Understanding China Corporate Culture

There are countless differences between China and wherever it is us Laowai call home. One of the biggest (and most glaring for many of us) is the office and business culture we are immediately subjected to upon landing our first job. Today, we dive into a world of contradictions and confusion to try and understand a bit more about Chinese corporate culture.

Inside the office

The fast-paced, go-getter attitude of the West is a thing of the past when you arrive in your first Chinese office job. Meeting tight deadlines and the like, while still relevant in some positions (i.e. MEDIA), are few are far in between in a country and culture that takes pride in their ability to sit-back, relax, and enjoy life a bit more than their New York City counterparts.

Clothing

While most jobs in Western equivalents of Shanghai require at least business casual, you’ll mostly likely end up in a job without a dress code. Moreover, wearing a tie (a requirement I had for over two years in NYC) is out of the question. In fact, wearing a tie in most Chinese offices is seen as a sign of showing off and placing yourself above your co-workers / superiors, a big no-no in regards to Chinese business etiquette. Do yourself a favor and dress casual.

Relationships

“Guanxi,” that cliché term you hear every day, is real as all hell. It’s extremely rare for the average office worker to be “pals” with their boss in most Western countries, outside of the startup world that is. In this particular case, it’s what most foreigners would recognize as “networking” or quite possibly even “brown-nosing.” Whatever you call it, if you’re having lunch with the big boss every day, you’ve got some job security and probably a nice New Year bonus coming your way. Start practicing up your Chinese and he’ll probably invite you to his hometown for Spring Festival.

Lunch Time

Last but not least comes lunch time. In New York, you’d be running outside, shoving a falafel down your throat, maybe have time for an absolutely necessary three or four cigarettes, then back to the office. China, with its incredible cultural importance on food, tackles lunch in two types of ways. You’ll often find your local colleagues either taking a one to two-hour nap at their desk OR ordering a 3-course meal to leisurely enjoy before returning to work full & happy (and tired).

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