I have
made it through my first week of work without much excitement or trauma. This
is not to say that my workplace is boring – there are so many things to take in
(where is the exit door??), so many
procedures to learn (how do you request
for an extra pen around here??), so many people to know (all 160++ of them!). I will go as far
as to say that it has been a week of sensory overload for me as I try to muddle
my way through. There are certain things that stick out vividly in my mind
though, and I shall share these impressions in this blog.
First
Impressions
I was ushered
into my new office premises by an induction officer. The sight that greeted me
when I walked through the door was this humungous work area about the size of a
football field with partitioned work stations. I was suitably awed, considering
that I could fit four of my previous office space in this place and still have
room to roller-blade (after someone teaches me how to do so of course). It is
not till a few days later that I realize the draw-backs of this huge space…
Something that
stands out vividly in my mind for some reason was my work pedestal. Yes, that
little movable side-table most people get at their work stations. In my
previous office, stationery came from a chest of drawers where anyone can help
themselves to the stationery inside. If what you need is not inside the
drawers, you have to nicely ask our receptionist to help you buy or pay out of
your own pockets and get reimbursed later. The pedestal would already be at your
work space when you first come in for work.
Here in my new
office, you literally get your pedestal rolled/pushed to your work station on
the first day of work by unseen elves (it could be from the Human Resource /
Corporate Services department too, but I was away from my desk when the
pedestal appeared =P). After getting the keys (from yet another department –
the number of departments and subdivisions here are mind boggling!) for
unlocking, I was pretty amazed to find a fully stocked pedestal replete with pens,
wooden pencils (no pencil sharpeners were provided though. Yeech!), calculator,
stapler right down to company logo embossed stick-it notes and paper-clips. I
was again suitably impressed.
Oh! Still waxing
lyrical about impressed impressions: before I reported to work formally on the
first day, I was given a briefing by my induction officer. But this was not
before the officer presented me with an induction kit consisting of a
‘leather’-bound organiser, stylo milo
writing pad, paper weight (for an air-conditioned work environment, ironically)
and a coffee-mug, all emblazoned with the company logo. The fact that the
paperweight read ‘Service Blah-blah-blah Day 2011’ and the organizer calendar
stopped circa 2011 was completely
irrelevant; I was still (everybody let’s
say it together now!) suitably impressed.
For folks
wondering which mountain this tortoise just came down from (FYI – there are
only 2 notable hills in Singapore: Bukit Timah Hill where adult monkeys raise
their babies, and Mount Faber where Singaporeans try to make babies. I don’t
originate from either of these hills!), I can only say in my defense that I
have always worked in SMEs (that’s Small and Medium Enterprises to you peasants
out there) since graduation.
Part of the reason why I switched jobs was wanting
to see more of the bigger outside world, instead of being stuck mid-mountain
and getting polite, blank looks when people ask me where I was working. And a
very big leap of careers it was! I keep telling people in the know that I was previously
only a Charles & Keith bag – in demand with the masses, presentable but
nothing extraordinary about it. With this new job title under my very skinny
career belt, I have been elevated to the status of a Louis Vuitton bag – not
easily available (rich, materialistic Singaporeans are beside the point!),
comes with an impressive (?) reputation and very desirable by the market. The
fact that I am doing something which will be completely irrelevant to companies
outside is not of any significance here. =P
List of
Complaints
The new job is
not all a bed of roses and fluffy bunny tails: I have many grouses too.
1. Commuting
My legs are tired from the walking up and down of escalators from my
home to NEL to the green line to my office. Repeat said steps backwards at 6pm
again. Besides living in fear that the train will break down at any time, I
have to jostle with the usual peak-hour crowd. After getting into the office,
it’s an additional bazillion steps to go to the washroom, go to the pantry (see
estimation of office area in ‘First Impressions’ above) and to buy lunch. On
the bright side, I will have perfectly toned legs. On the down side, I feel
completely detached from said legs at the end of each day. For the
May-flowerians reading this, I am hereby shamelessly soliciting for a few
bottles of glucosamine for Christmas; my knees and feet are killing me!!!
2. Unearthly Hours
Since starting this new job, I have been severely sleep-deprived.
Previously my alarm clock could go off at around 7am and I could laze in bed
for a while before getting up. Now I am out of the house before 7am to get to
work in time at 8am. The government has recently implemented a MRT scheme where
commuters get free/subsidised rides if they get out of specific train stations
before a certain time. Thankfully, this is an added incentive for me to get to
work early but damm the lack of sleep is killing me! Where a caffeine kick when
you need one?
3. Fashion Sense
Let’s face it: I am working in the heart of the CBD area where
Singapore high flyers and crème de la crème are more likely than not to be
working in the same area as me. Power suits, sharply tailored attire and
stiletto heels are a dime a dozen here. Having come here from the fringes of
town area where office attire ethics are more relaxed, I suddenly feel very
under-dressed. If you want to know what the latest fashion trend is, this area
is the place to go. Same goes for perverts who just want to ogle office ladies
in their body hugging work attire and 4-inch heels but that’s beside the point.
I foresee a gradual overhaul of my previous working attire and goodness knows
the extent of the damage to my impoverished wallet. =(
All in all, it has been an interesting experience working in my
current company (strictly speaking, it is not even a company. Anyway….) I am
looking forward to learning more about it and in the meantime, I will enjoy
going around telling people that I am now offi cially an Analyst. Sounds very
big-shot for someone who knows close to nothing about computer systems eh?
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