An aspect of PR that has been drilled into our heads by various lecturers and tutors over the course of our degree is that communication is key. And boy, are they right!! Travelling overseas where the culture differs significantly from Western culture and there are more than THREE (Malay, Chinese and English + the rest) main languages spoken, one thing is for certain – communication most definitely is key! Ranging from language barriers, difference in importance of punctuality and expectations in the workplace, I have sure found myself in some fascinating situations over the last four weeks. I have even found myself sat at a table at a client function as the only person not able to speak Chinese/Malay … just plain old English – fortunately my team were kind enough to translate parts of the conversation to me.
An interesting scenario I was not expecting within the GO Communications office is the use of WhatsApp Web. Yes of course people speak to each other face-to-face in the GO Comms. office but the use of WhatsApp Web is just as common as those face-to-face conversations! Gone are the days of approaching your supervisors desk, just type the message over on WhatsApp Web without lifting a foot! After four weeks of use, dare I say I am converted and looooooove WhatsApp Web, we definitely need to use it more in Australia.
Another surprising factor of the GO Comms. office are the hours in which my colleagues stay in the office! The standard work hours at the GO Comms. office are 9am – 6pm. So, naturally I imagined leaving the office, the standard mass exodus that typically happens in workplaces across Australia right? WRONG. When the clock strikes 6pm and I have used all my energy towards prioritising and time-management to complete my tasks (to a great standard) for the day between said time frame, my colleagues leave maybe 1 – 2 hours after the fact. After finally mustering up the courage after approximately two weeks, I asked my colleagues, why is it that they leave the office soooo late? The answer? 1. They believe they will get their work done, when it is done 2. They want to miss the horrendous KL traffic 3. They love their workplace and colleagues!
Speaking of traffic, it definitely poses itself as a time-barrier here in KL. In Australia, where punctuality is expected and considered to be ‘simple manners’, here in KL traffic really gets in the way of that! When asking someone what time they would like to meet, they reply “I will get there at 8+”, “+” accounting for the extra time they are expecting traffic to impose. At client events, with invitations to KOL’s and Media listing an event start time, is it not unusual for them to be still arriving at least an hour after the listed event start time! It has been very eye-opening, since we are always told in Aus. “if you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late!”.
Time altogether here is a complete different concept it would seem. Living in the ‘big smoke’ for four weeks has definitely given me further perspective on the ‘sleepiness’ and ultra-relaxed vibe of Perth. At home, typically you wake up early, go to work and come home to relax, then go to bed between 9pm – 12am (maybe I’m being generalist here but you get the point) – here you wake up late, go to work, then go to sleep between 12am – 4am, then repeat. Here, it is super normal to be playing sport, getting dinner or just hanging out with your work colleagues until at least 11pm – way past my bedtime haha! So, if you’re planning to live and work overseas, particularly in a large city – sleep now, appreciate those uncongested Perth roads and if you can, it doesn’t hurt to try and learn some of the local language!
Terah Makasi 🙏🏼