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The Boomer Mentality On ‘Hard Work’ is Holding Singapore Back


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Is Boomer Mentality on 'Hard Work' holding us back?  

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  1. 1. Is Boomer Mentality on 'Hard Work' holding us back?

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  • Poll closed on 09/12/2020 at 04:00 PM

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Online echo chambers have taken a toxic turn of late, with the issue of jobs and foreigners becoming a lightning rod for controversy. 

As Singapore’s economy is expected to shrink by 5 to 7% in 2020, some locals have become convinced that the system overwhelmingly favours foreigners at the expense of the ‘Singaporean core.’ Some of these concerns may be justified, but without greater transparency around the numbers, your guess is as good as mine.

The growing resentment against foreigners, however, is palpable. In the absence of hard data, CECA has become a dog whistle for xenophobia against India Indians. To borrow a Trump quote: “When India sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us.” 

Speaking as a foreigner who hangs around expat circles, this hostility is not reciprocated. Most of us understand that we’ve become convenient scapegoats for a deeper, structural issue in Singaporean society.

The problem, in my opinion, goes beyond local vs. foreign employment. It stems from an outdated (and often toxic) work culture that’s set at the top, one that values ‘hard work’ and ‘suffering’ over actual productivity. 

Everything that’s Wrong With Singapore’s Workplace 

By now, most of us have seen the viral Facebook post by an SME employer, Delane Lim, in which he tries to put 7 local job candidates on blast.

As Roger Sterling from Mad Men would say, “that was the deftest self-immolation I’ve ever seen.” 

Whether or not you think the candidates were acting ‘entitled,’ the fact remains that he displayed a level of self-righteousness that’s unbecoming of a leader. The fact that he thought it was a good idea to air out his candidates’ dirty laundry to score internet points speaks to a lack of self-awareness and judgment.

But on a deeper level, the employer’s attitude reflects a mentality that’s prevalent among many mid- to senior-level managers in Singapore today. 

In this world view, young talents are simply ‘not hungry for a job’, ‘not willing to be humble’ and ‘not willing to suffer,’ as if hunger, humility and suffering are prerequisites to succeeding in a functional workplace. 

This may have been true for previous generations, but in a digital economy where older workers are increasingly being left behind, it’s simply not productive to deal in romantic fantasies of the past, where starvation, struggle and poverty are seen as rites of passage instead of necessary evils. 

Judging from the divided response to the FB post, this boomer mentality still garners support among many Singaporeans. Zoomer/Millennials may be encouraged to innovate and take risks, but the fetish of the ‘Asian / Singaporean work ethic’ persists, one where ‘working smart’ and ‘working hard’ are seen as polar opposites. 

To Work Is To Suffer 

By most accounts, Singapore’s workplace culture is largely based on performance.

By this I mean, Singaporeans have been trained to put on performances of hard work, suffering, and humility in front of their bosses. They’ve been taught at an early age—by older generations and the education system—that optics matter. That they should follow the rules, make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, never stray from the safe and established path. 

As a result, ‘hard work,’ measured by the number of work hours clocked, is valued over efficiency and productivity. It creates a culture of compliance, ass-covering and personal fiefdoms with narrow scope of responsibilities. It stifles creative thinking and personal initiative.

When I was considering a move to Singapore late last year, I was warned by several expats working in the ICT sector to avoid companies with a ‘Singaporean work culture’. Some of these companies aren’t locally grown, but APAC offices of MNCs. Their workplace culture is set by the leadership and mid-level management. In other words, ‘the Singaporean core’.

Many of these expats had horror stories about their attempts to push through change at local companies. A friend of mine, who is a talented software engineer, moved to Singapore a few years ago from the United States. She joined an ‘innovative’ Singaporean tech firm that used all the right buzzwords (i.e. digital transformation, cloud native architecture, machine learning) and she was brought on to accelerate the company’s migration from on-premise data centres to cloud native platforms—something that would be integral to the company’s long term survival.

On the ground, however, she was met with resistance at every turn, from her colleagues as well as management. Company processes were still stuck in the past, offering solutions to problems that no longer existed. When she took the initiative and voiced constructive feedback, it was interpreted as reckless and arrogant. Logical lapses were chalked up to ‘traditional Asian culture’, something that an ang moh like her could never understand. 

All of these were merely excuses. The truth was that some teams felt threatened by the proposed changes. Most people’s idea of ‘doing their jobs’ was to protect their own turf from fancy ‘Western ideas’ that ‘could never work in Singapore’, despite these ideas never being seriously considered. Within six months, she left the company and took another offer. 

This is just one of many examples of a culture that pushes out talent and retains people who keep their heads down. 

In the long run, it’s detrimental to Singapore’s future. 

Culture is Set at the Top

At the end of the day, obsessing over local vs. foreign employment ratios isn’t going to get us anywhere. At best, it’s a temporary band-aid to a structural problem: that outdated ideas and practices have become institutionalised within the Singaporean economy—and across society at large. The Delane Lim Facebook post is only the tip of the iceberg.  

In many ways, Singapore is still trotting out the same old solutions to a brand new problem while playing lip service to creativity and innovation—as if they can speak it into existence.   

But there is no risk-free formula. Innovation is fostered by a climate of open feedback, experimentation and personal accountability. In order for this to happen, that culture has to be set at the top.

Singaporeans should be past the point of believing that hard work and suffering (aka resilience) can solve all of their problems. In a world of increased automation, how you work and what you work on matters just as much—if not more. 

To chart a new path forward, Singapore needs to shed the old ways of thinking and start redefining what it means to be productive. 

 

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Can't disagree on some aspects.

Our singapore economy is mostly Old economy. Our school system tends to favour conformity and competency rather than innovation/non conformity.

U can't have innovation (ie generating and more importantly TOLERATING fresh and new ideas) on all levels of society without having the fact that a substantial part of your would-be workforce be also not particularly economically productive, ie the artistes, the ones that can spend years pursuing their own pursuits while having substantial financial trade-offs. 
The liberalness and the dynamism of the cities (eg SF/silicon valley or NYC) is a direct breeding of ideas/concepts across multiple innovative individuals interacting with each other, hence forming a critical mass.

But to be truly innovative on a civil and individual level, we will have to loosen our control on civil society. But is the govt willing to relax their stranglehold on civil society? And are Asian societies willing to respect Individual freedom above all else?
Which comes with the problem of non conformity. And sometimes conformity is not a bad thing.
Just see how Asia in general have controlled the epidemics fairly well as opposed to the much vaunted western democracies (outside of NZ). Even Germany, by far the most similar to us Asiatics in terms of cultural/social behaviour, is still struggling to even control down the basic transmission of the virus which is at the core of controlling an epidemic.

Ultimately we are the ones still living in Asia, not these expats. The vast majority of them will eventually leave our countries. And i would feel that our societies are actually potentially more resilient than Western societies in terms of dealing with disaster. I think many Asian countries will still largely be the same at the end of 2100. But I won't say the same for some of the western democracies. 
 

 

 

 

Edited by Lala81
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Huh, we pretend to work long hours when there is a short cut to achieve the same outcome? 

Don't think so, maybe 20 years ago, these days the only things that count are goals and results. 

He is however right about Delane Lim. 

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Hmn agree on some pts, disagree on some pts. Valuing clocking the hours in the office over performance yes, definitely an Asian thing. A culture of conformity brought on by infighting within top management? All companies have this, not just those with a Singaporean core. Perhaps the Singaporean core has just learned to be good at playing the political game. 

It is however very true, on a macro view, that Singapore has not had many home grown companies that have made an impact globally. I can't name a Singapore-started MNC off the top of my head. After 55 years of attracting foreign MNCs to invest and hire and produce in Singapore, it does not seem like we had assimilated anything and started our own businesses. We are still ever so reliant on foreign investment. I don't think this is an Asian values thing... South Korea, Japan or Taiwan have plenty of internationally reowned technology companies. There is something fundamentally wrong with the DNA makeup of a Singaporean worker or the Singaporean startup environment which the current education system only helps to perpetuate. 

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21 minutes ago, Ganwb79 said:

I don't think this is an Asian values thing... South Korea, Japan or Taiwan have plenty of internationally reowned technology 

japan is famous for hard work , how many mnc and top notch talent they have.

chinese is extremely hardworking also. in just a few years how many top chinese company pop up.

dun know about s.k but i believe they ppl very hardworking also .

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58 minutes ago, Voodooman said:

Huh, we pretend to work long hours when there is a short cut to achieve the same outcome? 

Don't think so, maybe 20 years ago, these days the only things that count are goals and results. 

He is however right about Delane Lim. 

Yeah, i thought when it comes to "drama" and "performances", the expats are way way better than us. All talk and proposal only, but lacking in implementation. Need others to execute for them .... sorry lah

Edited by Sosaria
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29 minutes ago, Ganwb79 said:

I don't think this is an Asian values thing... South Korea, Japan or Taiwan have plenty of internationally reowned technology companies. There is something fundamentally wrong with the DNA makeup of a Singaporean worker or the Singaporean startup environment which the current education system only helps to perpetuate. 

My guess is because ppl get too comfortable here. Arguably govt has done well in providing a basic standard of living for a basic educational level at the minimum. So there is lack of stomach for risks and hard work.

A scholar will stick to the tried and tested path of being a wage earner, confident his qualification and accumulated experience can bring in a decent std of living. Why take risk especially if they have family to support?

Then for the lower educated ones, the gig economy here has flourished enough for them to earn a decent income without much responsibility or having to think too much or having to follow fixed workplace routine. Why would they be motivated to do more if it's enough for them?

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1 hour ago, Lala81 said:

But to be truly innovative on a civil and individual level, we will have to loosen our control on civil society. But is the govt willing to relax their stranglehold on civil society? And are Asian societies willing to respect Individual freedom above all else?
Which comes with the problem of non conformity. 

Very much agree , another root cause of the problem. But surprisingly there are many hardworking innovative fellows in PRC despite the central govt having even tighter control of society.

Ultimately it's our society's value system and what had been inculcated in our youth by the teachers and parents.

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I also don't wanto work for these type of traditional sgrean bosses. Pui. 

But I'm sorry, this thread title is wrong. Hard work is different from working "long hours". I can work short hours but those short hours I work hard and deliver.  So no, hard work is not spoiling anything. 

Edited by Mockngbrd
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30 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

My guess is because ppl get too comfortable here. Arguably govt has done well in providing a basic standard of living for a basic educational level at the minimum. So there is lack of stomach for risks and hard work.

A scholar will stick to the tried and tested path of being a wage earner, confident his qualification and accumulated experience can bring in a decent std of living. Why take risk especially if they have family to support?

Then for the lower educated ones, the gig economy here has flourished enough for them to earn a decent income without much responsibility or having to think too much or having to follow fixed workplace routine. Why would they be motivated to do more if it's enough for them?

yes the current gen is getting comfortable so is the boomer also getting complacent.

What happen to Taiwan today soon be what singapore will end up in 10-20 years time. The only different or advantage we have is english as 1st language but that is also fading when the rest is catching up.

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49 minutes ago, Beregond said:

japan is famous for hard work , how many mnc and top notch talent they have.

chinese is extremely hardworking also. in just a few years how many top chinese company pop up.

dun know about s.k but i believe they ppl very hardworking also .

population size make a different. 

but the 富二代 in China and SK also not that hardworking liao. 

 

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42 minutes ago, Beregond said:

japan is famous for hard work , how many mnc and top notch talent they have.

chinese is extremely hardworking also. in just a few years how many top chinese company pop up.

dun know about s.k but i believe they ppl very hardworking also .

Yes agree to some extent.
Asia will build asian companies that are leaders in their own right. Ultimately the marketplace is still the arbiter of success.

Maybe it's the Singaporean pursuit of stability/efficiency that makes our mindset or culture more suited towards providing services. 
Our banks are really fairly global and big compared to the size of our economy. 
Small country with no hinterland. Also the fact that there is no "countryside" to retire to. Being in the civil service pays relatively well here. And low unemployment and a relatively tight labour market means more opportunity for more.

The relative lack of space in our housing, I feel makes us very poor in terms of technical science/experimentation in physical sciences. It's really hard to inculcate an appreciation for science/technology when u aren't running your own experiments/tinkering with your own gadgets/devices etc. Many silicon valley startups started with them soldering transistors in a garage. 
Even in SG, u don't see anyone using raspberry Pi to do their own projects even though all this opportunity for tinkering has reached the 21st century already. 
 

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5 minutes ago, Jman888 said:

yes the current gen is getting comfortable so is the boomer also getting complacent.

What happen to Taiwan today soon be what singapore will end up in 10-20 years time. The only different or advantage we have is english as 1st language but that is also fading when the rest is catching up.

What's happening in TW?

 

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1 hour ago, Ganwb79 said:

Hmn agree on some pts, disagree on some pts. Valuing clocking the hours in the office over performance yes, definitely an Asian thing. A culture of conformity brought on by infighting within top management? All companies have this, not just those with a Singaporean core. Perhaps the Singaporean core has just learned to be good at playing the political game. 

It is however very true, on a macro view, that Singapore has not had many home grown companies that have made an impact globally. I can't name a Singapore-started MNC off the top of my head. After 55 years of attracting foreign MNCs to invest and hire and produce in Singapore, it does not seem like we had assimilated anything and started our own businesses. We are still ever so reliant on foreign investment. I don't think this is an Asian values thing... South Korea, Japan or Taiwan have plenty of internationally reowned technology companies. There is something fundamentally wrong with the DNA makeup of a Singaporean worker or the Singaporean startup environment which the current education system only helps to perpetuate. 

Size matters. Hard to nurture global giants with a small domestic market of 5-6m people.

But you can argue the scandi countries did that. Maybe it is the weather. 😂

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1 minute ago, Lala81 said:

 

Maybe it's the Singaporean pursuit of stability/efficiency that makes our mindset 
 

yes . Our fear of taking risk. Our desire  for stability  . Our rejection  of changes. 

But what to do. Can we afford to step  into the unknown?  Can we be risk taker?

We got 0 resources  . We dun even have enough  drinking water.

And like bro jman say our population low. Our land evem smaller. Cannot even see on world map.

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