A compassionate landlord

I was a civil engineer in my first job (five years), switched to lease management at a small two-development landlord and subsequently joined a bigwig developer/landlord. Many colleagues ask me how different it is working in the private and public sectors. After a short one and half years in a statutory board and working in lease management, allow me to first share my early observations on the differences in the two working environments.

Money makes the world go round? Money is the main objective for private companies. Most private landlords would enforce terms of tenancy strictly, regardless of whether there are genuine reasons the tenant may have for breaching it. But the government as a landlord gives due consideration and is willing to deviate from terms especially where there are compassionate grounds to do so.

It's not my purview. There is also office politics and general pushing of work around in the private sector, especially larger organisations. But because the government's organisational structure is more complex (for example, different localities or various types of services) and officers have specific duties to fulfill, such scenarios really do happen to a larger extent in the Public Service.

Elitism or talent management? In recent years, the government has been encouraging feedback from the public on new policies and I feel that by doing so, it is moving away from elitism in acknowledging that others' opinions do matter.

Integrity. This is a big word that does not surface in the private sector too often but is one of the core values of the government. So far, integrity at my working level means sticking to the system as promised to the public and not making amendments too often or too soon once a system is implemented.

Emily Kang
Singapore Land Authority

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