July / Augustus 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Column By…
Dutch Managers want….
Richard Soemita
Audi, Hugo Boss and sex, I read in a recent Dutch article.
However, I wonder if they want the same in Singapore. Not
sure if the same Manager hangs around at Boat Quay on a
Friday night after work, but I would say that somehow the
Singapore based Manager does not fit the NL profile. But
lets first see what these 3 categories all entail.
The Dutch Manager is a very busy body and has an
average working week of 49 hours. Female Managers work
5 hours less than their male counterparts. The Managers’
daily activities comprises of interaction with their team,
reporting and meetings. They hardly have time for
courses and trainings. The majority applies the coaching
management style with focuses on people management
although we wonder if the staff thinks the same. The
Manager is quiet healthy and only takes MC (why the hell
do the Singaporeans call a sick day MC?) for a day. 50% Of
the Managers are too fat. They only exercise between 1 to
5 hours a week, drink alcohol and use drugs in moderation.
But the Manager still manages to have sex twice a week.
As per the latest Durex sex survey this is 63% on a weekly
basis although I wonder if this % is still the same for the
‘travelling Manager’ who does business in more exotic spots
like Bangkok, Manila and HKG.
Managers earn enough to permit a luxury lifestyle. The
majority earns more than Euro 5,000 a month gross and 25%
earn more than Euro 8,000 a month including bonus and
company car. They spend little on luxury articles such as
expensive watches and clothes. Their favorite brand: Boss,
followed by Tommy Hilfiger. The Singaporean Manager seems to
do the same with regards to watches, but need to be arrested
by the fashion police! The Manager hardly parties, apart from
an occasional dinner in a restaurant and after work they drive
straight home. The Manager prefers to spend his money on a
holiday and 40% even makes 4 trips a year.
But, let’s have a look at the Singaporean Manager and see
how they differ from the Dutchies. A local survey shows that
Singapore managers are a pragmatic lot, with over 80% polled,
viewing good health, work-life balance and passion for work as
more important than career advancement and higher salary.
In comparison, only 61% scored career advancement and
high salary as more important despite the financial pressures
of the economic downturn. The inaugural survey, commissioned
by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), shows 86%
intended to work beyond the retirement age of 62, although
more than half would prefer to work on a part-time basis, doing
freelance or consulting work.
When it came to training, seven in 10 managers viewed
skills and knowledge upgrading as important. Most, however,
preferred to implement on-the-job training through learning of
best practices and short-term courses than long-term programs
or job rotations within the organization.
Tracking the general sentiments on the current economy,
there was more pessimism about the global economy than
Singapore economy. Compared with the 77% who voiced their
uncertainty about how the global economy was performing,
only 61% of respondents said they were concerned about how
Singapore’s economy fared. This might explain why only slightly
more than half the 750 respondents were confident of keeping
their jobs. Some 750 respondents took part in this survey
which will be conducted twice a year. The SIM Management
Monitor is a comprehensive management survey that aims to
identify key trends in management and better understand
the issues, concerns and challenges that Singapore managers
uniquely face.
With regards to the work-life balance I have my doubts
since you hardly see the locals on a Friday night having a few
beers at the Boat Quay, since all of them are still at work!
Or perhaps they all rush home to make love to their partners,
although the Singapore weekly sex 62% is very close to the
Dutch counterpart. I can actually conclude that the Singapore
Manager wants: work hard, money and sex?
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Vol.19 • No. 6 • July/August 2009