How to do Business in Balikpapan

You might think that work in Balikpapan would not be so different from work in the UK..... well, things are not always quite so straight forward...

Meetings

Much the same as in the UK, these can be perceived either as a distraction from the working day, or an opportunity to skive out of the office for a little while. This is especially the case when you consider that TotalFinaElf has offices in Balikpapan, Jakarta (a two hour plane journey) and oil-fields a 30 minute helicopter ride away. To illustrate, two people, both based in Balikpapan, were making arrangements to meet each other - in Jakarta!

Actually, you don't need to rush to a meeting. If you announce a meeting at 11:00, people (Indonesian and French) will not arrive until 11:15. Of course, the same interpretation of 'Rubber Time' does not apply to the end of the meeting. This will always be at 12:30 - no earlier because that means doing some work before lunch, and no later because that means working through lunch!

On a related subject, always allow yourself plenty of time to get to a meeting, even if it is in an office just down the corridor: people walk at a very different pace here, and there's no room for overtaking!

Travel

So how do you get from Balikpapan to Jakarta for that all important meeting? The plane leaves Balikpapan at 9.00am, and there is a 1 hour time difference, so even on a bad day, you can make it to the office by lunch-time. Unless you need to avoid the office, in which case the traffic in Jakarta will of course be 'gridlocked' (predicted many weeks in advance) and you won't be able to get there for days. Or weeks.

Fire Safety

Quite recently, there was a fire in the Finance department of a local company and some buildings were burnt down in a matter of minutes. It is of course pure coincidence that it happened 2 days before the government auditors came to check the accounts....

Anyway, to familiarise staff with procedures, a fire drill was arranged for the following week - nothing too complicated, everyone was warned in advance, no need to panic etc etc. The alarm went, everyone left the building. The expats tried to find the muster points ready for a roll call which never materialised, while everyone else got in their cars and went home. The visiting auditor, also wanting to go home, decided to go back into the office for his lap-top so that he could pop off. The only positive thing is that the real fire happened out of working hours!

'Yes Men' everywhere

It is embedded in the local culture not to say 'no'. There are several ways to suggest a 'no' response - one of which is 'yes'. Whilst this can be a little frustrating in day to day life, it can lead to critical misunderstandings at work.....

Have you finished the report? - yes (meaning no).

Do you agree with my decision? - silent nod of the head (meaning no).

Months later you are asked by your manager - 'Where is the report?', 'Why did you make that decision?!"

Security

Of course security is a constant concern around the company. Unfortunately, when the Company Director drove into the company without any security checks, he ordered extra checks from the Head of Security.... Result - 1/2 mile tailback of vehicles entering the company the following day, with everyone arriving at least 30 minutes late.