PhD thesis final - Royal Holloway, University of London

Chapter 5 – Workplace belongingIn addition to emphasising the significance of transnationality manifested by thetransnational transfer of the corporation‘s material culture and work culture as well asexpatriate workers‘ transnational business links, this chapter further addresses howTaiwanese expatriates‘ interactions and relationships developed in the workplace arerelated to their emotional experiences of belonging. This will be presented in the lastsection by articulating my respondents‘ workplace interactions with their PRC Chinesecolleagues and fellow expatriates and their practices to build quanxi, friendship circlesand support networks. As such, I highlight that different identities are played out byTaiwanese expatriates in their daily workplace interactions to forge a sense ofworkplace belonging.5.2. Material environment and workplace belongingThe material structure of the factory compound often concerns my informant TaiwaneseIT firms, as it is considered to be useful in facilitating the employees‘ well-being. In myinformant companies, it is common to see amenities, such as a gymnasium, spaand salon services, a swimming pool, a launderette, a reading room, shops and a caféprovided for the employees to use. This is because it is believed that such physicalstructure of the self-contained compound can not only improve managerialeffectiveness 26 , it is also advantageous for expatriate workers to feel safe and protected.Besides, such material environment is often considered as satisfying and enjoyable. AsAlex (an R&D senior engineer in his early 30s who lives with his wife in local gatedcommunity in Suzhou) told me, he feels quite good and contented with such a workenvironment, despite the fact that it ‗is just same everywhere [else]‘. This illustrates that26 For example, the military-style management in the China plant and the PRC Chinese employees‘long-term exposure to intense work environment and the lack of supportive networks have made themincreasingly feel disappointed and antipathetic working in Taiwanese IT companies (Zhi 2010).171