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Help needed please. HK Work etiquette.

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  1. #11

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    The work culture varies hugely. There are plenty of threads with discussions on the matter. Basically, it can vary from ("normal" - ie vaguely like Europe) to "the boss shouts at people, everyone is constantly stressed, hours are 9am - 11pm". I hope you are in, or closer to, the former category. But some of the horror stories I have heard are pretty horrific.

    Luckily, you can set the tone you wish to adopt from the start. So while you will want to see what the local office culture is, I would decide your line in the sand early on and stick to it. If you are senior, you'll have more flexibility to do that.


  2. #12

    Thanks for that - very informative! I just don't think i could just pretend to look busy in order to stay late, but I think my induction will be long so I think staying late the first week is already in my mind....

    I am preparing myself for an eye-opening first week!!!


  3. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    The work culture varies hugely. There are plenty of threads with discussions on the matter. Basically, it can vary from ("normal" - ie vaguely like Europe) to "the boss shouts at people, everyone is constantly stressed, hours are 9am - 11pm". I hope you are in, or closer to, the former category. But some of the horror stories I have heard are pretty horrific.

    Luckily, you can set the tone you wish to adopt from the start. So while you will want to see what the local office culture is, I would decide your line in the sand early on and stick to it. If you are senior, you'll have more flexibility to do that.
    Thank you for that, but what would normally be seen as " acceptable? ". Half Hour, One, two? . But I agree, I must try to have a boundary in terms of time.

  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by neosphere:
    just don't think i could just pretend to look busy in order to stay late
    That's very easy and that is why Geoexpat exists.

  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by neosphere:
    Thank you for that, but what would normally be seen as " acceptable? ". Half Hour, One, two? . But I agree, I must try to have a boundary in terms of time.
    You're going to be the weird white guy. You can set your own boundaries. They may have no idea what to expect!

    I just say this because there were a couple of threads recently where people were saying how awful it was that they had to stay so late and I asked "why don't you just leave?". Seriously - this culture is just DAFT. My personal "boundaries" are "stay when there is work to do and leave when there is not". Not complicated.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Things to note so you fit in:

    - Make sure you have lots of hello kitty crap
    - Change your name to something exotic like Pinky, Candy, Ego, Sky, Snow, Winter, Autumn
    - Take a pillow with you so you can sleep at your desk during lunch time
    - Always, always have the latest mobile phone with you. Make sure you change your phone AT LEAST four times in one year
    - Get yourself 12 mobile phone covers, you will need to change the cover once a month
    - You need some dangling thingy on your phone as well
    - Get to work late, cause you will have to stay late
    - Buy your juniors bubble tea once a month
    - Learn how to play Mah-jong

    Last edited by pin; 15-03-2012 at 02:52 PM.

  7. #17

    Join Date
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    Good post pin....

    I hear that many people are late to work in HK. But at my previous place, they would be mad if you were late more than 30 minutes. Also, they never said anything if you left right at 6pm but I definitely felt weird when I did. But after you do it for awhile, then you get used to it. So I mean I would seriously just leave right at 6:00pm. I think the admin is happy because they feel an urge to leave too.

    Try to go out to lunch with your coworkers. It is fun! Hopefully your co-workers are talkative. Many do have pillows! So true!

    From my experience, the people who have been there longer have more work and usually stay later compared to the juniors. But depends on your company.

    Also, some employees pretend to be busy but it's so obvious and stupid, in my opinion, when you pretend to read the same book everyday or blah. But whatever.

    And under an asian employer, the employee is now a professional is every field possible. They will ask you IT questions, to read Chinese documents (even if you don't speak Chinese). I mean nothing surprises me, and you are just baffled everyday.

    OT is common, but only because no one does anything in the morning and you always get an assignment/task/email at 5:55pm that takes 40 minutes to 3 hours to finish. Turn your computer off at 5:45pm and you can leave at 5:57pm allowing you 3 minutes to get to the door and say bye to your "friends/coworkers".


  8. #18

    Well out of all that at least I can Play Mah-jong....the rest I'm gona have to take a rain check. Thank you, for your idea's....much appeciated.


  9. #19

    Don't 'adapt' if it goes against your values. Do your work and do it well, be courteous with the local staff but don't be a pushover and remember many of the customs and hierarchies local workers i.e. slaves adhere to, don't apply to you. In short, leave at 6pm unless you're on a deadline.

    dear giant likes this.

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    wow, glad I don't work where some of you have worked. At the moment I work in very HK company (only white face on my floor of company, out of roughly 400. Upstairs has similar numbers and one white face) but start at 8.30 every day and leave 5.30 on the dot. If that ever changed I would find another job - work to live, etc.

    Like moving said - create your own boundaries early on and let everyone get used to you, not the other way around.

    apart from that, be respectful, don't make people lose face and don't try to be the know-all foriegner. Then you should be okay.