.

His post has spawned a lively discussion, and while many commenters were sympathetic, they endeavoured to explain why government offices run the way they do, which significantly differs from privately run companies.

Government workers are answerable to their higher-ups, who, in turn, are also answerable to their superiors, and so on, explained the commenters. This leads to a general work culture that is more risk-averse and conservative.

One wrote that working for the government is “not for everyone, so don’t feel like something is wrong with you if you prefer the private sector. Everyone has a place to which they are best (or least-worst) suited.”

“Ministries are not profit-generating companies. Look at how the public reacts when an unfavourable policy is enforced. If they let you go ahead with your plans and it fails, the backlash created will take them years to fix and cost lots of money, not to mention public scrutiny and distrust. That’s why there are so many layers of red tape: to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Although it’s not the most efficient, this ensures that there are many layers of checks before a policy or plan is executed,” another added.

“I’d suggest that for now, see if you’re able to hold on for a bit and ask for an internal or other agency rotation. Not all gov agencies and ministries are that bad, it’ll depend on where you land,” a Reddit user suggested. /TISG

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