5 of the best tech companies to work for in Singapore
Corporate culture that encourages creativity is a common denominator, Lester Hio reports.
Facebook, Google, Razer, Ubisoft and ViewQwest - the five tech companies featured in this report - are a sampling of how tech companies operate today and what they offer their employees.
As global tech companies, Facebook and Google have garnered accolades for setting the pace in workplace environment and culture.
Google established the benchmark for now-established practices such as free flow of food and flexible work arrangements, which Facebook adopted in scale.
These practices have carried over to their Singapore offices and positioned them among the most desirable employers to work for.
Ubisoft Singapore (and Microsoft Singapore) were recently named among the best tech companies to work for by the Singapore Computer Society. Ubisoft was selected for its strong emphasis on innovation and human resource management.
Razer and ViewQwest, both homegrown companies, also made the list for competing with the big boys on their own turf despite being much smaller, and by implementing practices that benefit their employees.
One term that was constantly brought up by the companies featured was "culture" in all of its variations - be it people, flexibility, innovation or even "hacker".
The physical environment of the workplace helps to shape the corporate culture, and creativity is one overarching element of the culture.
The techies drawn to such companies are not the usual corporate types, notes Mr Joel Hides, director of IT and financial services at Robert Walters Singapore. Instead, they are passionate about expressing their creativity from a technical standpoint to find solutions to difficult problems, making creativity vital to their jobs.
Workspaces that breed creativity not only attract and hold top talent, but also contribute to a company's ability to innovate and stay successful, says Mr Daljit Sall, associate director of IT with Randstad Singapore, a recruitment firm.
He says: "Providing recreational areas and well-stocked pantries is one way to engage the best creative and innovative tech minds. Encouraging a flexible work style with regular breaks throughout the day keeps creative minds refreshed."
Another quality common to such employers is flexibility in working arrangements, an attitude that says: "As long as your work is finished, I don't care how you do it."
This may mean that no one finds it out of the ordinary if employees are gaming, hitting the gym or even taking a nap in the middle of the work day just to recharge.
This works only if employees are in sync with the larger goals of the company, so that work does actually get done.
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