An Australian expat has shared her candid thoughts on Singapore’s corporate work culture, highlighting three aspects that she finds challenging after living and working here for three years.
In a TikTok video posted on Thursday (22 Jan), 26-year-old Nim, who works in the trading and shipping sector, gave her perspective on what it’s like in Singapore’s fast-paced work environment.
Source: niminthewild on TikTok
She told MS News that she moved from Perth, Australia, to Singapore three years ago and has been living and working here since.
She is currently working as a lawyer.
Nim’s first point of contention was the overwhelming sense of urgency in Singapore’s corporate culture.
In her video, she revealed that clients often demand tasks to be completed “ASAP, even when no actual deadline exists.
She told MS News that she sometimes gets just one day to complete work that management may not even review until weeks later.
“It’s general urgency that isn’t actually driven by an urgent deadline,” she said, describing it as a unique aspect of Singapore’s work culture.
Source: niminthewild on TikTok
Secondly, Nim observed that workplace hierarchy plays a big role in Singapore offices.
She said that juniors are often expected to follow the status quo and not share their opinions unless specifically asked.
This creates an environment that feels less engaging for Nim, who is used to flatter organisational structures in Australia.
“I value low power distance as a way to contribute to and challenge ideas, which also makes me feel more involved as a junior,” she shared with MS News.
The third difference Nim noted was the social reserve in Singapore, which she finds markedly different from the more open culture in countries like “Australia, the UK, or the US”.
“Don’t expect to be as social with your colleagues after work,” she said in her video.
She told MS News that in Singapore, “people tend to avoid eye contact” and are less likely to greet strangers, unlike in Australia, where casual greetings like “good morning” are common.
Despite acknowledging these cultural differences, Nim made it clear that she wasn’t criticising Singapore’s culture.
She stressed that this was simply an observation, emphasising that neither behaviour is right or wrong, just different.
Despite the challenges she highlighted, Nim expressed gratitude for her work experience in Singapore. No workplace is perfect, she noted.
“I’ve also had not-so-great experiences working in Australia,” she added.
She said her video was meant to share personal observations rather than complain about Singapore’s work culture.
Nim’s post sparked a lively discussion online, with netizens chiming in with their own experiences of Singapore’s work culture.
Some agreed with her points about the pressure of working in Singapore, while others noted that the work culture may vary depending on the company or industry.
One netizen shared their own frustrations about the stress of working in Singapore, noting that it is “stressful”.
Source: niminthewild on TikTok
Another pointed out that social activities at work do occur, but are more occasional and scheduled.
Source: niminthewild on TikTok
A third netizen noted that the experience may differ depending on where you work, as they have not encountered the issues Nim described in their own workplace.
Source: niminthewild on TikTok
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Featured image adapted from niminthewild on Tiktok (left) and MS News (right).