Before you put up that desk photo of your dog and head to the water cooler for a chat, here are a few local rules to avoid embarrassment while working in Singapore.
Office hours
Good news, the working day starts a little later over here in Singapore. Not-so-good news, this means the day often ends a little later, too – so ditch any start-early-finish-early plans, the bar will have to wait.
If you’re sitting at your desk and it’s all gone spookily quiet, sneek a peek at the clock, and we’ll just bet you it’s lunchtime. Tumbleweeds roll through the office sometime between 12 and 2pm as the general idea here is no nibbling a sandwich at the desk. Lunch is a social time that takes workers out of the office for the full hour at least. Check our round-up of lunch break hot spots and you’ll be gathering those loyalty cards in no time.
Dress code
“Wear what you want” is the general fashion maxim in this town, within reason. Unless you are told otherwise, the office dress code is smart casual (sometimes surprisingly casual), but err on the side of caution and go smart until you’ve been installed long enough to work out what’s OK.
Men usually wear lightweight long-sleeved shirts and suit trousers, and with the office air-con running high, those who wear the full jacket-and-pants combo can still stay cool. If you need some ideas on how to dress to impress your co-workers, consult our guide.
Oh! And ladies, don’t forget to take a cardigan or shawl to work, office air-cons tend to be kept at full blast so you may find yourself having to step outside to warm up!
Business cards
Two hands are better than one on the Red Dot. You can’t just flick across your business card with one hand, rustling through your bag absent-mindedly with the other. Here in Singapore, manners really do matter and the card-pass is the first thing you must learn, because you’re going to be doing it a lot. Grasp the card carefully in thumb and finger of both hands and proffer it forward, then get ready to receive one back in the same manner. It’s the same for credit cards, cash – pretty much everything around here favours the two-hand technique.
Need to get a card made up? There are tons of online sources to choose from. Just make sure the spelling’s good before you press ‘purchase’.
Networking
Relationships are key in Singapore. With the excess of emails filling our inbox, personal introductions and recommendations are valued highly. Building networks by joining a professional or business association is a great way to make new contacts, meet other like-minded people and learn from those experienced in doing business in Asia. The international business chambers in Singapore provide regular networking opportunities and informative business events and are an excellence source of information. If you’d like to learn more about the reasons to join a business chamber, you can read more about it here.
No news is…
Singaporean citizens expect good behaviour at work, but we’re not just thinking about doors being held open or cups of tea being made (although that would be nice). We’re talking about the practice of keeping calm in the face of adversity – or, at least, keeping silent. If your project’s going wrong, don’t expect a big song and dance to announce the fact. If your colleague could do with a bit of help, don’t expect to hear about it, in fact don’t expect to hear about any bad news until after it has happened. People are notoriously polite about this sort of thing, and seldom will you have a negative story delivered voluntarily. If you want to get the full low-down on how things are going, keep on top of the daily doings and ask questions at regular intervals – politely.
Office parties
So it’s day one, you walk in the door, and the first thing they do is to put you in charge of the next office shindig? Well, you heard it here first, food is the key to any big knees-up and if you’re going to give everyone a party to remember make sure there’s piles of gourmet nosh around. It is thought of as sacrilege to run out of anything so throw the budget out of the window and over-cater. Just to really affirm the whole eating side of things, most would probably forego booze for eats. Seriously: this could make or break your party-planning career. And if it’s a festive do, you’ll need to cut out and keep our tips for throwing the best Christmas office party ever.
Public holidays
Singapore’s eclectic blend of religions means the holidays are a real mix. If you’re a manager then don’t forget that Chinese New Year comes top of the list and you must always, always allocate those days off. And if you’ve just come back from a break, remember that it’s good form to bring everyone in the office a gift – preferably edible. Check the official MOM list of hols and our guide to 2015 long weekends and plan your next break, then see the list below to work out why you’re celebrating:
New Year’s Day: After the monster firework bash of the night before, all is calm at the advent of the solar new year, with just cabs and Cold Storage open for business as usual.
Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb): The Spring Festival or Lunar New Year celebrates new beginnings and recognizes ancestors and deities.
Easter: Good Friday is given as the public holiday for this Christian celebration of remembrance.
Labour Day (May): A day set aside to recognize strength and solidarity amongst workers.
Vesak Day (May): Big Buddhist celebration.
Hari Raya Puasa (July/Aug): Muslim festival of Eid, end of Ramadan, following a month of fasting, this is a time of forgiveness and community.
National Day (Aug): Fireworks and fun island-wide as the Red Dot celebrates its independence, and its heritage.
Hari Raya Haji (Oct): Also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, this is a celebration of the Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Deepavali (Oct): Celebration of light over dark, beginning of the Hindu New Year.
Christmas Day: the colourful frenzy of Father Christmas visits the Far East too! Orchard, you didn’t think he’d miss us out, did you?
Now get back to work!