I’ve found that quite a bit in my Chinese work place is similar to what one might expect in the U.S. The office itself would be readily familiar to anyone from the U.S.: a combination of cubicles, offices, and conference rooms, along with a nice kitchen area to prepare your lunch. Office attire would be considered business casual in the U.S., and most people trump into the office at 9 and leave around 6 or 7 each day. And like the U.S., everyone hates the commute! Though rather than grumbling about traffic, most staff grumble about the crowded trains in the Shanghai subway.*
Aside from this obvious difference, I’ve started to notice some more subtle cultural differences:
- No Anonymity: Perhaps my perception is colored by my last job at a giant government bureaucracy, but I’m used to some anonymity in a big office environment. When there are hundreds of people in an office, it’s unlikely that you will work with and get to know all of them! There’s over 300 staff in my office, and I’ve only met a fraction of them so far (maybe 30). However, everyone seems to know who I am! I suppose that’s what comes of being one of two foreigners (the other being a French Canadian partner) in the entire office! I can’t exactly blend in with the crowd.
- The Company Knows Best: While Americans might grumble about overly intrusive bosses (sometimes justifiably!), employees in China seem to expect, perhaps want, that the Company and their boss micromanage every part of their work day. About 20 minutes of my orientation was spent emphasizing that all employees must be present in the office from 9-6 exactly, and that lunch is only permitted between 12 and 1. Additionally, the company will only send my pay to one specific bank and required that I open an account there, supposedly because they think it’s the best bank.
This attitude even touches office supplies: my first few days I only had a single pen and pad of paper, and I couldn’t find any additional supplies around the office. I figured I just hadn’t looked in the right place yet for the supply closet (and I had a computer to do most tasks anyway), but I was eventually called into HR to receive my yearly stipend of office supplies. Apparently, the supplies are kept under lock and key, and employees get only a specific amount of pens, staples, and clips each year!
- In Defense of Piracy: One day at work, I was scanning an email (in Chinese) related to some litigation being handled by the firm, and something caught my eye: the name of the opposing party was in English, and that name was Michael Jordan. While this is admittedly a fairly common name, my curiosity was piqued. Could this be THE Michael Jordan? I set to work trying to translate the rest of the email. Sure enough, my firm’s client was a Chinese sporting goods company called ‘Jordan Athletics’, and its logo is a suspiciously Jordan-like silhouette of a basketball player dribbling! The Michael Jordan was suing them for appropriating his name and likeness without permission! I can’t imagine something quite so…blatant…from a U.S. company!
Though I’m playing no role in this case (unless Michael Jordan actually makes an appearance in China, then I might try to find a way to get myself involved!), I do think local ‘inventiveness’ regarding U.S. personalities can have its upside too. A few years ago, the Walt Disney Company learned that lots of schools in China were using Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse, in curriculums to teach English, though without the permission of the Walt Disney Company. Disney started suing these schools in China to prevent their use of Disney characters, but Disney also learned something valuable: Disney characters are extremely popular in China, and Chinese parents are willing to pay a premium for English schools using Disney characters. Disney decided that it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, and Disney began opening its own Disney English schools throughout China! Maybe Michael Jordan will decide to open his own sporting goods company in China!