Work

Since I’ve finished my first week of work, and some people (starting with Debbie) have asked about it, I think I’ll elaborate on my experiences thus far.

Situation

I’m currently working in the Corporate Communications department (or CoCo) for a multinational industrial firm. The Firm set up its operations in China a few years ago, but only recently (within the last two years) established its Asia Pacific corporate headquarters in Anting, Shanghai, or the “Automobile City.” Due to attrition, I’m actually the only person in my department at the moment. So you could say I am the department. This means I’m being exposed to high level, strategic issues, but it’s also a double edged sword as I alone am held fully accountable for any communications issues. Right now I’m working closely with the regional HR team to design new communication strategies for organizational development and recruitment. I think the company is in the final stages of hiring my new manager, so my role will probably change once she/he comes onboard.

Our offices are very modern, furnished very nicely and the building is just two years old. However, I no longer have a private office like I did at my old firm, which I don’t mind because I’d rather work more closely with a team than be cooped up in an office (at this point in my career). For anyone who watches “The Office,” the desk setup is quite reminiscent of the Scranton Branch, although I have yet to meet my office’s Dwight. Security is very tight, as our industry is highly competitive and our R&D capabilities are our primary competitive advantage.

I work with a very international team, including: an Austrian, a Brit, another Canadian, a Frenchie, a German and two local Chinese employees. I think I’m the youngest one there, especially since the German military requirement means that most Germans are around 24-26 by the time they finish their undergrad. From what I’ve seen, I would say that the ratio of Locals/Germans/Other International is about 40/40/20. It’s quite cool because every day in the office I’m listening to three languages being used. A few of the Chinese executive assistants here speak German, which caught me off guard initially. Maybe they’re GBCs? There are around 400 people in the headquarters building. At the company’s nearest plants about 45 minutes away in an adjacent district, there are 4000 employees.

Corporate Culture

The company is expanding very rapidly in Asia, and has made quite a few major acquisitions in recent years. It still feels like the firm is trying to get a firm grasp of its new, unified identity. However, the firm stays true to its German roots; the way it chooses to structure the organization and the way it does things remains very conservative, regimented and disciplined. The orders come from the top, in Germany and so we often liaise with them, as they have the final say on many of our initiatives. There are pros and cons to that.

A Typical Day

I wake up between 0630 and 0700, check my mail, do some reading, eat breakfast and then I’m out the door. For now, I also get a European breakfast every day, compliments of the F1 Holiday Hotel. It consists of scrambled eggs with corn, almond toast, two pieces of ham and a small cup of watermelon. It’s quite good. And Phil, the drink for dinner wasn’t whisky, but rather “hong cha” (“red tea”).

The shuttle bus then arrives at 0845 to pick us up (us being the German contingent and me) to head to the office, which is a seven minute drive away. The bus is nice because I’ve been able to meet some German friends that work in other departments, just by the virtue of us being in the same area. The bus is never late, so that means I can't be late to the stop either. Otherwise, I'll have to call for a taxi, as they rarely venture into Anting New Town of their own volition.

The headquarters building is in an interesting place, as it’s basically this big building in the middle of acres of unused farmland. Guards greet us at the door and we have to show our security cards to pass. It’s actually quite reminiscent of “The Simpsons” and Homer’s nuclear plant. Buses from all over Shanghai arrive at the same time, so there’s a massive influx of people at 0855. Lets just say the Germans are really organized.

My office is at the third and top floor of the building. I check my email and if there’s anything from the Vice President, that is priority one. The VP I work for seems very nice (and Austrian). All of my coworkers are pretty nice too, though some are friendlier than others. My workstation is right by the door and people enter and exit freely, so there’s a bit more human traffic than I previously experienced at my old job.

The company serves lunch in the canteen between 12-1 everyday. Apparently it'll be forever the same five Chinese dishes that are served. So far my favourite has been the jiao zi, or dumpling. I don't mind it at all but I think some of my Western coworkers find it to be a bit too repetitive or foreign to them. However, if it means that I don't have to eat pickled pig's feet with a generous side of sauerkraut, I'm thrilled to remain with the present status quo.

Work ends at 1730 everyday. However, if people need to work overtime there are also shuttle buses that transport workers at 1910 and 2010. After that, people will probably have to call a taxi if they want to go home. Once again, the end of the day is a collective affair; the building resembles a milk jug in the process of pouring out its contents.

Why Male Models?

I got to work on some pretty interesting things since arriving, and two in particular included negotiating with a design company in Downtown Shanghai and helping coordinate a photo shoot, in which we brought in a professional photographer to shoot some photos that would deliver a more “regional, relevant and diverse" feel to our print media. We managed to assemble quite an international group, but in the end, I had to be a “model” and be in a few of the shots, as people had to attend meetings and the process took longer than expected (it always does). One nice thing here (depending on how you look at it) is that people aren't as hung up on political correctness; the teammate I worked with for this project actually requested for only "handsome" people to participate in the photo shoot (which doesn't explain why I was there). In Canada people would definitely have thrown a fit (well the people who weren't asked).

The local photographer tried to pop my collar for some of the shots. Although I respect his skills, his concept of business fashion was very foreign to me.

So…

The goal for now is just to establish my credibility. One of the company’s goals is “zero defects,” so being careful about my work is key. I'll have to "concentrate." I’m being exposed to German culture as much as Chinese culture right now. A challenge I'm encountering is that a German accent is slowly invading my speech. Who knows what my English will sound like in ten months? However, all in all, I would say so far, so good. Tchuss!

And Happy Birthday Hilda (on the 12th)!