[Agi78]

Hi everyone,

I have been here only few weeks, and wanted to share my observation about work culture. There is only one Westerner at my work, and he is 'rat racing' if I can put it this way. Only invoices count. Manager is shouting at the employee in front of the others. I am being told off through the email on my time off, then spoken in a different way during face to face conversation. No information provided about the job, the client etc. No meetings. No training. After working in the UK it feels devastating, and I am really losing my enthusiasm... Spoke to 2 other people who have lived here for 3 years and they said the same about their work, in different professions... I havent met many people yet, but I have been told that living in Dubai is only about money and consumptive lifestyle, because everyone is here temporarily... Well I think there must be living here like everywhere else in the world some genuine people who I can have a good time with , but really curious what others think. Can anyone reflect on that? What is your experience?

 

[Rainmaker]

Hi everyone,

I have been here only few weeks, and wanted to share my observation about work culture. There is only one Westerner at my work, and he is 'rat racing' if I can put it this way. Only invoices count. Manager is shouting at the employee in front of the others. I am being told off through the email on my time off, then spoken in a different way during face to face conversation. No information provided about the job, the client etc. No meetings. No training. After working in the UK it feels devastating, and I am really losing my enthusiasm... Spoke to 2 other people who have lived here for 3 years and they said the same about their work, in different professions... I havent met many people yet, but I have been told that living in Dubai is only about money and consumptive lifestyle, because everyone is here temporarily... Well I think there must be living here like everywhere else in the world some genuine people who I can have a good time with , but really curious what others think. Can anyone reflect on that? What is your experience?

Yes, most working environments are the way you have described, unless it is a multinational company. And yes, most people are money oriented. Lots of fakes and show offs. Just afraid to become one of them. On the other hand, find and/or build the surrounding you want. And making friends is damn hard as well.

 

[gunner]

Unfortunately, this is what you would see in most of the organizations here and you will have to get used to it. Don't expect anything even close to what you had experienced in London, it takes a hell lot of time to settle down and accept the non-nonsensical way most of the organizations work here.

Its been a year and I am still adapting, I would have to say the surprises aren't over yet and I still get amazed as I learn more about the management.

 

[cami]

Hi everyone,

I have been here only few weeks, and wanted to share my observation about work culture. There is only one Westerner at my work, and he is 'rat racing' if I can put it this way. Only invoices count. Manager is shouting at the employee in front of the others. I am being told off through the email on my time off, then spoken in a different way during face to face conversation. No information provided about the job, the client etc. No meetings. No training. After working in the UK it feels devastating, and I am really losing my enthusiasm... Spoke to 2 other people who have lived here for 3 years and they said the same about their work, in different professions... I havent met many people yet, but I have been told that living in Dubai is only about money and consumptive lifestyle, because everyone is here temporarily... Well I think there must be living here like everywhere else in the world some genuine people who I can have a good time with , but really curious what others think. Can anyone reflect on that? What is your experience?

you got it. welcome to dubai.

choice 1. live and work here, clench your teeth, enjoy salary day (and possibly hate all the other 28-30 days in the month), and keep looking for a buried treasure (both literal and metaphoric meanings intended)

choice 2. ... ummmmm... what is choice 2?....

 

[Agi78]

Thanks everyone for your posts! Not that I feel better, but good to know where you stand...

 

[ziokendo]

Can I ask out of curiosity what business are you in ?

Anyway I am working with middle eastern markets (mostly gcc) for a couple of years in a big multinational retail company in Europe, but just now I am in the process of moving here in Dubai to do the same job in the same company, so I already know the job and some colleagues (who are mostly westerners) and I am not that worried (luckily - should the worst happen - there's is always an abundance of airports in the region to fly back home and just take another job) ;-) .

But yes, having relationship with other companies fully based in the gcc, I have noticed that there is this kind of medieval attitude that only shouting you can have something done, and stuff is grossly unorganized.
I can't understand how perfectly fine persons once relocated in the gulf become tyrannical: more than being evil I am accepting that it is a survival of the fittest strategy.
Most of this people just don't want to waste their time explaining stuff in a polite way to demotivated people from a different culture that will stay 2-3 year for the money and then leave, won't spend time to understand their different culture/method of work to utilize them at the best as they feel it would be wasted effort, so they will feel a bit relieved just to be able to shout freely and express all their anger on the workplace.

Sad but real.

 

[loca]

Are you by any chance working at my same company???? LOL.

I have heard from other people of good places to work and not necessarily big multinationals, so I'm hoping one day I'll stumble upon one of those (I'm a dreamer I know )

In the meantime I'm learning not to hate Dubai because of my job. And I'm using this (bad) experience to know how to survive in any environment and to learn to appreciate the other good things (pay days) and little perks of the job. I refuse to become a bully like everybody else, and I've survived for a year and got 2 (paid) vacations already on that year cool: )

I've met a couple of genuine nice people at my office, we are not best friends but is good to know other people are going through the same and can help each other once in a while.

Enjoy your time in Dubai!

Hi everyone,

I have been here only few weeks, and wanted to share my observation about work culture. There is only one Westerner at my work, and he is 'rat racing' if I can put it this way. Only invoices count. Manager is shouting at the employee in front of the others. I am being told off through the email on my time off, then spoken in a different way during face to face conversation. No information provided about the job, the client etc. No meetings. No training. After working in the UK it feels devastating, and I am really losing my enthusiasm... Spoke to 2 other people who have lived here for 3 years and they said the same about their work, in different professions... I havent met many people yet, but I have been told that living in Dubai is only about money and consumptive lifestyle, because everyone is here temporarily... Well I think there must be living here like everywhere else in the world some genuine people who I can have a good time with , but really curious what others think. Can anyone reflect on that? What is your experience?

 

[Agi78]

I am in medical profession Ziokendo, and I am working in a small clinic.

I like what you said Loca ...'And I'm using this (bad) experience to know how to survive in any environment and to learn to appreciate the other good things', that is a challenging approach and I will follow this way of thinking ;-)