How does it feel to be in my current modern slavery position

Obviously, the initial feeling is pretty good. I mean… moving into a head office position, it does gives you a glamorous feeling.

When I first arrived in the office, almost all the administrative and logistic matters were already settled… gadgets were cool and they gave me an i-Phone!… linked to my work mail server of course. But still… very cool. So yeah… it was a good feeling…

Next, the composition of colleagues within my team is quite over-whelming. I am the second youngest guy in the team and the only person without international exposure, the rest are all very experience people in this function I am in.

Sometimes, during discussions; the level of conversation is so high level and so corporately intellectual, I am left thoroughly amazed. I would like to believe that I am quite a quick thinker but man… these guys whom I work with are way too fast for me. I am like a small child feeding off the experience and knowledge of others.

And then, there will be days where I do feel quite powerful. With just 1 e-mail, I can (if I want) send chills through some people’s spine. With just 1 e-mail, I can instruct people to do a lot of things involving quite a lot of $$$. The details are beyond sharing boundaries but yeah… such are the days when I feel powerful.

Then there are days where I feel I am being put on the spot. Today – was a classic example. I was thrown with about 15 slides and was then asked to do a presentation… 10 minutes before a meeting. Fair enough, I am fairly familiar with the stuff but shite… 10 minutes preparation!

I think my boss did it on purpose because he has put me on the spot several times. Maybe it’s a training process, I should ask him the next time we have our 1-to-1 talk. Anyway, I have to say enjoy it. It’s actually very satisfying when you pull it off.

Apart from all that…

I have to admit that it can be quite frightening being in this position. I would even go to the extent to say that there were times where I really felt very fearful. I am fully aware that this organisation has very low tolerance for mistake. If I am fucked… I am really fucked…

Yeah… it’s glamorous to feel powerful and all but if I made a wrong call, I know my job is on the line.

Life is like that… I guess…


1 year ago… The unforgettable accident experience Part 3… Are you racist?

3 years ago… Whack it over the weekend

My Singapore working hours

“So what time do you knock-off?”
“How late do you work till?”
“Are the hours crazy?”

I have been bombarded with the above questions or the likes for the last 3 months by my Malaysian friends and ex-colleagues. All are under the impression that people here work non-stop and I will be drowned in it.

Remember the conversation that I had with my boss on why he hired me? In that conversation, he also told me this…

“You want to come in late, you come in late. You want to go for 2 hour lunch, you go for 2 hour lunch. You want to go back early, you can just go. But whatever you do… make sure you don’t fucked up in your work. If you’re fucked, I’m fucked. Staying back late to show me that you work hard doesn’t work here”

I guess that pretty much sums up the trend in my office. The big-boss generally leaves at around 6.45pm because he needs to pick up his kids. Of course, certain days he will have to stay for con-calls or other urgent matters. But it’s not very frequent.

There are a few days where my direct boss will leave between 6 – 6.30pm for his sports activities. Generally, he won’t stay past 7pm.

As for me… So far, there was only 1 day where I stayed on past 9pm because I had to rush something. On average, I will be having dinner at home by 7.30pm.

So to answer all those questions…

I do not stay late because my boss has made it very clear that it’s the quality and not the quantity that matters. I believe that’s the general principle here in Singapore, it’s all about performance. The if-you-go-back-early-means-you-don’t-have-enough-work theory doesn’t apply here, though that theory is very prominent in Malaysia where quantity is often perceived as performance.

As for getting into the office, I get in at around 9 – 9.15am. There were a few days where I have to come in early for calls with people from USA but that is not an everyday thing.

During my recent kidney check-up, I told my boss about my appointment and that I will be coming in late. He (fully aware of my kidney situation) looked at me funny and said…

“You don’t have to tell me these things. It’s a very matured working environment here, and you are not a junior person. If you have to go, you have to go”.

That’s pretty much my Singapore working hours.


3 years ago… A trip of co-incidences… A thought from an overloaded brain

Some discoveries after 3 months in Singapore

Hello world… ! This is arguably the longest break I have taken from blogging. Work being the main reason, with laziness being the combination when time permits.

As for work, many have asked whether I am struggling with my Mandarin. Well, in the team that I work in… there is a Japanese, a Korean, an Indian, an American, an Australian, a Pakistani, a Mexican coming on board soon, 3 Malaysians including myself; and 3 Singaporeans… do you think I will be struggling with my Mandarin?

Anyway –

My working life in Singapore has almost reached 3 months. And indeed, it has been a revolutionary experience for me.

When I was in Malaysia, I was already quite senior in the function that I was in. Back then, I was already able to see issues and happenings in the corporation and the industry that I was in from a nationwide perspective. And since it is a prominent industry, I was also able to see things happening within the government agencies and get to know things that will never appear in the news.

And because I could see all these and was involved in a lot of the major in-country transactions, it did gave me a sense of achievement and as time goes by, the feeling of I-can-conquer-the-world began to creep in.

Metaphorically speaking, I was swimming very well in the Malaysian rivers and possibly, straits of Malacca. These were my territories. I knew I would be thrown into something deeper when I come to Singapore. I thought it would be the South China Sea.

I was wrong, I was thrown right smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It’s like how you once felt strong and mighty after graduation, ready to take on the world only to find out that you knew nothing about the modern slavery world. Multiply that by about 50, and that’s more or less about my current feeling.

From a country function, I now have to look after the business stream that I am assigned to… globally. I realised that what I used to look after in Malaysia was just so tiny.

And when I was in Malaysia, I used to make some noises to head office about the issues that I had and how attention must be paid or else, something might just blow up. Back then, I was often left perplexed as issues escalated by me seemed to have landed on deaf ears.

Don’t they care? If something blows up, it’s going to cost the corporation a lot of money. Why no one seemed to care?… I wondered…

Now I know why…

Again… metaphorically speaking…

If Malaysian operation is on fire, and help is sought from head office, the first thing people in the head office (i.e. where I am now) are supposed to do, it to ask whether countries like China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Middle East whether there’s any fire there. If there’s fire in these jurisdictions, we’ll put it out. If not, we will check whether there’s any potential fire hazard in these countries first, to protect the operations here. If there’s no such hazard, we will put mitigating steps to ensure such fire does not happen.

And all these will take place while Malaysia operation is on fire.

Priority is to protect major operations first before coming to Malaysia’s rescue. China, India, Hong Kong, UK, etc. are where all the big bucks are. And by the time those major operations are well reviewed, Malaysian operation already put out the fire themselves (i.e. what I used to do).

And during meetings or discussions, I have tried to bring Malaysia into the picture, things that need to be looked at. But I have since learned that I should look at the “bigger picture”.

And this is not just in the corporation that I am in. Some friends of mine who are in high positions in their respective multi-national corporations also experienced the same thing. And lately, I can tell you that Indonesia is coming into prominence. There have been instructions that Indonesia is to be “guarded”.

In effect, it does give a broad idea of where Malaysia stood in the eyes of multi-nationals, and I am experiencing it… first hand.

You might say that I keep bashing Malaysia because I am out of the country, etc, etc… Well, you can say anything, but this is reality.



1 year ago… Who rang the doorbell?… I was spotted

2 years ago… 10 vs 1… The game

3 years ago… Keyword splendour… One night on the wrong stand

Why did you hire me?

I asked that straight to my boss’ face the other day, and I think I caught him by surprise. And the first word that came from him was… “personality”…

The nature of my work requires a certain level of technical knowledge, and I don’t think I am a very technically sound person. Well, I am not saying that I am crap, but there are certainly others who are much better than me. I am just slightly above average.

Hence, I never really expected him to say that I am given the job because I am exceptionally good in what I do. Personality certainly made more sense.

He further explained that I have the personality to interact well with people, which is crucial in the role I am in now. 75% of my time is spent talking to people. The ability to articulate my thoughts and the courage to voice them out in front of people, those are the attributes that landed me this job.

Other remarks from him include – I was “pretty natural” when I want to initiate a conversation with someone, and that I am not one who reacts negatively towards criticism.

Well, I sort of know why I was offered this position. Asking him that question was just me trying to test how does my boss sees me.

Succeeding in life is not just about working hard and being good that what you do. Of course, those are certainly important attributes. But I have learned that there is one crucial component to success… the ability to talk.

Are you able to stand in front of 50 people and talk without pissing in your pants? And if you do talk, do the 50 people understand what you are talking about? When you bump into your big big big boss at the pantry, do you quickly get your drink and go away hoping he/she didn’t notice you? Or do you try to strike a conversation with him/her? When you are at a dinner function, and your big big big boss decides to sit next to you, do you freeze in fear? Or are you able to speak as though he/she is a regular colleague (talking sense of course)?

All these things matter. And apparently, “they” have been observing me. The time when I was sent to London… those conferences… those formal dinner functions… those informal gatherings…

Some are of the opinion that “ability to talk” equals “ability to bullshit”. While that is not entirely accurate, there are certainly more successful bullshiters compared to successful non-bullshiters.


1 year ago… Do you know you work for the bank?… Please scold your parents

2 years ago… A change in dominant language… Gym tales – female version

3 years ago… Orgasm comparison… Debit affluence, credit conscience

The price that really kills

We have all heard about how prices have increased over the years. I know this chicken rice shop I frequent which used to charge MYR2.60 a plate when I first started working now charges MYR5.50. That’s a 112% increase.

When I started working, my starting pay was MYR1,800 (USD560) a month and currently, I understand that the starting pay for that same position in that same company is MYR2,600. That is a 44% increase.

We can go into the topic of how increase in income doesn’t match inflation rate because the economy sucks and that is why we are all screwed. But that is not quite the notion today, though close.

Generally, the Malaysian public as a whole has brilliantly (or stupidly depending on how you see it) accepted and adapted the slow increase in salary. Some are fortunate to have parents as ATMs, while some just max out the credit cards and perpetually be in debt. The rest typically carry the if-the-good-is-good-the-price-doesn’t-matter mentality.

Essentially, chicken rice for MYR5.50 or teh-tarik for MYR2.50 or char-kuey-teow for MYR6.50 or nasi-lemak for MYR7.50 is still not that bad though even-though those prices have already inflated 75% - 100% in the last 5 years or so. It is not the end of the world.

However… the story is very different when prices of this particular thing inflate at a frightening rate – the prices of properties.

I bought my first property 6 years ago. It’s not exactly the best in town but with the same amount of money, there is no way I can buy that kind of property in KL anymore.

Paying for a plate of chicken rice which has increased from MYR2.60 to MYR5.50, despite it being a 112% increase, is a totally different story compared to paying for a property which has increased from say, MYR350,000 to MYR500,000; which represents only 43% increase. Mind you, such is the range of property prices in KL.

With the current trend of property companies seemingly putting up projects only for the rich, i.e. everything seems to be MYR600k and above, the general working population in KL will only end up with huge amount of debt when they decide to buy a property.

And everything is connected. A huge mortgage will then put pressure on the working population a.k.a. modern slaves to “work hard”. The need to “work hard” will put us at the mercy of the companies we work in. The situation becomes competitive amongst modern slaves. Willingness to “work hard” to service our commitment will result in us keeping quiet when pay is low or bonus is cut because there will be another modern slave who will be willing to “work harder”.

Ultimately, salary will continue to remain stagnant or rise slowly.

And that… is what ultimate kills us all.

The timing of the take-off

I wouldn’t rate the initial years of my modern slavery life as anything near a success. Yes, it started off well with good review from my seniors and mentor. I was moving up the ladder in line the normal scale. But it did hit a snag.

At that time when I missed promotion, it did felt like shite. I saw my peers moved ahead of me. Those who missed the preceding level have all but left. As such, I decided to make a move as well.

I took a gamble by going to China, a stint that didn’t really pay off. I returned and spent a few months bumming, leveraging on the dough I made from China.

Thereafter, I joined my current employer.

The initial months were quite a struggle as I tried to programme my professional-firm type of thinking to the commercial-type. Fortunately, it has since taken a favourable turn and in the last couple of years, I would consider that my career has really taken off. I moved up the ladder rather rapidly and will soon be moving on to a regional role.

Now that I sit down and look back, I notice one thing…

The timing of the take-off coincides with the passing of my Mom. Although my religious faith would disagree, I think it must have been a blessing by Mom.

Crazy money

I am sure we have all heard about how investment bankers or hedge fund managers or forex traders making huge amount of money. There were also plenty of media coverage on bonuses and payouts at the peak of the so called “financial crisis” about a year ago.

But they are all just hearsay, and what we read of the media. As far as I am concern, I know they money involve is huge, but just don’t know how huge.

My first monthly salary was RM1,800 (USD520 – aren’t we cheap labour?). My first bonus was when my salary was RM2,100. A 2 months bonus brought me RM4,200. After all relevant deductions, it was only RM3,000+. Not exactly a lot but damn… was I happy when I got it then. It was hell lot of money. I am sure some of you know what I mean.

For a few years running, bonuses for me and my peers were all 4 figures. Hence, when we heard about people getting 5 figure bonuses, our jaws will drop.

My current role brings me with close proximity of the “money industry”, and I had a very good catch up session with a friend who is a player within the “money industry”. And I found out…

RM0.5m bonus payment is a norm. There are people who consistently get 7 figure bonuses.

There was a smart soul who managed to get into one of the biggest “money company” in the world and his monthly salary alone is already hitting 6 figures. Yes, 6 figure salary a month!! And… when he joined this super “money company”, he was given a joining “gift”… a 6-figure “gift in USD. Can you imagine what this smart soul will be getting as bonus?

I also personally know of an investment banker whose lifestyle went through no changes at all during the so called financial crisis. The flying around and the spending continued to flow. I wouldn’t be surprise if his bonus is also something within the region of 7 figures. The media said these people were very affected by the financial crisis. I think otherwise.

Don’t be misled. I am not earning what these people are earning. Not even close. But to actually know of people who are getting these mega bucks, it really throws me off my chair.

It’s really… crazy money.

P/S: What is “money industry / money company”? You have to figure that out yourself, I can't be telling you everything, right?


1 year ago… This thing called MTM

2 years ago… Cards laugh

3 years ago… 2nd chance with Mom: Between hard work and success… The week that’s been

That “hectic” project

Slightly more than 6 months ago, I blogged about my involvement in a confidential project which redefined the word “hectic” to me and I promised to blog more about it once the project is over.

The project involved the potential acquisition of financial assets of a major corporation in 3 jurisdictions, i.e. China, India and Malaysia. I was in the project team and was also the tax focal point for all tax matters in relation to the acquisition. Unfortunately though, the project fell through. An agreement on the purchase consideration as well as the valuation of assets in one of the jurisdictions couldn’t be reached.

What a shame, it would have been a massive boost to my CV.

A month ago, news came out saying that another institution has secured those assets in the 3 said jurisdictions. If you have been following the financial world, you will most probably know what I am talking about, and you might just be able to decipher where I work .

Anyway, it has been a good experience being in the project for a good 3 months. During the tenure, I was involved in conference calls and meetings with CEOs / CFOs and other big bosses around the world.

It’s quite an experience hearing them talking to each other. They are not what you expect them to be. Some of them are pretty comical. In some occasions, I don’t know if I should laugh or act serious when they cracked a joke.

This project also highlighted me another commonly missed notion, things disclosed in the media is not 100% accurate. Not even close. There was also a brief spell of information tug-of-war between the media and the parties. Looking back, it was quite comical.

But the best part has to be… ya’ know, it’s a big profile project involving hundreds of millions of US$ but there were times where team member of all countries and HQ come together on a conference all and we can just give out a loud long “sigh” and say… “gee, we have absolutely no idea what the hell are we doing, do we?”

Last but not least… at the end of the day, no matter what the conclusion is… everything is about money, money and money… nothing else matters…

Despite the hard work and hectic hours, it was fun. Wouldn’t mind doing it again… but hopefully, the next project will not fall through.


3 years ago… They clever or I stupid? … Lifestyle of the smart and not so smart

Drain construction commences [Type: Brain]

After so many discussions and debates and publications and all, I was very surprise that many people out there do not know what does the term “brain-drain” means. This includes some people who are currently part of the brain-drain phenomena. Are you one of them?

Anyway…

Quite some time ago, I mentioned about a regional position that was coming up in the organisation that I am working with. After an initial hiccup due to the economic crisis, the position was finally finalised and yes, I have successfully secured the position. This regional position will be based in our neighbour down south.

Though it is still within the same organisation, my boss expressed intention for me to stay and put forward some possible counter-offers. But then again, money is not the only reason why I want to leave.

Besides money, the glamour of being in regional office and holding a regional position, I suppose this opportunity came at a time where there are lot of push factors happening in this country. Burning of churches, being openly branded as second class citizen, being called a “pendatang”, a clear picture of the economic situation due to the capacity of my current position, a clear 2 set of laws applicable to 2 sets of citizens… the list goes on…

Personally, I feel this country is getting out of control. One can lay low and just ignore the ruckus, but it does not stop the ruckus from progressing. When the shit hits the fan, and I mean the real big shit hits the fan… I do not intend to be around just because the food is good.

All these factors, and many more, drive me away. Drive me to ply my talent in another land, drive me to contribute my taxes for the development of another country. I suppose I am doing this country a favour. After all, I am considered a threat to my fellow countrymen due to my race and I clearly remember that I have been asked to “… keluar dari Malaysia”.

Yes, I will be part of the construction team who has been constructing this big brain-drain affecting Malaysia. And with some people saying “Go lah Zewt, we don’t need people like you in Malaysia”… this drain is just going to get bigger and bigger.

Construction of Drain [Type: Brain] has commenced. Target completion date… May 2010.

The reality of GST

In the past weeks, I have been trying to explain GST to a lot of people; ranging from acquaintances to friends to colleagues to business heads. I ended up with a common conclusion… it is very difficult to get these people to understand the technicality of GST.

I suppose I should be glad. If everyone can comprehend the topic easily, people like us will be out of job…

Anyway, I have tried to explain one very important component of GST, i.e. input tax. I even tried to sexitised the topic, but people only got the sex part, not the concept. Let me tell you, it is an element that will impact us all.

Right… let’s not get technical. The thing is, input tax recovery rate will impact costs composition of companies. It means, the profit of companies will be affected. But do you think companies will allow their profit to be impacted?

All the best tax brains in the country have been hired by big companies to ensure that these companies will not incur additional cost due to non-recovery of input tax. They are screaming to the relevant government agencies, that they want full recovery rate. And behind the scene, they are plotting, that if there is no full recovery, any additional cost will be passed on to consumers.

It simply means… prices will increase…

In consultations with the govt authorities, agencies or discussions in industry associations, I have heard how these people refer to companies as “we” / “I”, saying things like… “I don’t want to incur out of pocket costs”… “We will be suffering if we don’t get this through”… and the ultimate…

“If we don’t get it, we will just pass the cost to customers. We have no choice”

Isn’t it amazing (and sad), that humans can be so focus when they have been “paid” and forget that they too, are part of the community. They, their families, their friends… are the “customers” they are referring too. But they can’t see that far, they only see the salary and fees that the companies pay them.


1 year ago… How tasty are your nasi lemaks?… Behind the economic scene

2 years ago… London cooking adventure

Short & Sweet: Ep. 5 - How does work life balance end?

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When the company gives you this…

The message from a discovery

I chanced upon an incredibly familiar blog post today. 2 sentences into it and suddenly I realised… Hey! I was the person who wrote it! I googled the title of the post and found that this particular entry was reproduced in quite a number of blogs…

The entry I am referring to is “A professional mistake”.

Apparently, that entry has been circulating amongst the Big 4 for a while and one particular firm actually had it stored in their database. Something tells me the partners are not aware of it.

Apearances in the blogosphere include…Life – From my perspective… Let me be me… Life iz beautiful… Auditing & Accounting… I dream of Jeannie… the lowyat forum… . A special appearance also took place in this site called Accountantkey.com. I wonder who owns this site. I am flattered that what I wrote gets circulated. But I have to say though, nothing was mentioned about the … ahem… original author.

Of course, I am painfully aware of the possible debate on whether I am original author. And it has been challenged. I can only make a claim that it was indeed my original piece and certainly, I do not expect everyone to accept it.

I can only rely on the fact that I have written extensively on Modern Slavery and if one has gone through all my Modern Slavery entries, there should not be any doubt. But of course, one can choose not to believe. Only Allah God knows.

And today’s discovery made me something else…

A compilation of entries from this blog was submitted to a publisher. Nothing came out of it simply because my writings have already appeared on the net. Back then, I don’t quite get it as I thought the readership of those articles was pretty limited. Surely, many have not read it before.

Today though, I think I understand the implications. Something posted on the net can be reproduced with just a click of a button. Not that printed materials are copy-proof, just that stuff in the virtual world is more vulnerable.

Just as what some people have been telling me, the message is pretty clear…. It’s time to stop blogging and focus on writing a book.


1 year ago… Do spare them… CNY is up to us

2 years ago… London Friday night out

Life in a Professional Firm vs. Life in a Commercial Firm – Episode III

Some very light differences were mentioned in Episode I. There after, I have touched on some technical issues in Episode II. For the final installation, allow me to apply some finishing touches…

The world does not function like a PF

More often than not, PF is the place most graduates lose their working virginity. Just like any other breaking of virginity, the impression is often lasting. Slaves who spent 3 – 4 of their formative working years in PF tend to end up thinking that the whole working world functions like a PF.

You have to do away with that thinking. Else, you may be in for the biggest culture shock ever. For example, you may not have a horde of subordinates under you. You may have 1 or 2 or, none. Your department will most probably not the same size of your original “Group/Unit” when you were in PF.

It is very important to realise that PF is just a small fraction of the entire corporate world. Just because things are done in a particular manner in PF, it doesn’t mean it’s the same everywhere. Also, just because you leave a PF with some glamorous title feeling all big with many people reporting to you, be prepared to feel like a tiny mouse when you move to a CF, especially when you move into a big multinational conglomerate.

Express vs. Impress

It is very important to impress your boss and your client in PF. It defines your future. But that may not be the case in CF. I am not saying that is not important in a CF. However, the manner is different.

It is an undeniable fact that professionals love to use highly sophisticated and bombastic language when presenting their point. It is so complicated that sometimes, it makes Shakespeare an easy read. The intention is to impress the client and at the same time, show to your boss that you can write your professional advice in the most professional manner possible.

If you write such things to your stakeholders in CF, all you get will be “Please explain” or “Don’t understand” or worse, you would be dubbed as one who is not able to deliver your message.

It’s not about impressing people about your prowess but rather, express your thoughts in a way that other can understand. And since they are not professionals, it is a very difficult task to express your professional thoughts.

And that is a challenge that you have to face in a CF.

Perks

PF is famous for its life-squeezing nature. Benefits are almost non-existent. I understand that PF have revised their salary structure a few times in the last couple of years but one thing remains, their benefits still sucks.

When you move to CF though, you will suddenly realise that perks is the name of the game. Of course, some CF will have better perks compared to another but generally, they are all generally better than PF.

Take me for example. My current employer covers all my medical bills including my wife and (future) children, specialist treatment inclusive. There are also allowances for various types of personal expenses, which is hard to come by in PF. And did I mention 30 days annual leave?

And… the single most attractive benefit of moving to a CF is… no time sheet! Only professional would be able to appreciate this, right?


Last but not least, many young aspiring professionals enter PF as a stepping stone to greater things. Hence, these people must realise that a PF will only be a stepping stone if you have the courage to step away to greater things. Not to say that everything is gloomy in a PF. But certainly, there are greater things out there.

Hope my thoughts have been of decent enlightenment.


1 year ago… Will you report?

Not a very good feeling

Last year was a transitional year so I was only asked to give my view. It did have some level of influence but nothing compared to this year. This year though, the decision depends solely on me. Certainly, whatever that I decide upon is still subject to levelling and approval, but I make the initial recommendation.

I had, in my first job, provided evaluation on junior staff. But that was very different. Back then, I only need to provide a rating. The rating I gave was combined with ratings of other “seniors” and the rest is up to the big bosses.

In my current position; I, me and myself will decide on the rating of those reporting to me. It does not end there. I, me and myself will then have to recommend promotion (should I want to), increment (should I want to) and also decide on their… bonus…

I will not deny it. It does feel powerful to have the fate of people’s career and financial rewards in your hands. Surely, it is a boost to one’s ego.

But I will have to say, it is not an easy position to be in.

It’s not easy to decide that someone’s performance is just not good enough. It’s not easy to decide that someone should be rewarded more than someone else. It’s not exactly glamour either, to deny someone a promotion. It is such time, that I truly see the clearest reflection of modern slavery.

But as slave of the modern world myself, I have to make a decision that reflects my judgement and my credibility. These decisions that I made, may be at the expense of fellow modern slaves.

And that… is not a very good feeling…


2 years ago… Professional mistake level 2… A quick pick

3 years ago… They said “It’s just a number”

Life in a Professional Firm vs. Life in a Commercial Firm – Episode II

In the 1st Episode, I shared about some lightweight differences between life in a Professional Firm (“PF”) and Commercial Firm (“CF”). PF and CF have also been defined there.

For the second installation, let’s look at some more pertinent differences…

Profit centre vs. Cost centre

This is by far the most significant difference should you decide to switch over to CF.

In a PF, you render your professional service to client thus generating revenue for the firm. The reports that you produce and the hours that you slave are all translated into $$$ for the firm. You are known as the profit centre (“PC”).

Being in the finance or legal function in CF would mean you will be looking after the welfare of the firm, not the clients. It means you do not generate any revenue for the firm. You will move from being a revenue generator to being a cost burden. You are now a cost centre (“CC”).

Naturally, PC is given more privileges in CF. They are the breadwinner of the firm and hence, they tend to be well taken care of. Their “voice” tends to be louder, their gatherings will be more lavish, their departmental trips will be more luxurious; and you will have to live with it.

Don’t fret though. Though PC will be getting higher pay and bonus, the general pay structure in a CF would still be better compared to PF.

You may want to check out other perspectives on being profit centres vs. cost centres.

Advisor vs. implementer

In a PF, you are a consultant. You are the expert who tells your client what to do and how to do it. It does not matter whether your expert advice is workable or otherwise, your job is to tell your client what is in the rule and what the available options are.

In a CF though, your focus will change. The management do not expect you to tell them what to do; they expect you to do it. You are there to make things happen. If you need resources, you have to voice out. You are the expert who has been employed to deploy.

This is when you suddenly realised that you are not that expert as you think. You will suddenly realise all the so called technical knowledge you gained while in PF may not work. And so, you might end up being a “client” to PF and boss the partners that you once report to. Sounds fun, isn’t it?

Learning vs. contributing

It’s funny that people join PF to learn. They are supposed to be the expert and top consultants, providing top notch advice and yet, people join them to learn. While in PF, I was once told that I am to act like an expert in front of a client even if I am not. I was supposed to be the expert consultant, but I was actually just learning. Ironic isn’t it?

Quite similar to the preceding point of advisor vs. implementer, the learning takes a dive when you move to CF. Instead of learning, you should be contributing. After all, you are the expert in the CF that you work in. Of course, there will still be things to learn but it will not the skills that you have been hired to perform.

It can be quite a daunting expectation. One should be mentally prepared.

Technicality vs. Commerciality

Last but not least (for this episode); discernment between technicality and commerciality is crucial when you work in a CF.

In a PF, it’s all about technical knowledge. During performance evaluation, you will always be asked to improve on your technical knowledge. Which section, which rule, which paragraph, while law, which regulation, they should all be in your fingertips. In your mind, everything is written in the book, you just follow.

Things take a whole new perspective when you enter CF. When in PF and you tell your clients to do this and that and they reply saying they can’t do it and can’t provide this and can’t implement that and you will be wondering why they can’t do it. When you are in a CF, you will know why.

Sometimes, doing the right thing may not be commercially justifiable. Sometimes, the right thing just can’t be done. Maybe it will cost a lot of money, or result in loss of revenue. Your role in a CF is to strike a balance. You are the expert who is there not to advise, but to implement measures to look right even when it’s wrong.

Just like how you found out that things learned in university are mostly futile when you work, things learned in PF may not be that useful either when you are in CF.

The curse of a true slave

There was a vacancy in another department a few months ago and I recommended that position to a former junior (“J”) of mine who is currently slaving in a professional firm. Upon my recommendation, J decided to put in an application for that position.

The interview went well and J was offered the job. However, the department could not match J’s expected salary. I then had a lengthy discussion with J and after deliberating the offer, I advised J to decline the offer both as a friend and a fellow professional.

A few days thereafter, I got a call from my colleague from the recruiting department asking me to convince J to join as they were really interested in having J on board. Since I made the recommendation and was J’s former senior, I should be able to exercise my influence.

I told my colleague (“C”) that I have indeed exercised my influence and my advice to J was to decline the offer and I thought the offer did not match J’s value. I told C that I will not sell my friend’s soul to the devil even if it’s the same devil who is feeding me. C was astonished to hear that.

C then went on a crusade to get me to influence J. C went on and on about how J’s competence has not been proven and if J joins and performs well, J will surely be able to climb up the ladder. That was such a bad point simply because I work in the same company and I know exactly how this company, and in particular, how C’s department works.

C was relentless. C said that in the years C has been with the company, it was proven those who work hard and slog late into the night will be duly rewarded and rewarded well. Given that I know C has been working really hard and been slogging late nights non-stop, I asked how well has C been rewarded. C confidently answered that rewards will come.

Those familiar with AZAIG’s sentiments on modern slavery a.k.a. corporate world will know that slaving your life away is not the way to go. And certainly, I will never recommend my friend to sell his/her soul, unless the price is absolutely right.

It is very sad that there are so many people with the “true slave” mentality that one should slave out one’s life and will go all out to get others to join this disillusioned bandwagon. Will a true slave get rewarded in the end?

In the latest promotion list issued last month. C’s name was not there.


1 year ago… How will the end begin?

Sex and the office

Since corporate slavery and life in the professional world have been the notion of AZAIG of late, I reckon it would be interesting to look at the sexciting side of it for instalment of Friday Frolics. The title is enough to entice you, isn’t it?

Indeed, there are many sexciting stories that float around when I was in one of the big-4 firm. The most famous was about this particular partner (boss of a professional firm) in this particular firm who would always ask sweet young juniors to clear issues with him in the middle of the night.

It will be done behind closed door and there are stories about how these sweet young juniors will come out with bra missing, panty missing, bra unclip, etc. etc. I did try to verify this with my friend who was working in that firm and he told me that it was true as he has witnessed it before.

I have also heard stories from this particular department where the shorter your skirt is, the faster your promotion will be. And this was relayed to me by a girl. Sexciting, isn’t it?

There was also one particular incident in my department when I was still there…

It involved this couple who just started going out. As the firm practises casual Friday, the girl was one who would “fong pun lap” (release half her boobs) and wear black G-string beneath a thin tight white pants on Fridays. So when this good looking hunk started going out with her, we were all speculating that they will “tiu do luin sai loong” (fuck till kingdom come).

Hey! It’s not a sexist remark as this sentiment was shared by both male and female colleague alike. And ya’ know what? They lived up to that expectation.

On a cosy afternoon during one particular peak period, someone found the lovebirds in the pantry; with the guy’s pants down. The girl was, well… hmmm……

To cut the long story short, the girl resigned and the guy followed suit after a few months, being victims to the don’t-eat-and-shit-at-the-same-place curse.

There are plenty of lonely souls, particularly auditors, in the professional accounting firms. Stuck in the office in the middle of the night while your bf/gf are sound asleep at home, and with your equally stressed and lonely colleague sitting next to you, that empty pantry or meeting room or quiet stairwell sure looks like a comfortable quickie getaway.

Have you heard of any?

I am sure some of you are wondering… has Zewt done anything sexciting in office? Well… I … now, why would I want to share with you… hehe…


2 years ago… For richer or poorer… Is smoking an addiction?

Life in a Professional Firm vs. Life in a Commercial Firm – Episode I

Companies in the business of providing professional advice, typically known as “consultants”; they are the so called “professional firms” (“PF”). Common within this category are legal and accounting (audit, tax, etc.) firms. They are often considered as companies that will squeeze every drop of life from you. I was from one of them.

Other companies not in the business of providing professional services are known as “commercial firms” (“CF”). They can be doing any type of business but due to governance requirement, they most probably have legal and finance functions within the operation. I am currently in one them.

A lot of my ex-colleagues who are still working in the professional world used to ask me how life is like in the commercial world. There are indeed plenty of differences. Let’s start with the 2 very light differences…

Composition of colleagues

Ask anyone who is currently slaving in PF why he/she still going through the shite and most probably they will tell that they like their colleagues. As I’ve said, most slaves in PF are first job slaves. And since most are fresh meat from universities, they are of the same age group.

This means that you can share the same conversational topic during lunch time. You can hang out together and do stuff that your age group does during their free time, if they have free time. You can share problems amongst your colleagues and you understand each other because your problems are most probably generic.

The hottest babes or hunks around are also within your age group. And you can always look forward to new babes and hunks because recruitment is done in big batches. And they are mostly available. At most, they are attached to their colleague sweetheart but people breaking up with college sweet heart only to go steady with colleagues is a norm in PF.

In CF though………

You truly get people from all walks of life. If you leave PF after 5 – 7 years to join CF, you will be wondering how to join a lunch conversation that revolves around people talking about their babies; the type that they give birth to, not those who spend the weekend with you doing bedroom exercise.

The hottest babes or hunks around are… wait, what hottest babes? If you are lucky, there may be 1 or 2 babes or hunks around. Chances are, they are married. And don’t bet against having children already.

What I am trying to say is that the colleague composition between PF and CF is very different. It may take a while for you to adapt. Some just fail to adapt and leave. I am blessed though. My colleagues are still within my age group, plus minus 5 years.

Promotion vs. progression

In PF, juniors are “promoted” every year, or should I say; made to think that they are “promoted” every year. Juniors as young as 7 months are “promoted” from say, associate-2 to associate-1 (numbering varies depending on PF).

As most juniors are fresh meat from universities, being “promoted” is an orgasmic experience. Telling parents or friends about their promotion and getting remarks such as “Wow! So fast, you must be good!” is akin to getting multiple orgasms. The feelings beat getting straight distinctions in exams anytime. They feel so good, till they are willing to slave even more for the PF. It’s a very good strategy.

These so called “promotions” usually come with a standard increment and interestingly, absolutely no change in job scope. There is a change in title though, from associate-2 to associate-1 or senior-2 to senior-1. Worse, I once heard a partner (the real big boss) of a PF said that a “director” is just another “senior manager”.

And ya’ know what? For the juniors, every Tom, Dick, Harry, Mary, Jean and Jane got promoted too! Yay!!! Promotions list comes up to pages long! It’s easier to ask who didn’t rather than who did got “promoted”. Sounds familiar, isn’t it?

In my personal zewtpinion, the initial phase in PF is more of a progression rather than a promotion. Certainly, there are people who will not “progress”. But as long as you do what is required of you and don’t screw up, you will progress. To me, the real promotion in PF is when you are promoted a managerial position, when you are required to sign-off documents.

In CF though, getting a promotion is like finding a virgin nowadays (guys or girls)… it’s very tough and rare. During promotion season, there may only be 1 or 2 chosen souls, not a list of names. Sometimes, none. It’s a big thing. In most cases, a promotion in CF will result in a significant change in job scope and responsibilities.

Working in a PF, you would expect to “progress” on a regular basis. But when you are in a CF, don’t expect the same kind of treatment. It is a whole new battleground as far as promotion is concerned.


These are 2 minor differences. We shall explore more hardcore differences in coming episodes.


1 year ago… The pouring that’s been keeping us alive

How were times before e?

136… that’s the amount of e-mails I have when I opened my inbox at work this morning, after taking last Friday off. Taking away personal mails, the number came to about 131. It took me almost half a day to clear all of them.

I am sure most of you will agree that working life nowadays evolve around answering e-mails. As I was clearing my inbox and answering some of the so called “urgent” e-mails, I wondered… how was working life like before the days of e-mails?

On any given day, there will be a few mails coming in at the same time inquiring about different situations which require my advice. And in a typical corporate scenario, these inquiries demand immediate reply. And it’s not any ordinary reply. It requires thinking and sometimes, some level of research.

How are these done before the time of e-mails? Through telephone? If it’s through phone, at least you will be engaged on one line if there are 2 inquiries coming in. But with e-mails, you can have up to 10 inquiries in an hour.

And inquiries are the light stuff. It can be agreements, contracts or any form of documents being sent over which require my review and comments. And as usual, everything is urgent. If you take more than a week to reply, it means that you are slow.

Without a doubt, the existence of e-mails has accelerated the pace at which we work. We are now required to provide answers, provide comments, review documents and meet all other unreasonable demands at light speed. It’s really crazy.

One can say that we have become more efficient. But I just think we have been made to work like robots. I really do wonder, how was it like during the times before e-mails came into the picture.


2 years ago… Turning your eyes from oil to ferry… From shitty good news to gym and a penis song

Hectic!

Yes, that’s the word of the day. I have never been so been so busy for the longest time. Loads of e-mails… calls from as early as 8.30am and before I can even finish my first mug of water, it’s already lunch time.

After a quick lunch, a couple of meetings… conference calls… this and that and before I knew it… it’s already 5.40pm! What the… !!!

The main reason for this incredibly busy-ness is that I am currently involved in a highly confidential project. Information kept changing and my comments and advice had to be constantly revised, it’s really driving me crazy. But, it’s good experience. This is going to give a big boost for my CV.

Plenty to share about this project but since it is highly confidential; I can’t talk about it here… not yet. But like I said, plenty to talk about it after it is completed.

As for now, I just have to comply with the hectic game.

I need to catch up on my lack of fluid now…


1 year ago… Who thou seeketh in thy sadness?