- Part of Thailand-Property.com’s multinational office staff members.
What’s it like working in a diverse, multi-national office in Bangkok, Thailand?
As an expat working in Bangkok, you are probably aware of the fact that offices don’t (and often can’t) run exactly the same way as they do back home. While the majority of the offices in Bangkok will most likely (and legally) be comprised of Thai staff, the rest of the staff could be from literally anywhere in the world. At Thailand-Property.com for instance, there are Thai’s, English, American, German, and Russian workers. This makes for quite an interesting work environment, but it’s not so simple to build a company this way.
Below, we hear from the company’s Sales Director, Adam Sutcliffe on the challenges and rewards that come with working in a multi-cultural, multi-national company:
What Works Online in One Culture Doesn’t Always Work in Others
Head quartered in Bangkok and managed by British expatriates, Thailand-Property.com is constantly working on identifying the best way to gain market share across both expatriate and Thai demographics, which means that both cultures need to be tapped for their opinions and preferences when building a site from scratch.
Stucliffe says that when you do build a site that needs to span multiple cultures, it’s important to be aware of different stylistic preferences for the target demographic; what colours, slogans and images tend to grab the attention of that group.When you have two target demographics like Thailand-Property.com does, it can be a challenge finding something that works for both. It’s helpful however, that the company has the resources in-house, or in the office to ask around and get opinions from both groups.
It’s not the look of a site thought that makes an online-business a success: Differing selling and marketing tactics as well as advertising preferences need to be considered too.
Cultural Differences Will Naturally Arise
Things like adapting different management styles and promoting a feeling of unity among staff members are just a couple examples of the unique situations that come along with international business. Weekly team meetings for the entire staff, recognizing both Thai and Western holidays, playing music from both cultures during work hours and even choosing the right kind of restaurant to have after-work gatherings at have helped establish a feeling of unity at the office, with all employees working toward the same goal.
Finding the Right, Open Minded Staff
While multi-culture companies are becoming more common, they’re not for everyone. Sutcliffe says that one of the major challenges in this kind of office setting is staffing, as bi-lingual locals are needed to fluidly manage the constantly growing team, and the pool of skilled Western workers already living in Thailand is limited. Maintaining a team of skilled and open-minded individuals who are eager and excited to work in a diverse setting requires constant searching for new talent, but Sutcliffe says it makes the reward for finding the right people that much greater.
Because the diverse work environment is so unique, when we do find the right employees who are perfect for the job and genuinely enjoy working with and learning from people of other cultures, we become even more confident that we are growing our business in the most positive direction possible,” Sutcliffe said. “While this niche group can be challenging to find, it also pushes us to grow.”
