Hitting speed bumps in going that extra mile
We must recognise that there are real problems that hinder people from taking pride in their work
LOCAL celebrity Michelle Chong recently took her frustrations to the Internet, complaining that Singaporeans do not take pride in their work. In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, she cited examples of shoddy work she had experienced in the past year, commenting that people here have a "heck care attitude" and "generally don't care about what they do".
It must have hit a raw nerve, judging by the flood of responses from people weighing in on the debate. A lack of job pride in Singapore is not a newly observed phenomenon, and to be fair, it's not an affliction that plagues the city-state alone. But her fundamental question still stands: Why? Why are Singaporeans not propelled to go the extra mile in their work? And is that what's stopping our country from achieving more?
As with all complex matters, it's always a combination of intrinsic and structural factors. To Ms Chong, bless her idealistic soul, it's "not really about the money". She wrote: "Monetary rewards are great and all, but I know I get fulfilment when audiences love what we create for them."
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