Thai people are incredibly friendly and approachable. If one wants to stay and work in Thailand, then learning about its culture is a must. It might be strange at first to understand everything, but you'll eventually get used to it. Understanding and building relationships with coworkers is one of the significant factors that make the work easy and fun.
Thailand is also known as the 'Land of Smiles', and people love to have a fun and comfortable life. They also want to keep a happy environment and avoid arguments and quarrels. So keeping all these in mind won't make your workplace miserable. There are many advantages to working in Bangkok, but before that, expats must know how to deal with Thais in a workplace environment. Below are some of the 'unwritten rules' which you have to take note of.
Labor Code in Bangkok
When accepting a job in Bangkok, one must review the contract to see if there are discrepancies or if there are some terms and conditions that you do not agree with. In the Labor Code of Thailand, salaries, working hours, and holidays are important. The salary will undoubtedly depend on the job you're applying to, plus the employer should follow a certain quota for the amount one must receive. For working hours, 8 hours a day and a one-hour break are the normal working hours; beyond that, one must demand overtime pay.
Thailand has a certain number of holidays that companies must follow for leaves and holidays. Each year, employees must be granted a minimum of 13 days of paid public holidays. If the public holiday falls on a weekend, it must be moved to the next working holiday.
Correspondingly, an employee who has worked for at least one year must be granted a minimum of 6 days of paid annual leave each year. Pregnant women are also granted a minimum of 90 days of maternity leave, and employees are entitled to pay 45 days of it.
Dress code in Bangkok
Appearance plays a significant role in a Thai workplace as Thais are very fashion-conscious. The business dress code is quite conservative. Women usually wear dresses and skirts rather than pants, while men typically wear suits and ties.
Bangkok's culture
Being polite and helpful is as important as speaking softly and nicely if you want to build relationships with Thai people inside the office. Usually, when entering the office, you must wai to everyone. To wai is to greet in a way that both hands are in a position of praying and the head is bowed a little.
Thais are also very conservative when meeting for the first time, as they don't usually barge you with questions. It's not that they're not friendly; they're just not that open to asking personal questions to strangers.
Work environment in Bangkok
Thais build harmonious relationships first before directing to business. They are into loving an environment that has a soft touch and an easy-flow attitude. They also value progress, promotions, and challenges. Support and appreciation are important, too. The locals are very eager to learn and be supported, so don't be surprised when one of your colleagues asks you to teach them English. Lastly, there is a hierarchy in the office environment, and young people must show respect to seniors. Because of this hierarchy, you should never question a senior coworker, and if you have any ideas on how to improve things, be extra careful about how you go about making the suggestion.
Having said all this, Bangkok is a beautiful city with beautiful people who are worth having excellent and memorable experiences with. Determination and perseverance, along with good relationships with the locals, will definitely make the work environment progressive and the stay in Bangkok worthwhile.
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