on work

i stumbled across this gem on the information superhighway today. Here's something from the site that i'm sure many of my friends and colleagues will identify with.


Industry and Efficiency

My colleagues have evolved an extremely dangerous culture. That of staying back late in the office, whether or not they actually have real work to do. It is so prevalent to find people working till 9 or 10 at night, and I believe this is true of many other industries in Singapore, not just my own. But are these people really industrious, or just plain inefficient? Whatever the case, they are digging a hole for all of us, because if the expectation becomes to stay late in the office, especially on weekends, that will not do any good for anyone.


The Fallacy of Potential

As a recent entrant to the workforce, I find the organisation trying to load me and overload me with work. The reason, ostensibly, is to determine how much potential I have. Well, just because I can do it, why should I do it, especially if this means sacrificing my own free time? Ever since watching Ducktales decades ago, I have adopted Scrouge McDuck's mantra of Work Smart Not Hard. It worked very well in school, and I have three degrees to show for it (in the time most people get one or two), while travelling across the continent and imbibing my fair share of spirits. But at work I find that to be capable simply means you get loaded with more work. Somehow, I have to establish myself as someone who is capable, but not a mindless peon who happily accomplish every meaningless task put before him.

I think about Singapore's competitiveness and the oft-credited wealth of human capital we have. And I wonder if our people are geniunely more capable and talented, or if it is merely because we work much harder, for longer hours. After all, we are the descendants of a Chinese diaspora that climbed the ladder in many societies through sheer hard work. It is people like us that are costing the Europeans their short work weeks, negligible (sic) working hours and social safety nets. They are losing the high quality of life they have been enjoying; how long before we lose what little quality of life we have now to the mainland Chinese?

I think it would be lovely to run off to Australia, but I wonder how long the good life there will last. There has to be a better solution.
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