Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho

Ah work. Work, work, work. It’s all I seem to be doing at the moment thus sucking up all of my blog ideas. What do I write about when all I am doing is working? Well, naturally… work. It’s what people do best in Hong Kong (that, and shop).

Needless to say, Hong Kongers work long hours, but their work day is a little different than the one I remember back home. A normal work day is from 9 to 5:45 p.m., but they get an hour and 15 minutes for lunch. An hour and 15 minutes!!! So in contrast, I usually gulp my lunch down in between conference calls and typing, but everybody, literally everybody clears out of the office at lunch and the cleaning staff come in. It’s a little odd for me because I still haven’t gotten out of the habit of eating lunch at my desk, so conference calls are a little tough when someone is vacuuming underneath you. In terms of the work day, no one is out of here before 7 p.m. Usually I head out of the office at 8 p.m or later usually to go home and take a conference call with North America at 9 p.m. The joys of a 13 hour time difference.

Other things to note – we have a tea lady. She brings tea and water around to everyone in the morning. I heart her. We also have keyboard cleaners that come by every two weeks or so to clean our keyboards. It’s good for me since I eat at my desk. We have a money tree in our lobby for good luck and prosperity and the office is organized according to Feng Shui. Very important.

On a business side I’ve learned fast that face-to-face meetings are much better than the phone so people travel to get to meetings. Giving “face” is huge to get things done. That means that you never say flat out “no” to an idea because that would remove “face”, you must dance around the idea for a bit carefully, perhaps compliment the idea, and then in a round about way say that it’s not going to happen. It’s tougher here – I need a thicker skin. I’ve cried once in the bathroom, but no one saw me (thank God). The pace is quicker, the stakes seem higher, the resources, much, much lower. Everyone covers their ass and they have no qualms about letting other people take the blame. Perfection is a must. Mistakes are not made. I’ve also learned that there are a few gems in my office who have helped (read saved) me. They have truly been the only way that I’ve survived my first month at work. I basically know what I’m doing now, and if I can get through the busy month of March, I’m quite sure I can get through anything.

Okay. Back to work! My sandwich is finished.