Chatty home vlog 🏠 my thoughts on Singapore work culture + why i quit my job

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Timestamps:
Start of vlog 00:00
Christmas red mart haul 01:40
04:32 massage gun
05:21 self employment chat
08:30 thoughts on Singapore work culture
10:49 end of year burnout
12:41 packing orders
14:24 new makeup
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[@fantabulous6657]

I worked in the UK, US, Japan and now SG…culture really depends on the company/ industry and management. Personally US was most demanding environment. UK wins holiday festivities. London was incredible around Christmas. People were so excited at work too. I never knew Christmas is such a big holiday there until I lived there

[@GeorgiaCaney]

haha yeees nowhere feels as festive as the UK!

[@noorimeldaelle3403]

Hello Georgia it is great to see u doing well. Thank u so much for sharing with us your Christmas snacks. The sound of the birds chirping outside your house is so peaceful. At least u don't feel lonely.

[@shastasilverchairsg]

A lot depends on your boss also. In fact I think there were studies that showed a good maanger/boss is by far the most important factor in determining one's happiness at work, moreso than pay etc.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

agreed!

[@boonavite3200]

I have a colleague who set boundaries not to text work related stuff after 7pm or before 9am. Surprisingly everyone agreed. It takes guts sometimes. And you realise actually people respect that.

[@josephsolomon4684]

Hey Georgia, it all depends on which companies working for as different companies have different work culture... Though I can only say for SG work culture, but I met people when I was in Australia and was told that they focus more on the work-life balance for their workers which explained why it's 38 work hours per week for Australians. What impressed to me when I was in Sydney just about two weeks ago, was their summer Christmas for the land down under and the Christmas mood for Australians are so much lively and heard many are rushing to the shopping during the day just to prepare for Christmas

[@OsamasStory]

4:30 And let’s not forget the weather 🙂

[@LouiseFlynn95]

I always warm up my mince pies and have them with custard. It's sooo cosy with a cup of tea :)

[@frenchbelacan9082]

I don't think the work culture thing is country centric but rather company centric. If the company culture is toxic, it will be toxic across its multiple geographies. Have seen this first hand on many occassions. Also - Cold mincepies!

[@rubikazariah]

Singapore gets quite Christmassy. I think you need to embrace the local Christmas flavour instead of recreating experiences from home. See the sights. Make new memories. You talk a lot about the prints. Maybe I missed it but perhaps you could talk about the camera you used too. Love visiting this channel on and off. Merry Christmas 🎄 in advance. May it become merrier for you soon.

[@OG21020]

Those are sunbirds. They're similar to hummingbirds. The olive-green ones are female olive-backed sunbirds. Their nests are woven onto plants and look like a cup. If you see one, you may be lucky enough to watch nestlings pop up and mature. 😄 Oh, just in case you decide to switch off, no YT, let go, relax for the next two weeks ... Wishing you a Merry Christmas! 🎄☃ Happy Holidays! 😄

[@Jelloc]

When you talked about the minced pies I can't help but think of the Cockney slang where they used "minced pies" for "eyes"

[@yesterdaytodaytomorrow123]

I totally agree with your comment on toxic working envirnment may ruin people's identity - scary thing about toxic working environment is from my experience, people can easily addicted to the environment and end up finding oneself to try harder and harder to be highly evaluated by the company, which in the end prevent people from think/talk on their own. If you think you are trying too hard, just escape from there asap.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

very much so! it's hard to see from an outsider's perspective when you're so deep inside the daily grind!

[@georgeanddaddecker7563]

Did you recently quit the startup company running your team for social media? I just observed your bring us to work video. Enjoyed it and thought it was well done. I really hope you enjoy your holidays and have the chance to decompress. I think you work an amazing amount of overtime.I have a large amount of respect for your work ethic.

[@phuanjieyi8312]

Ohh those are olive backed sunbirds(beginning of video), a very common sunbird that particularly loves low height trees and shrubs. If you see some blues, it might be a male sunbird that have visited your home!

[@dunkierookie970]

Your new home looks really cosy. It feels like you are in the countryside.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

it does doesn't it :)

[@zer0ne72]

The flower is a Hibiscus variant or Bunga Raya in Malay.

[@miguelc1412]

A vlog with Noor please!! We miss you and Noor

[@jamesalford8997]

Omg! Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are the best! You know what else I like? It may sound gross to some but Ambrosia Devon Custard in a can is delish to me. 😂

[@randomdove007]

This is the norm in SG, we have to reply to work emails and bosses' texts even after office hours, weekends or when we are on vacation.

[@jeniffercho5094]

I like that you introduce about snacks 😊 i want to try them 😋😝

[@h3llmag3]

Hello Georgia, as a Singaporean, I agree with the lack of work life balance in Singapore. But still, I work at my own pace without caring about time etc

[@torangclayruz4098]

Singapore culture is totally different to Japan, South Korea, Europe or US. Sometimes it's like a workaholic and they did everything in rush.😁

[@ymhktravel]

I think a lot of times is also about oneself and how much shit u r willing to take before u say NO. In my case, during interviews, I openly ask the frequencies of overtime in this job, stating that it's understandable when occasions call for it, eg. finance in mth-end closing but not be made a habit. If it doesn't meet my expectation of a reasonable work life balance, I choose to not accept it or go on further. As a subordinate and also a superior (supervisor) at the same time, I've made my expectations clear to my boss and I also make my expectations clear to my subordinate when they join my team. I've stated I do not believe in overtime too often as that could mean one is inefficient or spending too much time on non-essential stuff during office hours. Yes compared to other countries like those in the West (except for US which is also just as bad if not worse), Singapore is hell but compared to other east asian countries, Singapore is a lot better. It also depends what kind of company you join, what kind of depts (some due to the nature of work tends to be always busy and volume-based) . the industry, and also what kind of superior you've. So I won't tar all singapore-based companies with the same brush. Also the individual is to be blamed too. There are Singaporeans who don't leave on the dot just because the boss hasnt left, even though he's completed his work! Roll eyes, yes there are such people, I'm not sure whether this is done out of trying to conform or trying yo impress by thinking OT=working hard, which isn't necessarily true, which like I say, could also be a result of one's inefficiencies. But as a rule, I avoid working for Chinese, Japanese or Korean firms, including conglomerates, in short the east asian ones. As for Singapore firms, it's a mixed bag but I sure won't apply to those NOT on a 5-day week, ie. 5.5 days. I reckon a 5-day week is what I'm comfortable in, giving me suffcient rest time and get my weekend chores done. Also I've made it clear to my colleagues and my boss, unless it's very urgent, they can whatsapp me (in case they forget the next day), but I won't reply until the next work-day. For very urgent matters, they can call me before say 8pm, after that, I will not respond. It's about setting boundaries. At the end of the day, it's knowing yourself well enough to decide what kind of life you really want for yourself.

[@ausgaporetan8512]

Omg as someone who is entering the workforce soon, i feel like i might have difficulties setting boundaries but i do really admire your courage to set boundaries . Wish i have the courage to do that in a year or two once i enter the workforce

[@ymhktravel]

@@ausgaporetan8512 If you are fresh from school and just starting work, as a junior with little work experience, you may not have what it takes yet to tell your prospective employers of your boundaries. To your bosses, other than your qualification, you've nothing yet to bring to the table, so to speak. So your first 1 or 2 years in the SAME company, will be to learn as much as you could but that doesn't mean answering to unreasonable demands. If you are not happy about it, bring it up calmly to your boss. People tend to resign instead of talking about it first (unless your boss is a true asshole then I say yah resign). Only when you have more experience, and as you become more confident about your work and understand more about yourself including what you can and can't accept and to what extent, then you set the boundaries you are comfortable working in. If they can't accept what you can work with then, you'd by then have what it takes to bring your experience elsewhere and where the corporate culture is more accepting (now this is a gamble because you never know what the corp culture really is other than what you heard from people you know or came from there).

[@ausgaporetan8512]

@@ymhktravel thanks for sharing. may i know how long have you been in the corporate world?

[@ymhktravel]

@@ausgaporetan8512 About 15 years after graduating from university.

[@cryogenicheart2019]

Go visit the Star Vista at bouna vista. It’s super christmassy there

[@meat_loves_wasabi]

Play some classic Xmas songs to sing along in the shower and spoil yourself with something nice that you really want but was holding back ….it helps with the xmas vibe

[@simondann5887]

I work in Mental Health and I agree with your stance on work/life balance wholeheartedly

[@cjjr85]

"make myself cup of tea" ar.... thats very authentic very British

[@ignatiuschua5268]

Hi Georgia, we would like to send you some pastries to cheer you up for this festive season. How can we do that? We are looking at Burnt Basque Cheesecake and Tiramisu. You would 100% love them.

[@yukisnoww]

i got 3 for 3 offers recently...but we couldnt agree on the OT part, which i wanted for a change to get something more of "leaving on time", so i passed them all

[@kellywalker4494]

I found that some people in Singapore work until 11pm even when there’s no work to do. Either work is life or there’s some insecurities driving them to over work. The late nights are often accompanied by sending emails late into the night as if to broadcast the fact they are still working.

[@heidi-hu1tv]

Work-life balance was not a big thing when we worked there. I taught at a local government public high school for several years as an English teacher and we had to work nights and weekends. It was dreadful. You`re expected to be on call 24/7 by heads/subject heads. It was toxic when you`re ticked off for not responding to Whatsapp messages before bedtime the following morn`. Our experience have been that it is authority-minded education that tends to produce a conformist rather than a creative or critical mind and an unhealthy regard that people are not allowed to have opinions.Those expatriate Japanese working in Singapore think otherwise; particularly if they`re from the countryside of Japan. They get a lot of perks being posted overseas in Singapore or else where for that matter, which they don`t back home such as a condominium with pool, gym, overseas allowances, among other things

[@sywu4161]

Bad mood cos England is out of the world cup... bummer! Your vlog did restore some sanity in an otherwise crazy world cup 😁

[@kushalbaruah9560]

wow very beautiful home .

[@5kplamse]

it's relative. for the Japanese it's paradise here

[@windsorus]

I cant see the details well but looks like sunbird. The flower is the hibiscus.

[@luvcoconut565]

Singaporean has been trained to stay competitive since young. That why we always cannot switch off.

[@toni-kaku]

Ive never warmed up a mince pie. If i was in sg id get some from m&s.

[@lopezclara1782]

Hello Georgia your vlogs are too amazing! I quit my job as a nurse assistant three years ago after almost 13 years in the field. It was not an easy decision, but life is too short to dread going to work everyday. No amount of money can buy real happiness friends I'm not asking you to resign from your job or abandon your business but be wise! I found your channel girl you rock!! 💯

[@lopezclara1782]

@Advik Ganesh I started planning for early retirement while I was still working, making about $3k a week from my investment portfolio while planning to build new side jobs and income.

[@Redmi-xu1yo]

@Advik Ganesh utuber vlogs

[@lopezclara1782]

@advikganesh2417 there are so many Investment alternative available, like real estate, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, and cryptocurrency, but my best advise is to hire an expert to guide you into a profitable one.

[@nataliachristina2194]

This is very informative thanks for sharing this positive information.

[@lopezclara1782]

@Advik Ganesh i can heartily recommend Rachel Blanc's service as she is a fantastic professional who has had a significant impact on my financial journey

[@user-fi5qv1jn3q]

Drink warm beverage especially in the morning and avoid cold drink. Notice you prefer cold drinks. Is not ideal having gut issue to drink cold beverage, once in a while is fine. Not good as well for women and their uterus. I feel much better having a warm drink in the morning and during meals. Can be a pain in the neck cos our weather is so warm here. But for health, I will "bite the bullet" 😂

[@angiemf9033]

I think most choose to stay on in the office. They don’t really work. If one can complete their tasks in the allocated time, there’s no need to stay on in the office.

[@bextc32]

I had the same experience with those mince pies! Pretty tasteless. Try the M&S ones… they are really good!

[@walkietalkietraveller2932]

you cannot go wrong with good old M&S.... mmmmm :)

[@jktl88]

Hence the reason for the great resignation in Singapore that happened this year. I have only worked in Singapore for less than a year but I can understand why the turnover is high particularly in office jobs. There is an unspoken rule that you have to overtime. To some extent if we don’t work on a weekend, it feels weird. So you could imagine the effect on this toxic work culture has on people.

[@davidh4632]

My experience is covid resulted in longer hours with no increase in salary. I actually found that work culture in SG was very relaxed, most take 2 hour lunch away from desk. In London people eat at their desk and the commute is much much longer in UK. You also hardly pay any tax in SG. There's far less competition for jobs in SG vs in the west which is more international, SG job market is effectively closed to foreigners at lower levels.

[@tangt4860]

That's because you are rather top level in management. Have seen many like you drinking coffee and tea at Raffles up to 3 p.m and then head to the bar around 5.

[@davidh4632]

@@tangt4860 this was not my experience at all. Locals would take 2 hour lunch, expats sit at desk and work as what we are used to. We were also forced to employ locals at all but highest level so talent pool is limited.

[@tangt4860]

@@davidh4632 that company hq must be based in India.

[@davidh4632]

@@tangt4860 no HQ is in Singapore actually.

[@qwertyz212]

@@davidh4632 Been here for one month taking a job and this 100% acccurate....the 2 hour lunches are pretty standard and us Expats do like to sit our desk and eat but the locals have been very welcoming so I must admit I'm enjoying the 2 hours out for lunch with my team....however it is company specific....but coming from NYC the ease of commute and lack of taxes more than makeup for SIngapore over taking NYC as the most expensive city in the world...and yes its all locals except at highest tier levels...and this after seraching for months locally

[@choonkeonglim6178]

I believe that is an olive backed sunbird (Male).

[@VRK911]

I am from India lov ur vdos ....🥰

[@karen3705]

I find it incredibly hard for anyone to actually switch off from work, thus leading to work identity = self identity. Which is actually really low quality of life here. Nobody ever speaks of it enough.

[@Jackson-fh7sn]

It's a sunbird nectar feeder

[@supreme87878]

that red flower is hibiscus, it is also the national flower of malaysia. pardon me i might be wrong, hibiscus can made into tea too. perhaps maybe when singapore can be like the west one of the dominant part of the world's economy that we will be able to get work life balances.

[@choonkeonglim6178]

Very hard as people are the only natural resources in Singapore.

[@supreme87878]

@@choonkeonglim6178 exactly. There are things we can look at but cannot be fulfiled. Just like the west keep saying environmental friendly, plastic free, but where does all their plastic wastes go to? Asia.

[@bethaneydunne9682]

Do you Miss UK i wouldnt miss the weather

[@marcuslee7840]

Hi Georgia. Happy Xmas season 🎄 Just wondering if you have plans to restock your Casa De Pangaea T-shirt small?

[@Bideksjoi]

Hi Georgina,I just came across your channel, you have a new friend here,I just turned on ur bell notification I will be coming here more often

[@Bideksjoi]

@Georgiacaney. what number??

[@toni-kaku]

I work in london and at 530pm every day i switch off my laptop and also my email alerts on my phone. I get the impression that wouldnt be acceptable in SG.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

correct...haha

[@skyy223]

A beautiful lady

[@sarahrnl]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year soon, Georgia! Good that your social life is going well and all. Why not try a church Christmas Service this Christmas, maybe with friends. After all, it's Christ's Birthday. It may be fun. Btw, maybe you shouldn't have worn black in your cosmetics promotion section. You look better in the usual lighter colors you wear like green for instance.😅 Also, as someone'd said, take time off and enjoy the festive season. Hope you get to chill. Peace 😁😄

[@bitesizecrime1662]

Hey Georgia, is your EP also linked to the new company you set up? Do you have the EP because of the new company you set up?

[@john562qld]

Good luck with your PR visa

[@janesay6472]

Mince pies definitely taste better when they're warmed😋

[@margaretmclagan1908]

Not to be a Debbie downer if georgia has quit her job big doubt about getting pr.

[@jsurfin1]

@@margaretmclagan1908 Haven't heard the term "Debbie downer" in ages!

[@beboy462]

Love you from Pakistan.

[@william_acca]

I agree with you on regarding the work-life balance issue in Singapore. It's not only rather toxic working in Singapore but the fact is that there are also too many biases and discriminations due to nationality. If you are a Singaporean and closely related to the boss or your immediate boss, you will not have a problem with work-life balance. For example, as you mentioned, you have to come to work early and go home a little bit late or very late, there will not be such a thing, especially for a Singaporean. In my opinion, the working environment in Singapore is much worse than toxic to those Asians who are from Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (Burma) except the people from China. Thanks indeed for sharing your info about the beautifully occupied and decorated home and how you are preparing for Christmas. Wish you a happy Merry Xmas and a great holiday in advance.

[@jennifer-oc6io]

Ik is in a mess n you r lucky to be in singapore. If you make an effort to learn mandarin n speak it fluently, your chances in singapore increases. The future is asia

[@kushalbaruah9560]

🙏👏namaste im from india .

[@WalkingandTalkingAussieGirl]

I believe Australia generally has a good work life balance (exceptions of course) however in health care the nurses and doctors are overrun

[@superconnie5003]

'Business' or 'company'.Big difference.

[@sneo7470]

👍👏💪🇸🇬

[@matthewong1953]

Prefer my minced pies warm

[@stephenprice5882]

Where did you find those comments? Just curious

[@GeorgiaCaney]

I asked my followers on IG!

[@stephenprice5882]

@@GeorgiaCaney different perspectives!

[@Ролтун]

Hello from Russia

[@bethaneydunne9682]

Hi Georgia been a while hope we can be friends

[@unholydanger]

Let me be your friend k.

[@kokoaung8536]

Hi Georgia, I am an IT professional working in Singapore for over 15 years. Demand to work during holiday is norm even I am on leave in oversea. During I am on medical leave both management and customers are demanding me to work. I attended WebEx meeting at clinic waiting to see doctor. There is no such work life balance in Singapore. Period. Take it or leave it. This is it.

[@kokoaung8536]

@@rick8042 This kind of racist remarks are also quite common in Singapore. Ask the same question to your parents and grand parents those who immigrated to singapore. How come they live in Singapore very long?

[@kokoaung8536]

@@rick8042 It is just the fact. No complaints. There is no perfect country in this world. A country like Singapore and Japan will always need foreign workers because local don’t want to get enough children to meet the requirements of replacement. This is the fact. If you are working professional, you definitely know it. My ex-colleague two true blue born Singaporeans. One migrate to Australia and the other migrate to US. They can’t take it that they choose to leave. We can’t take it our own country that we left and work in oversea. That is. Same things applied to your parents and grand parents.

[@heidi-hu1tv]

It`s an authoritarian state known to promote conformism and submission instead of creativity and critical thinkers.

[@leonken7993]

@@heidi-hu1tv are you a sinkie ?

[@leonken7993]

@@heidi-hu1tv do you worship ang moh as well ?

[@qilimercurial5116]

You quit job…?? Can you still find another job? Since you are not local??

[@starjupitor]

There is a blaming culture at work.

[@minimach1]

Work culture here is generally bad due to our kiasu SG culture. Additionally, there's a lack of effective labour unions here too. Employment laws is very skewed towards employers such that they can pretty much do anything apart from directly killing their employees. 😱 Eg. the horrible exploitation of foreign construction workforce here largely fr India and bangladesh.

[@nuggetsss2526]

Agree with u 😊

[@matthewong1953]

Really? Massage gun works?

[@angiemf9033]

Yes. We have one & its 👍

[@superconnie5003]

Singapore is No 1 in attracting talent but No 6 in retaining...think about that..

[@cheenangng4050]

Foreigners who came to Singapore don't quite understand how is it that such opportunities are available to them in the first place. If work life balance is top of the list, the opportunities will blossom in England (in this case) and not here in Singapore. I am not saying such toxicity is good, but it is part of the reason why we have grown so much that people like the vlogger has the opportunity here.

[@impopquiz]

Singaporeans love to complain about everything, especially work. Just take it as a pinch of salt. 😂

[@browniesbear]

play mobile legend, sea east asians are mad with this game. give it a try lol

[@georgeanddaddecker7563]

Growing up in Singapore, I recall that we always had to wait when picking up my father from G.E. house . We would wait in the parking lot for a long times sometimes, hour to 2 hours.It was a 45 minute ride from our house to G.E. from Clements Park,so going home was somewhat pointless. Certainly not the end of the world.Regardless, even G.E. in the Seventies,Eighties,and Ninties,an American founded corporation had a stay late culture.Still,I thank G.E. ,G.M., and numerous other large corporations for giving me the ability to live in Singapore and attend Singapore American School.Singapore is truly the mecca for business growth!

[@ffflyin1697]

I think your dad may have been friends with people we know!!! Haha. 90s GE expat… can’t have been that many folk :)