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Originally Posted by vb-san Worked in India (2 years), Singapore (10+ years and going), Thailand (Bangkok - 2 years), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur - 1 year).
A month or so in the US (New York), and business visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines. Thats about it |
Adding my personal observation on the places I have worked:
Singapore: My home base for past 10-11 yrs – Quite an easy place to work, once you get into the groove. People are very methodical, everything has to go by the books, and crystal clear documentation is very important. The one-dimensional thinking can be a problem at times, but the characteristic of the society. The best part is, this place is so multi-cultural, with a huge amount of expatriate population. Knowing different cultures and mingling with them on a regular basis is one of the key reasons for me to continue here for so long. And then, this is one of the safest country in the world, topped up with excellent infrastructure.
Thailand: Love this place for the vibes, people and food. Thai people are one of the friendliest populations in the world. If you look beyond the negative publicity related to sex tourism, Thailand is a place blessed with natural beauty and deep rooted culture. People are generally quite laid back, and going from Singapore, I really enjoyed my 2 years stint there. Being too result oriented may create a discord here.
Malaysia: Very similar to Singapore in work culture, but a bit less structured. And Kuala Lumpur is so much like Mumbai.
Japan: Super efficient, extremely polite, and workaholics to the core. As an expatriate I found the place very fascinating to work, but I guess it will be quite stressful as a local. For stats, Japan has the maximum no. of divorces happening after retirement age. And their inter /intra- city trains / subways have the peak hour traffic between 9pm to 11pm. That explains the time they spend at workplace.
For me, Tokyo is a mini New York, but much more cleaner, and the warmth of the people is something hard to find elsewhere. One point to note – Japan is very hierarchical, and male dominance is very evident.
US: Work hard and play hard is the motto. I guess they are the one who invented professionalism, or rather the impersonal way of professionalism. Work relentlessly from 8 to 6, and past 6pm you party or release all the work pressure in the neighbourhood bar. Again, once you get into the groove, it’s indeed an enjoyable work style.
India: I started my worklife in Bangalore, but that was not good enough to form an opinion. But I have worked with a fascinating mix of Indians abroad. What I noticed in the past few years is the substantial growth of Indian workforce in countries like Singapore. The knowledge pool is immense, but can do better in time management.