Professionals in Singapore, Indonesia the most vocal at work: LinkedIn

• Some would go to great lengths to protect reps, to the extent of being dishonest
• Millennials the most eager to please, 55% consider themselves ‘yes employees’

PROFESSIONALS in Singapore have become more confident about speaking up and are becoming more assertive at work, according to new research by LinkedIn.
 
LinkedIn’s New Norms @Work study shows that 58% of professionals in the island-republic would now challenge their colleagues by voicing their opinions compared to when they first started their career.
 
One in two professionals surveyed also disagree that they are ‘yes employees’ – someone who does as he or she is told and is not likely to question authority.
 
Compared with their peers in Malaysia – where 64% of those surveyed said they are ‘yes employees’ – Singaporean professionals are more vocal but trail behind those in Indonesia, where 37% are ‘yes employees,’ LinkedIn said in a statement.
 
In Singapore, professionals aged 25-34 – or the millennials – appear to be the most eager to please, with 55% saying they consider themselves ‘yes employees,’ compared with 43% of professionals in the 55-65 age group, suggesting that the confidence to speak up comes with more work experience.
 
“The diversity of opinions in any organisation, if harnessed effectively, goes a long way towards strengthening the quality of decision-making,” said Cliff Rosenberg, LinkedIn managing director for South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
 
“Employers need to create an even more conducive environment for employees to feel comfortable about speaking up,” he added.
 
In April 2015, LinkedIn partnered with Censuswide to survey more than 15,000 full-time professionals around the world.
 
Respondents between the ages of 18-66+ were surveyed in 19 countries including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
 
The study aimed to unearth unexpected mainstays in office culture and gain a better understanding of how full-time working professionals view themselves today and are reshaping their professional brand for the modern workplace, said LinkedIn.
 
Some other findings from the study (see infographic below):
 
Dressing the Part @Work
 
While many workplaces have implemented more liberal and casual dress codes, professionals still dress to impress. First impressions do count and close to half (48%) of professionals surveyed in Singapore say that they will dress up more for meetings held during the workday.
 
Women feel most pressured to impress in the workplace, with 37% believing they get judged more for what they wear at work (global average – 25%), while men believe they will appear more professional by dressing smartly (46%).
 
Men, however, tend to look for a more prescriptive approach than their female counterparts and prefer an environment that has clear norms of work attire.
 
Overall, there is a clear idea of what constitutes appropriate work wear with 39% of males and 47% of females keeping separate work and home wardrobes.
 
The Truth @Work
 
LinkedIn’s study also suggests that a blemish-free professional brand is extremely important to  professionals in Singapore, with some indicating they will go to great lengths to protect their reputations, even if it means being dishonest.
 
One-third (34%) of professionals in Singapore reported that if they were fired from a job, they would make it look like they left of their own accord; 24% wouldn’t mention it at any cost; while 1% would even lie about it.
 
Between the sexes, males (34%) are more likely to be upfront and completely honest about the situation, compared to females (27%). (Click infographic below to enlarge)

New Norms @Work: Worldwide
 
A global comparison of the 19 countries that participated in the study finds that the value placed on one’s professional brand is similar from country to country, with some differences across markets:

• Across markets, one quarter of all respondents agreed that women get judged more for what they wear at work.

• In India, one quarter of full-time working professionals reported wearing a suit or formal dress to work the most frequently, compared with only 3% of their counterparts in Sweden.

• Indonesia professionals are the most image-conscious, with the highest number (51%) of professionals there saying they think most carefully about their professional profile picture, compared with only 4% in Japan.

• Professionals are speaking up globally. When asked the one thing they would do now compared to when they started their careers, over half of professionals worldwide reported that they would challenge their boss by voicing their opinion, challenging ideas, etc.

For more, checked out the LinkedIn blog.

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