Borders on the march to freedom!
Hers's a good topic to bring up with your managers tomorrow.
"English Only - in Singapore? (http://www.multilingualbooks.com/news-19.html#f0)
(2003) Staffers at Borders Books in Singapore are upset over a ruling that says they can speak only English at the workplace. The store has a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian staff. They have been required to speak English only - not only on the shop floor, but also in areas closed to the public, such as the stock-sorting room.
While the employees have no problems with speaking English to their customers, they feel that they should be free to speak in their mother tongue when it comes to talking to one another. One employee, who did not want to be named (Keep your posts annonymous.), said that the new ruling was 'ridiculous'.
Knowing that the policy will be difficult to enforce, some workers said they would continue to speak in their mother tongue when the duty manager was not around. (You just know they've all been fired and probably arrested at this poiont.)
Two staff members said those caught speaking their mother tongue are given either a verbal or written warning." (Demerit!)
Back in the day, when Borders was blowing their own horn about opening a store in Singapore, my first reaction was; what about "censorship week?' Doesn't Borders do a lot of pontificating about censorship and how they're against it? Singapore, until recently, didn't allow the sale of "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" to be sold there, for christ's sake! It was too subversive.
I immediatly fired off a letter to Joe Gable about this massive contradiction, which was then read to all the managers at their annual meeting which was being held in Las Vagas, where I'm sure a whole lot of work was getting done. (Note: This is one reason they can't afford to give you more than one raise a year.)
They used my letter as a foil to trot out their greatful Singapore managers (Not employees.) who claimed in a series of gushing letters (Very much in a Maoist vein.) how happy they were Borders was giving them work, as if Singapore is a poor country. Also, BINC said the very fact that they were providing the books, the few they were able to sell legally, would help open up the society. They don't have book stores in Singapore already? (If they did they're probably out of business by now thanks to big box Borders!)
So, not only was Borders making money but they were expanding democracy. Where have I heard that before?
Last I checked, almost ten years later, Singapore is still a crazy, cult of personality, authoritarian dictatorship.
"English Only - in Singapore? (http://www.multilingualbooks.com/news-19.html#f0)
(2003) Staffers at Borders Books in Singapore are upset over a ruling that says they can speak only English at the workplace. The store has a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian staff. They have been required to speak English only - not only on the shop floor, but also in areas closed to the public, such as the stock-sorting room.
While the employees have no problems with speaking English to their customers, they feel that they should be free to speak in their mother tongue when it comes to talking to one another. One employee, who did not want to be named (Keep your posts annonymous.), said that the new ruling was 'ridiculous'.
Knowing that the policy will be difficult to enforce, some workers said they would continue to speak in their mother tongue when the duty manager was not around. (You just know they've all been fired and probably arrested at this poiont.)
Two staff members said those caught speaking their mother tongue are given either a verbal or written warning." (Demerit!)
Back in the day, when Borders was blowing their own horn about opening a store in Singapore, my first reaction was; what about "censorship week?' Doesn't Borders do a lot of pontificating about censorship and how they're against it? Singapore, until recently, didn't allow the sale of "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" to be sold there, for christ's sake! It was too subversive.
I immediatly fired off a letter to Joe Gable about this massive contradiction, which was then read to all the managers at their annual meeting which was being held in Las Vagas, where I'm sure a whole lot of work was getting done. (Note: This is one reason they can't afford to give you more than one raise a year.)
They used my letter as a foil to trot out their greatful Singapore managers (Not employees.) who claimed in a series of gushing letters (Very much in a Maoist vein.) how happy they were Borders was giving them work, as if Singapore is a poor country. Also, BINC said the very fact that they were providing the books, the few they were able to sell legally, would help open up the society. They don't have book stores in Singapore already? (If they did they're probably out of business by now thanks to big box Borders!)
So, not only was Borders making money but they were expanding democracy. Where have I heard that before?
Last I checked, almost ten years later, Singapore is still a crazy, cult of personality, authoritarian dictatorship.