Hi all…I am a Singaporean male, facing the current problem of having too many foreign workers at the work place.
Let me tell you my story at the work place.
I have no issue competing technically with anyone on a fair basis - foreign or local but let me tell you what exactly is happening in my office…out of 15 engineers, 12 are Filipinos, some with absolutely no experience in a similar tech environment. They were probably hired because they were willing to work shifts.
As the teams became dominated by Filipinos, tagalog was used as the working language in the company! How absurb can it be?
Even calls made to other tech teams are in tagalog – I can’t follow what is being discussed and became disadvantaged when it comes to solving major work issues within the team.
Out of three Singaporeans that I have seen working in the company, one has left, one was fired and1 amthe only last one standing. I wonder how long I can last also…
It became so bad in the work place that these people form a team within the main team and discuss issues and pass info that I never hear about.
Thus, they are seen as being more competent more – much to my annoyance.
I am sad to say that I have received the lowest increment in my team for this year. Is this fair?
The management also felt that I am not being “proactive” in mingling with them and getting work done.
To make things worse, the management prefers to keep “EPs” because they can be controlled, understandably so as locals can leave any time thus disrupting the operation. Rehiring and all the re-training to be conducted for the new staff are also costly matters.
EP holders tend to stick on longer as their work permits are tied to their jobs – even though they hated the work environment.
Things get so bad that even OTs are given and taken within the Filipino work team.
They have no respect for our multi racial society or decency towards a fellow local worker. It is work discrimination of the highest order right in our own turf!
This country is built with the blood of our forefathers and our NS teenagers who put their life on the line so the rest can enjoy a first world multi racial multi religious multi food multi everything paradise all in the midst of a shit hole called South East Asia.
In the words of Lee Kuan Yew – ”just look around” – it is this culture of dis-unity and divisiveness some foreigners have brought here that will destroy their own countries.
Make no mistake, I am pro-talent and have deep appreciation for the hospitality and friendliness of the Filipino people.
I mean no harm to them and my prayers go out to the poor living in their country, but the above is just what I have experienced during the past one year working with them and it is not pleasant.
Regds,
Terence
Editor’s Note:-
This article has been editted and was a comment found under the article “Singaporeans – not cut out for foreigner-dominated F & B industry?” If you face similar marginalisation issue in your work place, please email me at gilbert@transitioning.org. We want to hear from you and any articles posted will remain anonymous…
I work in an Indian-dominated field and despite the fact that they speak Tamil, I don’t see it as a barrier. In fact I find other ways and means to get information that I need. Most importantly I stay out of politics. Where work is concerned, I force myself to put up a smiling face, even I don’t like the person. At the end of the day, if you think about it, it is just work!
Please Liase with Tan Chuan Jin of MOM and Lim Swee Say of NTUC to bring the company to task. Prove to these two chaps that discrimination and overly reliance on one nationality is not a peception but real in a workplace. All these must be stopped and chased out of this society.
Ya Mortal the article was forwarded to Minister Tan for his comment and response.
Singapore needs to step up or else we will be sidelined in our own turf.
Gilbert Goh
I agreed 101 % with the writer above. I had friend and relatives facing this problem working with pinoy staffs.
Could someone ask “Terence”, the guy in question, if the boss of his company Filipino? Filipinos, Chinese and Indians prefer to hire their own countrymen.
Hi Gilbert
I am the original writer of this article,for anonymity am using a different name,I wish to make the following clarification:The phrase “just look around” has been edited by you,taken quite out of context,as though it is was made at foreigners and their culture, but this is not the spirit in which I wrote it.It was supposed to mean, “look around South east asia and realize what a lovely county we have in its midst”.And I mean no insult to anyone’s culture, what I meant by “this kind of culture” was the “culture of divisiveness” that I was facing in my workplace,not anyone’s native culture in particular.The word “lousy” was added by you.God Bless all people.If any foreigner is hurt by those doctored comments, please accept my apologies.It was never meant to be hurtful.
Hi joe_777
Thanks for your comment and we apologised for the editted version of this article and posted it up without verifying with you first as you were uncontactable for a long while.
We have taken out the word “lousy” but the rest of the article would remain as it is.
Hope that this is ok with you.
Take care.
Gilbert Goh
Thanks for editing it per above,just a few more as this is an article now,not just a comment:
Kindly amend the following:
“multi food multi everything paradise all in the midst of a third world enviroment called South East Asia.In the words of Lee Kuan Yew – ”just look around”.FULL STOP.
.NEW PARAGRAPH.
Kindly remove this entire sentence,it is very offensive and false:
“Foreigners have brought in to our country their culture and soon they will destroy our own country.”
Kindly add this:
It is this culture of dis-unity and divisiveness that some people bring here that destroys their own countries.
Also amend below as it is sounds prejudiced:
“MY COLLEGUES(instead of They) have shown no respect for our multi racial society or decency towards a fellow local worker”
Hi joe_888
I am afraid that we cant do that as firstly you didn’t reply to our mail for verification of your identity twice over a period of about ten days.
Secondly, we hold the right to editting as your real name is not even being used in the first place.
If you agreed to use your real name, I will amend the article accordingly.
By the way, I cant see how amending the article as indicated by you has helped in trying to reflect a more cordial approach to your foreign colleagues.
let us not be afraid but brave in telling the truth as it is.
The work place is now in a mess as foreign and local workers strive to better themselves in the economy. Discrimination and work strife will bound to happen as people from various nationalities and cultures come together to work.
Please also email me directly at gilbert@transitioning.org in future regarding this matter.
Hope this is ok with you. Cheers!
Take care.
Gilbert Goh
I have the same experience in my company, it has been proven that actually filipino is the most difficult race to assimilate with local culture, govt should not give too many work pass and PR to pinoy.
To the admin or the writer of the original article, do you mind name the company involved? Otherwise it is very hard to believe there are such cases. I don’t dispute that there might be such cases around, but I think we need to understand the boss’s point of view as well.
Also kindly post Minister Tan Chuan Jin’s reply as well if you have it.
The editing of the article shows your biasedness and it doesn’t reflect a balanced description of what the original writer encountered.
I have a couple of questions for the original writer:
1) Are you willing to work shifts if you are asked to do so?
2) Did you talk to your boss about this?
If it is convenient for you to share about the following:
3) What are the reasons given for the firing of one of your local colleagues?
4) And why did the other colleague leave the company?
5) You could always tell your Filipino colleagues politely: Sorry I can’t speak or understand Tagalog. Could you speak in English please so I know what is going? In my opinion sometimes we could make the first move instead of waiting for others to come to you. And one last thing, learn to cover yourself and stay away from office politics.
I worked for Toshiba Data Dynamic which is a local distributor for Toshiba products many years ago. I am boycotted toshiba product.
The husband and wife (Malaysian and Filippino) supervisors are always discredit me. Eventually most of the workplace are made up of Malaysians and Filippino.
Eventually I left for greener pasture. It is sad to known the IT manager who is a local is supporting them.
Hi I am “terrence”..due to business sensitivities I can only say that I work at a Network help desk for a top European investment Bank,
1) Are you willing to work shifts if you are asked to do so?
Ans: Yes,infact I have been on shift pattern for more than a year and have done more shift coverage ad hock duties than most others. My OT is 3 days per month average.Sun,sat,night,xmas whatever,I am there, 12 hours
2) Did you talk to your boss about this?
I have spoken more than 5 times to the manager , once to the Vice president and many times openly asking my philip friends to “talk in English,don’t mind”.
3) What are the reasons given for the firing of one of your local colleagues? political,unliked by them,no other details, sorry
4) And why did the other colleague leave the company?
He was so angry because the phipp colleagues at his level banded together and shared key info about work only among themselves and were constantly critizing this guy infront of the manager who loves pinoys as they are bonded for 1 year due to EP , manager himself is Indonesian chinese,converted to Sing Citizen.The guy who left is damn good,very friendly, from Sing Goverment job, Chinese speakng Malaysian felt it was too much and left.
5) You could always tell your Filipino colleagues politely: Sorry I can’t speak or understand Tagalog. Could you speak in English please so I know what is going?
3 times politely to small teams,
5 times politely to management,once politely to VP, 2 times politely to the whole team,plus the testimony of that guy who left in anger, what more you want me to do? carry a flag??or Sing national anthem.
You seem to imply that Iam some villager from Ulu Goreng and can’t talk for myself, Iam a Poly debater with certificate,Poly Student tutor award winner, UK bachelor degree in Computer science, 3 years MNC experience,I speak english,chinese, german, french I was hired over the phone , no face interview.
I am no dull fool with no skill ,no competence or what, I have whatever it takes for this job and more but they don’t compete on a fair basis, its like a swarm of locusts, they change the culture of the team by forming a racial subteam to discuss, they don’t teach or guide or help non-pinoys,they form a pinoy discussion… sory PARE…why? This is war and you are their enemy.They are here to conquer.Very very polite very very subtle but very very lethal.
I am not going to hide my identity:I was scared,but not now.
email me: riverbed101.network@gmail.com
Disclaimer: statements made above are not against any community or nation, these are purely my own experience with a limited set of people who happened to be from a particular place. Again,as always, I wish no pinoy any hurt or offence.I am against their actions, not them.My sincere apologies if my words were hurtful.God Bless you all.
I understand your sentiments. I’m Filipino and I do notice the tendency of colleagues to speak to me in tagalog. I am very conscious though to speak in English whenever non-Tagalog speakers are around because I find this tendency quite rude. I hope you will not generalize all
Filipinos. I’m happy to be working here and do as much as I can to learn about the culture and interact with locals given the chance.
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Real weird, I have this feeling of deja vu creeping in. This is with regards to the article above and the same sentiments /feelings of the minorities (Malays/Indians) in Singapore not too long ago. Colleagues spoke to each other in Mandarin, everything in Mandarin, even meetings in Mandarin without any regards to fellow Singaporeans of the minority races. Chinese Singaporeans ganged up with Chinese Malaysians against Malays/Indians.
Now, it is karma time I think. Don’t do to others what you don’t want others do to you. Now you know the feeling.
Same situation with me. I am in the construction industry and I have to leave my job due to the same problem … Sad but nothing is being done. The knowledge of those I worked with are not up to requirement but they stay on, years after years cos they work as a team and shared infos among themselves.
Hi all,
I’m a Malaysian and have been working in Singpore almost 5 years and had just gotten my PR recently.
I truely agreed with Terence on the feedback that he experience rudeness & ignorance when working with filipino Colleagues. Despite, I’m from a MNC company and I would expect that working in Singapore the main language should be English not others.
When my first job with SCB bank call center, the company are 90% occupied with filipino. What Terence told was right they speak tagalo during meeting and ignore the rest of the races despite local, Malaysian and China people.
Before I came to work in Singapore, to be honest, I was mentally prepared I will be bully by Singaporean (in a way of politic and being tease). But it was out of my expectation that is was filipino the one who did that and I have even seen myself that Singaporean are the one being bulled reason because they are the minority in the co. Sorry to say that I pity singaporean as this is their hometown and their own land yet they are being ignored by others foreigner and properly even without a place to stand.
I have been working with Filipono enviroment like nearly 4 years and I have to said that they do not have the basic respect to the people they work with, not only ingore those people surronding them by speaking their own languege but also being very rude by talking hint and tease the people with their own Languages. I can feel it from their face expression and doubt checvk with my filipino Colleague who is willing tell the truth.
Well, I can’t deny that they are also friendly and warm peoples in a way and work flexible. They try to postrait themself like US style but sorry to say that their English with tagalo essence is too… But, I think they need to be coach or Counseling that they have strong attitude problem. This need to be done in order to improve the working enviroment and to make sure all sepeak good English.
I had tried raised this issue to my Singaporean boss, yet she ignores as she played politic with these people and these peoples will cater her needs by being a Spy for her. I feel dissapointed that I thought I’m working in Singapore not philipine and I do not know why the enviroment are being controlled not local but Filipino. I Should have follow Singapore standard but the standard being set by filipino.
Its okay to competece with diferrent races and talent but the bottom line has to be with basic respect and courtesy and fair enviroment as a bais of the foundation.
Hope your poepole can do something to make the work enviroment better despite with difference races.
Again something to add on as it just came across my mind:
When my first 8 years working in Malaysia (despite with difference races also) no one in my company be it My male boss or male collague who would dare to say about issue or chat around boob & butt as a topic be it in formal or informal enviroment, as it will be regard as a sexuall harassment as far as I known. It was Never & ever happended in my hometown.
I was shocked when I was first work in SCB call center, My filipino Team Leader was constantly taking about sex, boob & butt topic as a joke and they even use their finger to touched my waist while am conceentraing doing my work and yet their do it in a very sex demanding face of it. Well, they take it as a joke only. Which I find it rude and not acceptable at all. I had to tolerate during that time as it was my firts job in SG. Despite my first feeling was why they do like that- isnt it a sexuall Harassment?? and I felt they very disrespct to me as women. I’ve try to stopping them and upfront telling them I do not like the way they simply thouch my body or talk about my boob and butt. But I been told by the guy: you no need to be that serious and just have fun I was like am I wrong in stopping them to behave like that, I lost??. but because of newly to Singapore yet I’m the foreigner I choose to be Quiet as I do not want to loss my job or having any bad records here. I kept it to myself and only complaint to my frined outside. I left the company after one yaer and I met my ex Colleague, a msian lady in my new comapny. I’ve told her what I have been experiended and she told me that I should have bring this up to HR,I told her useless because my TL is filipino. Same thing happend again in my exsisting company which also quite domiated with filipino at least my team. One of the pinoy guy who claimed proundly that he is gay always talk about my boobs. I had learned from my past company and try take it as a joke with these pinoy. Whenver they said: I like your boob! then I reply: Oh you like it? yeah I put a lot of spam inside and you hit (in FB)like later ya. Despite I have never wear half cup or even show a bit of it, be it in here or ex company, the moment I find myself so fuuny to accomdate with thse piony in order to have better time in the company. My feeling is like th WORLD change already. This is not sexually Harassment being with pinoy this is just a common topic for them and a way of kidding. I have to tolered this and to be exact It was not pleasant to work with Filipino.
I personally think that they are here to change some good enviroment in Singapore which has been promoting quite well before.
Meanwhile, I cant deny that as a promoter in most of the shopping mall they are doing better than local who do not have warm service attidue or msian who doesnt speak basic English.
I leave it to Singapore goverment to do something but hope issue will sort out and life will gets better but not just earning meoney here…
Thank you for your time