‘Everything is urgent’: Australian expat flags 3 issues with Singapore’s work culture

SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old Australian expat who works as a lawyer in Singapore’s trading and shipping sector shared three things she says she doesn’t like about Singapore’s corporate work culture.

Originally from Perth, as per Must Share News’ report, she moved to Singapore three years ago and has been living and working here since.

In a TikTok post on Thursday (Jan 22), she said these were things she noticed after working across MNCs and start-ups.

1. Everything is urgent

Singapore companies, according to her, always have this “urgency,” even when not everything is actually urgent.

“If you’re externally facing clients, clients would also want everything done ASAP, which is just unrealistic and often there is no push back,” she added.

2. Hierarchy is everything

Another is hierarchy. She said juniors in a company are often expected to just “follow the status quo” and aren’t really able to share their opinion unless asked. “And often you won’t be,” she added.

This, she says, is very different from the work environment she once experienced, which she finds not very “engaging.”

3. People are a lot more reserved

She also observed that Singapore workers aren’t very “social.” She clarified that it’s not that they aren’t friendly, but rather, she noticed that their extracurricular activities are often planned instead of spontaneous.

Some commenters said they had a completely opposite experience in Singapore, but many agreed with her observations. One Singaporean who left the corporate world wrote: “The absolute truth.”

@niminthewild

here are 3 things I’ve noticed over my 3 years in 🇸🇬 working across MNC’s, start-ups and international firms 👩🏽‍💻 [disclaimer, this is not to say there is any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to work—things are just different, and at the end of the day, people have different working styles and ways that they prefer to work!] 💼 #singapore #sglife #singaporetiktok #sgfyp #sgnews

♬ Young Free and Single – Frank Jade

Locals also commented that the lack of spontaneity might be because people are tired, their calendars are always packed, and they prefer planned activities since they’re “time-starved”. Some added that Singaporeans aren’t just spontaneous and this habit tend to spill over into other aspects of their lives.

Meanwhile, when it comes to hierarchy in the office, one who also works in Singapore said it is very important, while another said hierarchy in Singapore’s offices is somewhat “flatter” compared to other Asian markets like China, Japan, or Korea.

“I don’t agree that hierarchy is everything here it really depends on the company culture,” another added.

Still, some felt Nim’s observations reflect the “hard truth” about Singapore’s work culture, with one even describing the little red dot as having the “worst work culture in Asia.”