An Interesting 3-day Orientation at My New Job

I am taking a short break from my Europe Trip posts as I want to write about my experience at the 3-day orientation I attended at work.

As you know, I recently started a new job which required me to attend an orientation. Unlike my previous experiences where orientations are just held for a day, in my new organisation, we had to do it for three days! Initially, it was quite odd for me and I was questioning hard if I really had to attend this. Three days was quite long and I had a lot of work to do. But in the end, I really appreciated those three days. It was a great introduction to the organisation; it allowed me to meet colleagues from different departments; and it imparted to us the values of the organisation and emphasised the importance of our work. 

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On the first day, the morning session was the typical get-to-know the organisation presentations. The presenters were the big bosses who have been with the company for 10+ years. One of them interviewed me! When I was still going through the hiring process, I was actually quite surprised that one of my interviewers was a Director. Haha! Anyway, they gave us insights about the company and also shared with us their personal experiences. 

In the afternoon, we had a team building activity in Sentosa. This team building was weird for me at first because we all just met and they were already expecting us to bond with each other. I'm kind of an introvert and I usually don't like joining these kinds of activities. But the activities were fun and engaging, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I found my self stepping up to the challenges and fully engaging in the experience.

The following day was a full day of talks featuring our colleagues from the Clinical Informatics Group who are actual healthcare professionals like doctors and pharmacists. By the way, just to give a context on why we have colleagues who are HCWs -- I currently work for the health tech agency of Singapore. We are responsible for the systems and technologies used in the public healthcare sector. Going back, the speakers have introduced us to the vast healthcare landscape in Singapore and the crucial role that our company plays within it. I was finally able to gain a deeper understanding of some of the systems that I have been hearing since joining the organisation, some of which I have even used myself. Having lived in Singapore for almost 10 years now, I am well aware of Singapore's reputation for being technologically advanced, but after these talks, I am still incredibly impressed on how "high-tech" they are. They really value healthcare here and they are leveraging the use of technology to make it even better for its citizens. I can only hope that my own country can achieve even 10% of what Singapore has accomplished, though I am pretty sure I won't witness that in my lifetime. Haha!

On the last day of orientation, the morning was dedicated to presentations from different departments like HR, Cybersecurity, Finance, and Procurement. These talks provided us insights into the roles and functions of each department. In the afternoon, they have arranged a visit to a nursing home to give us a firsthand glimpse into an institution that we support. This turned out to be my favourite part of the orientation: instead of diving into the tech stuff, they gave us time to bond with the residents; we played bingo with the uncles and aunties. We also had a short session on how to operate a wheelchair. Personally, it was a touching and humbling experience. It was a good reminder that although we are in IT and not directly involved in providing care, our work is important and has significant impact to the community. Although I am not Singaporean, I am quite proud and fortunate to be part of a society that places such high value in both technology and healthcare.

Before finally ending the day and wrapping up the 3-day orientation, we had a short activity where we discussed the things that we have learned about the organisation and the things that we would like to achieve in our first year. For me, it was great to learn about the intricacies of Singapore's complex healthcare industry, and to understand the core values of our organisation. To be honest, I initially had some reservations about the company because of the Glassdoor reviews online, but attending the orientation has reassured me that I am in the right and better place, and I am committed to thrive here. As for my goals, I share the sentiments echoed by my colleagues: rather than setting high expectations for myself, my aim is to survive and navigate my first year successfully. I still have lots to learn as this is a new industry for me but I am excited for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead!