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For foreigners who are coming to Singapore for work for the first time, you may feel apprehensive over the prospect of entering an unknown work culture. Having an idea of what to expect though, can help you to better acclimate and handle your new work environment and colleagues.
Hawksford has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and foreign companies and their employees to establish their roots in Singapore
Many companies in Singapore have moved from 6 days to 5 days per week schedule. This is especially true for MNCs and companies engaged in white collar work. Normal working hours are 40-45 hours per week. However depending on the workload you may end up spending more hours per week. Normally there is half-an-hour to one-hour lunch break. Over-time is not applicable to most of the professional and managerial jobs.
If overtime is applicable to your job, its one-and-a-half times the basic hourly rate. Pay for time worked on holidays and normal days off is two-and-a-half times the normal rate. If you job is covered under the employment act, an employee cannot be asked to work for more than 12 hours in a day under the Employment Act. Overtime work is limited to 72 hours a month.
While it may be true that some Singaporeans (especially the younger and more modern ones) may not wholly practise the Singaporean traditional values of group-centredness, respecting hierarchical relationships and preserving “face”, you are strongly advised to learn and understand the behaviuoral patterns of the Chinese, Indians and Malays of Singapore for one reason: the majority of Singaporeans you will be working still preserve traditional values – regardless of how Westernized they may seem.
Most Malays, who make up 13.6% of Singapore’s population, are Muslims and hence their traditional values are closely intertwined with Islamic values. In respecting the traditional Malay/Islamic values, Malay/Muslim employees:
It is important to note the unwritten formalities above (which are neither found in the Singapore Employment Act nor your Employment Contract) when dealing with your Singaporean colleagues and employers to ensure smooth working relations and reduce culture shock. These are just few examples; more will be unveiled upon observing and befriending your Chinese, Malay and Indian colleagues. It has been said that local friends are great cures to any forms of culture shock.
In general, maintain harmony, avoid conflict and confrontation during discussions. Mask any feelings of frustration with a smile. It is important not to allow your host to ‘lose face' (avoid, for example, contradicting your host in public). Concentrate on building rapport, and do not be confrontational or forceful nor disagree in public with other people on your team.
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