Archive for May, 2008
May 13th, 2008 | 
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I can’t really complain about having a view like this from my desk, certainly makes a difference working in this kind of environment. Makes you realise just how much better it is to work in the UK, there are so many more opportunities for someone in my position that simply don’t exist in China at the moment. 
The working environment is so much better and balanced in favour of the employee, you’re not just a work-machine. People are treated as human beings and employers have rights and obligations they have to observe – which in some part help stop exploitation by business on employees. And so (where I work anyway) generally, people are more inclined to work harder and respect what they are actually doing as a job; paying attention to detail. Something which I noticed (in the private sector more-so) in China was lacking if only because the work-conditions are often so poor, prospects limited or non existent and salary so low.
In my job, sometimes it can be boring, but i seldom feel as if i am wasting my time – I don’t feel as if I should spend my time playing QQ games because nobody would notice or care about what I’m doing. Because I am treated well, I will have no problem working hard. 
I think it is rather sad that Western companies in China do not treat their employees as they do in the west. I know that is part of the attraction of having offices in China (low fixed-costs, hire and fire easily, massive pool of cheap labour) but wouldn’t it make more long-term business sense to treat their employees in a similar fashion to their western colleagues?
I mean, think of all of the intelligent, hard-working Chinese who when have the opportunity to leave China – simply go – a brain drain of the best and brightest because the work conditions are so much better elsewhere.
Afterall, if you have the choice of working for a multinational firm outside of China on a foreign contract, why would you want to work on a Chinese contract inside china doing exactly the same job for the same company?? 
For all the bad things about living in the UK, it is a good place to learn, gain work experience and make connections. As much as I’d like to live elsewhere, at this moment, London is probably the best place to be in order to allow me to move on in a year or two
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