8 improvements I’m going to use to become a better manager in Thailand

Since opening and closing my office here in Bangkok, I’ve had time to reflect on what I could have done differently to becoming a better manager with Thai employees.

Opening an office with 4 Thai staff last year was my first experience with managing people in an office setting. I had extra clouds above my head as I was dealing with a different culture, language and style of thinking. Looking back, there was no other way of learning how to manage Thai’s than to dig in and actually have a try. Overall, it was a great experience and I learned a lot from it.

Managing Thai staff for a year taught me many things about Thai culture and most importantly, how to excel in managing Thai people. Here is a short list of what I learnt and what I’ll be doing differently when opening up my new office here in Bangkok.

• Dress appropriately

It’s bloody hot here in Thailand and the thought of wearing a suite with a tie doesn’t appeal to me one little bit. However, if you are working in a smart office building, it is expected of you to dress appropriately. Thai’s in general do hold impressions on what people wear, so if you want to be taken seriously, a suite and tie is in order.

• Don’t stop interviewing possible new employees

A lot of foreign managers here in Thailand have said that their Thai staff are lazy… personally I think this is a mix of management skills and having the right staff working for you. In any country, it’s vital to have the right people in the right seats for their roles… if they are not excited about coming into work everyday, it makes sense for both the employer and employee to move on. This is why I recommend having one member of staff continuously advertising for new staff. Having a replacement on standby can make the change a lot easier if you decide to let someone go. This also let’s the staff know that replacing them is no problem, which might give them the extra boast they need.

• Don’t befriend your staff

One of the things I miss about working in London is the work social life. On Friday nights free beer was provided by the boss, it was a great way start to the weekend… or sometimes not so if we decided to move on to a club! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that with Thai’s… they expect the boss to be professional at all times, if the boss is not, they may start to loose respect for him. Keep work and social completely separate and there will be less chance of the Thai employees thinking and talking about you in a non-professional way.

• Work longer hours than anybody else

I strongly believe staff will only work as hard as the leader, even more so with Thai staff. With my new office, I’m going to make sure I arrive and leave the office an hour before/after anyone else. This sets the tone that I’m serious and that I’m hungry for success and hard work - hopefully this will set an atmosphere that will spread to other employees.

• They won’t forget - Jai yen yen

If I fucked up when working in the UK, my boss would scream at me so much his veins would start popping out of his head. I took it like a man, went home and the next day I wouldn’t even think of what happened the previous day. I’d meet up with my boss and he would start talking about the football from the previous night. This is very common with working in London, it’s the way it is. In Thailand, if the boss did the same to a Thai member of staff either privately or in front of other staff, they would lose face, and you can be sure they would never forget. There’s a high chance they wouldn’t return. You also have a high possibility that other members of staff would loose respect for you as well. You have to be very careful and wary of how you handle Thai staff in sticky situations - When they do something wrong or make a mistake, handle the situation very calmly in private. Give reasons what they did wrong, what they can do to improve and a plan on how to make it right.

• Keep your personal life outside the office

Arguing with your girlfriend on the phone should be done where your Thai staff will not be able to hear - If they do, they may start to loose respect for you. The same goes for asking Thai staff for help and advice on Thai girls …. You tell one Thai staff, and the whole office may end up knowing about your private life. Keep it strictly businesses within the office and with all members of staff.

• Have a suggestions box

Thai’s in general do not speak up, they find it hard to complain, offer their thoughts and opinions on all areas of office/business life as they are scared they will make someone loose face. I’ve been taught to work very differently: be straight as you can, speak up when you think something could improve within the business, come up with your own ideas, if someone comes up with an idea that you think is nuts, let them know why you think it’s a crazy idea. Having a suggestion box or email address may give staff the option to express their ideas and thoughts without loosing face. Personally, I’m going to open up a free gmail account and publish the password all over the office: any staff can log in and send me an email without adding their name to the email. Feedback from staff is important, setting up a system where they feel comfortably providing feedback will make it easier for them. After all, you need feedback from everyone involved in the office to improve.

• Always do what you say your going to do

I’m a nightmare for this one, I always come up with a million ideas and only execute a few of them. I like to discuss ideas with others to get their opinions. Unfortunately, my previous staff couldn’t quite understand why I would start a project and tell them to stop working on it once I come up with a more profitable project to start working on. To be fair to them, it was poor managing and poor business minded from my side that gave them the confusion. Only I can change this, so in future I’ll be careful with what I say, and make sure that I keep my promises and do what I say we are going to do.

These are just some random thoughts, not a guide on how to manage Thai employees in Thailand. I guess all the points above boil down to: “Be professional at all times”

Have you had any experience with managing people outside of your own culture/country? I would love to hear your experiences.