Dealing with Multiracial Working Environments
By Caloy Peña
http://www.pinoysg.com/20120807426/...ng-with-multiracial-working-environments.html
One of the key features of the Singapore job market is its multiracial environments. Many Filipinos are culture-shocked when they meet other races in the workplace, particularly with the varied work practices, ethics and expectations that are set because of the diversity in the job and the competitiveness of the market.
Aside from the locals, who would either be Chinese, Indian, Malay or Eurasian (the latest race to be recognised in Singapore), the island-nation hosts one of the most diverse workforces in Asia. Here, there are Caucasians, who are mostly Australians, British and Americans with the occasional Europeans; other Southeast Asians, like Malaysians, Indonesians, Vietnamese and Thais; peranakans or mixed races from Malacca; East Asians, like mainland Chinese; and South Asians, like Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Mainland Indians.
This multiracial setup poses a lot of contrasts both in working environment and in cultural backgrounds, particularly to the Filipino expatriate who finds himself a first-timer in such a setup. For the most part, a considerable number might feel indifferent or aloof at the beginning, which leads to the occasional misunderstanding. Thankfully, Filipinos are born adaptive to any environment, and soon find themselves able to fully grasp the challenges that such a culturally-diverse workplace can harbour.
There are quite a number of things that we should understand about working in multiracial Singapore:
1. Respect is vital. Because Singapore is foremost multiracial, it is important to respect each other’s customs and practices. This entails many aspects of interaction with locals and fellow foreigners in Singapore, including proper etiquette in public transport and public places; hygiene and grooming; traffic and other prevailing laws on discipline; and appreciation of local traditions, among others. By highlighting the fact that Singapore is multiracial, Filipino expatriates must learn to abide and celebrate the diversity in the most respective manner that we can.
We must understand that although Singapore has a rather “open” policy for foreign workers and talents, it does not deny the fact that there are stringent written and unwritten rules in its society. To merely set aside these rules could be disastrous. Rules like lowering down noise after midnight when holding parties at home or at work, or not consuming food and drinks while riding public transport on the way to and from work are examples of showing respect to both fellow dwellers, workers and expatriates who work in Singapore.
2. Learning the local tongues is crucial. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to order some char kwey tiao or mee siam without being misunderstood. The language barriers present in Singapore are tied up together by a local dialect that new expatriates should learn to embrace at some point. Since communication is key in interaction and building relations with fellow workers and the community as a whole, learning a few words in Malay, Chinese, or Tamil would be advantageous.
Filipinos are blessed with an adaptive tongue which finds learning a new language easier than most Asians, this and the fact that some local terms in Singapore closely resemble words from Filipino dialects, with words like makan and nasi, which as similar to Capampangan’s mangan and nasi, or words like sayang, which mean the same in Malay and Tagalog. There are Chinese terms like bee hoon, mee swa, and tau kwa, which are closely similar to some Filipino terms as well.
3. Observation is a must. Being keen about everything and anything that happens around you while working in Singapore doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being paranoid. By becoming more observant of the interaction among other people around you, you pick up small details of how to better deal with the multiracial setup in Singapore. Sure there would be the occasional misunderstandings, but generally the mutual respect is a trademark for survival in this island-nation.
Observing local cultural events, attending organised events during the holidays and visiting local museums, parks and attractions are a few of the ways where we can see local cultures first-hand.
In all, working in Singapore is challenging not only because of the fast-paced trend in deliverables and the high expectations that one is asked of when doing duties. More than the working requirements, it is Singapore’s multiracial job market that poses both an opportunity to expand our understanding of how big this world is, and a look into how unique the Singapore experience can be for Filipino expatriates.
___
Profile:
Caloy Peña is a former associate professor of Mass Communications in the Philippines.
He currently works as an editor for a children’s magazine in Singapore.
About the Article Series
This series intends to answer common questions that new OFWs may have about getting started and settling down in Singapore.
By Caloy Peña
http://www.pinoysg.com/20120807426/...ng-with-multiracial-working-environments.html
One of the key features of the Singapore job market is its multiracial environments. Many Filipinos are culture-shocked when they meet other races in the workplace, particularly with the varied work practices, ethics and expectations that are set because of the diversity in the job and the competitiveness of the market.
Aside from the locals, who would either be Chinese, Indian, Malay or Eurasian (the latest race to be recognised in Singapore), the island-nation hosts one of the most diverse workforces in Asia. Here, there are Caucasians, who are mostly Australians, British and Americans with the occasional Europeans; other Southeast Asians, like Malaysians, Indonesians, Vietnamese and Thais; peranakans or mixed races from Malacca; East Asians, like mainland Chinese; and South Asians, like Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Mainland Indians.
This multiracial setup poses a lot of contrasts both in working environment and in cultural backgrounds, particularly to the Filipino expatriate who finds himself a first-timer in such a setup. For the most part, a considerable number might feel indifferent or aloof at the beginning, which leads to the occasional misunderstanding. Thankfully, Filipinos are born adaptive to any environment, and soon find themselves able to fully grasp the challenges that such a culturally-diverse workplace can harbour.
There are quite a number of things that we should understand about working in multiracial Singapore:
1. Respect is vital. Because Singapore is foremost multiracial, it is important to respect each other’s customs and practices. This entails many aspects of interaction with locals and fellow foreigners in Singapore, including proper etiquette in public transport and public places; hygiene and grooming; traffic and other prevailing laws on discipline; and appreciation of local traditions, among others. By highlighting the fact that Singapore is multiracial, Filipino expatriates must learn to abide and celebrate the diversity in the most respective manner that we can.
We must understand that although Singapore has a rather “open” policy for foreign workers and talents, it does not deny the fact that there are stringent written and unwritten rules in its society. To merely set aside these rules could be disastrous. Rules like lowering down noise after midnight when holding parties at home or at work, or not consuming food and drinks while riding public transport on the way to and from work are examples of showing respect to both fellow dwellers, workers and expatriates who work in Singapore.
2. Learning the local tongues is crucial. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to order some char kwey tiao or mee siam without being misunderstood. The language barriers present in Singapore are tied up together by a local dialect that new expatriates should learn to embrace at some point. Since communication is key in interaction and building relations with fellow workers and the community as a whole, learning a few words in Malay, Chinese, or Tamil would be advantageous.
Filipinos are blessed with an adaptive tongue which finds learning a new language easier than most Asians, this and the fact that some local terms in Singapore closely resemble words from Filipino dialects, with words like makan and nasi, which as similar to Capampangan’s mangan and nasi, or words like sayang, which mean the same in Malay and Tagalog. There are Chinese terms like bee hoon, mee swa, and tau kwa, which are closely similar to some Filipino terms as well.
3. Observation is a must. Being keen about everything and anything that happens around you while working in Singapore doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being paranoid. By becoming more observant of the interaction among other people around you, you pick up small details of how to better deal with the multiracial setup in Singapore. Sure there would be the occasional misunderstandings, but generally the mutual respect is a trademark for survival in this island-nation.
Observing local cultural events, attending organised events during the holidays and visiting local museums, parks and attractions are a few of the ways where we can see local cultures first-hand.
In all, working in Singapore is challenging not only because of the fast-paced trend in deliverables and the high expectations that one is asked of when doing duties. More than the working requirements, it is Singapore’s multiracial job market that poses both an opportunity to expand our understanding of how big this world is, and a look into how unique the Singapore experience can be for Filipino expatriates.
___
Profile:
Caloy Peña is a former associate professor of Mass Communications in the Philippines.
He currently works as an editor for a children’s magazine in Singapore.
About the Article Series
This series intends to answer common questions that new OFWs may have about getting started and settling down in Singapore.
