This really isn’t so different from work in other places. That said, I think one reason why this person keeps at it is the profound inner sense of accomplishment of being able to thrive in a totally different culture, country, and language. He sounds very different from the few Dutch ppl I’ve come across in my career; they wouldn’t hesitate to tell you point-blank honest statements or preferences. This guy… for him to make it 5 years, and particularly 14 months in China… yeah, it’s downright impressive. The thing is, if he continues to work at the level he’s at, I’m certain he will eventually tire of it and move on too. At any rate, when life Berends on a visa, it’s tenuous. It’s super tough to stay in China beyond 25 years as a foreigner.
How to survive in a Chinese company
31–40 of 40 posts
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#32Tldr: be prepared to suck up overwork, petty office politics, stolen credit, inflexible and unresponsive leadership, adversarial departments, unrealistic objectives, and double talk.
Maybe the East and West aren’t that different after all.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#33> It can stress you out, but actually, it’s easier if you tell yourself everybody is just playing a game, and they’re all friendly people deep inside. It’s just a game.
> I also don’t like it when it rains on my birthday, but what can you do about it? Just like that, life in China is better if you don’t let these little things get to you.
I hope there’s a follow-up article in a year so we can see if the optimism is still there.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#34Chinese private companies face a bleak future due to the country's distorted economic structure; state-owned enterprises, which boast the most resources, offer a better work-life balance, while private firms are subject to stringent restrictions.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#35> It can stress you out, but actually, it’s easier if you tell yourself everybody is just playing a game, and they’re all friendly people deep inside. It’s just a game. > I also don’t like it when it rains on my birthday, but what can you do about it? Just like that, life in China is better if you don’t let these little things get to you. I hope there’s a follow-up article in a year so we can see if the optimism is s…
He has already been living 6 years there so I wouldn't be surprised if he's still optimistic.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#36In other words: how bad it is to work in China.
I feel that this is precisely how not to distil the article.
Yes, it's low-hanging fruit takeaway, but I don't think there's any value in that shallow pass - and damaging to use such brutal simplification.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#37Tldr: be prepared to suck up overwork, petty office politics, stolen credit, inflexible and unresponsive leadership, adversarial departments, unrealistic objectives, and double talk. Maybe the East and West aren’t that different after all.
No, in the sense that the 996 is a bit hard to imagine in a western company.
Otherwise...
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#38Why subject oneself to this though? Every point is negative, borderline Stockholm syndrome-ish and discussing how to “survive”. presumably OP has a reason for enduring said suffering but it’s not really obvious from the post
Choice in job market is a luxury, not sure if it's only a China thing. But most fresh grads will end up with whichever company who'd hire them in whatever role they offered. The OP also mentioned the low retention rate, behind that, it means that for young people, they may start in a low pay job, but there will be tremendous amount of chances for new opportunities elsewhere after a few years of work experience. There…
The work culture seems bizarrely counter productive. Where is real value being generated? It’s a bit puzzling in some ways. I’m somehow assuming that the dysfunction described in the piece is way downstream from a lot of messed up communist party broken political economy and socialization stuff.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
#39Chinese company (in China), 8 tips from personal experience/stories from friends
Great write-up, thanks! Sorry to be blunt but as Dutch you might not be offended :) What's in it for you, what keeps you there? To me it seems very stressful and hostile work environment.
Re: How to survive in a Chinese company
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