Contrary to popular belief that working in MINDEF means a highly confidential and ‘isolated’ workplace with minimal people interaction, there is actually strong bonding and a ‘family’ culture among colleagues, thanks to social media.

Despite being in different offices, my colleagues and I enjoy sharing ideas and engaging in non-work-related conversation, like solving mind-boggling puzzles and giving food recommendations, through our WhatsApp group chat. It is also essential for us to remain contactable after office hours.

But while we strive to attend to all urgent requests, there is a need to prioritise our work and manage the expectations of both our management and external stakeholders. The greatest challenge while leveraging technology at work is to be vigilant and comply with strict guidelines to prevent security breaches and classified information leakages. Nobody wants to be charged with ‘a nasty surprise’!

– Chan Hui Min, Executive, Defence Industry & Systems Office, MINDEF