What are the differences in workplace etiquette in the UK vs the US?
Posted by Notveryimportant12@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 179 comments
This is kind of embarrassing so I'm using a throw-away account, but what are the major differences between workplace etiquette and culture in the UK vs. US?
I'm a fanfic writer and am writing one right now, however, the series that the fic revolves around takes place in the UK, and more specifically London. What should I keep in mind or make notes on? What are some good resources to do additional research? most of what I could find online was vague or only about the difference in how interviews are done- Which IS helpful- just not the information I need.
I have a friend who lives near some of the areas that are mentioned/featured in the series, so I can ask him about travel and such, but he's never had an OFFICIAL job and only does freelance work and art commissions so he can't help with this very much.
Thank you for your time! :)
Drug_Taker917@reddit
Most people here won't have ever worked in the US, so won't know the differences. What specific things are you after advice on? What kind of industry? Workplace banter, social aspects, office tropes?
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
More specifically the social aspect for a regular boring office job. Mostly since I usually focus on interactions between characters in my writing. I only realized after posting that there probably wouldn’t be many people with experience working in both places, but this is already more than I thought I’d get. :)
buzyapple@reddit
Banter, there is a lot of it, it is a massive part of how we communicate with colleagues and it helps everyone get through the day.
ResponsibilityOld372@reddit
I'm in a boring office job but I doubt it's much different from an American one. We talk about the weather alot so the first thing we will do is comment on it. If it's raining it's "I got rained / just missed it on the way coming in". If it's sunshine it's "and we are stuck here".
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
OP, I’ve posted some ideas already. I love britpicking and have even lectured on cultural differences in my day job. What fandom are you writing in? I might be able to take a quick look if it’s in a fandom I would enjoy and not too long.
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
I’m mostly doing research in advance because if I don’t know much about a topic I like to read and reasearch for a month in advance on a topic. Since I don’t have much written down yet besides notes on little changes to the timeline for the AU I’m writing, it won’t be started for a while, the fic is about The Magnus Archives! The 10th anniversary of the podcast’s release was recently and I convinced him to give it a listen. :)
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
Watching the English has a whole chapter on small talk I think. It’s a sociology book written by a researcher who treated English like a tribe and experimented on them. It’s also hilarious.
TumTiTum@reddit
Think of it like this.
You say to an American, on a Monday morning in the office, "How's it going"? you get, "I'm great!", "Fantastic!", "Good thanks how about you?"
You say the same to a Brit? "I'm ok it's all the others", "living the dream" (sarcastically), "Well it's Monday"
We're more downbeat, and seemingly happier being miserable than you folks. It's like even if we are happy we don't want to admit it, whilst you folks don't want to admit it if you are unhappy. That was my lasting impression from a brief tour of your corporate culture compared to my own.
CAElite@reddit
I've worked in both, the UK I've worked in factories in equipment maintenance, and as a mobile commissioning/service engineer. Spent about 9 months all in working in the US as a mobile commissioning engineer.
One thing I noticed a lot in the US is definitely the smaller barrier folk seemed to have between work friends and 'real' friends. A lot more socialising happened after work before going home.
Canipaywithclaps@reddit
Probably doesn’t apply to London - due to London offices being full off people that commute by tube or train, lots of people go to the pub after work
Puzzleheaded-Lynx204@reddit
Yes, I'd agree. When I lived and worked in London too many years ago, it was pretty generally accepted that Thursday night was work pub night. Friday night was reserved for your actual friends.
CAElite@reddit
Thats a fair point, the areas I was working still very much had the culture we had about 15 years ago.
You'd drive to the pub, have 1 or 2 drinks then drive home. Not many people drunk to excess.
I'm based up in Scotland where the transport links stop at 8pm and a taxi home is a days wages so likely the opposite extreme in that regard.
vishbar@reddit
I have worked in both. I'm a US citizen who moved to the UK about 15 years ago and have worked in the UK since.
Honestly...there aren't that many differences. It may be because I moved from San Francisco to London, both very international cities with very international workforces, but I felt like I slotted right in.
Most of the other comments here are operating solely off lazy stereotypes, but really standards for etiquette don't differ too much. There's more of an "international office culture" that tends to dominate.
If OP is comparing somewhere more regional--say, the offices of an HVAC company in Des Moines, Iowa to a small time manufacturer in Sheffield--there may be more apparent differences.
Curious-Term9483@reddit
Yep. I work in an international company and while I see there are differences between how my colleagues in the USA operate/approach things to how we would think over here, I don't know what things are like actually in the office over there. I only see the differences in how people behave in teams calls. (And it's hard to know what is a generic cultural difference and what is just the same differences in personality you would encounter between any 2 humans!)
TerryWagwan_@reddit
I'm not sure but an american worked at my last workplace for several months and their observations were that they noticed UK office culture seems more reserved and quiet compared to American offices. I think this is true to some extent.
Anaptyso@reddit
I used to work at a British company which got bought by a large American corporation. When working with our new American colleagues, I noticed quite a few differences e.g.
The American employees were more likely to answer emails outside of working hours. British colleagues wouldn't check their messages unless they were on call.
The Americans were a lot more differential to their bosses e.g. laughing at their jokes in an over the top way, treating them very respectfully, talking about the CEO as if was a minor celebrity etc.
My American boss thanked me for giving four weeks notice when I left, and seemed a bit surprised when I said it was standard.
In the British office we'd be more indirect about asking for stuff to be done e.g. saying "when you've got a minute could you look at X, it seems a bit less than ideal" when we really meant "X is an utter shitshow and needs fixing yesterday". The Americans would be a lot more direct.
According to the Americans every single thing was "AWESOME!". According to us everything was "alright".
The American office seemed to like having many meetings before taking a decision. The British office was more inclined to just wing it and figure out how to fix broken stuff down the line.
SWLondonLady@reddit
I once worked next to the Americans in an accounting firm. They were loud, regularly on calls and shouting aggressively and seemed arrogant. Flip side of this - we are too accommodating, use passive aggressiveness to highlight shortcomings and generally lack confidence.
Shielo34@reddit
The UK is more reserved. Bragging in the workplace is what a dickhead does. Also, speaking openly about how much you are paid is a taboo.
fastestman4704@reddit
With older generations perhaps but every colleague I've had mid 30s and younger has at some point openly compared wages to everyone else on the team. (Which you should, friends don't let friends accept being underpaid)
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
Sure, but I am 25 and find it uncomfortable. It's defo more normal than it used to be, but me my pay is private
SlavyanskiShillbane@reddit
You're letting your employer take advantage of you and your colleagues if you withhold that sort of information.
fastestman4704@reddit
If you don't want to talk about it that's fine, I guess, but you might be working next to someone who gets 5 grand a year more than you for doing less work and you won't know unless you ask.
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
I am usually the one getting paid more because I ask and do more. I also am happy with my salary even if that wasn't the case, and happy my colleagues are doing well. Comparison is the thief of joy
surfermark99@reddit
Comparison is the thief of joy certainly. But so is realising that you earn £10k (or even £20k) less than someone who works half as hard as you do. Keep your ears to the ground, because 'i ask and do more' is exactly the sort of person open to being salary abused.
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
Because at my work we have salary bands, and for my grade I am at the top of the pay scale
surfermark99@reddit
Your salary situation is only applicable to an incredibly small percentage of the working population then... You do you.
Active_Doubt_2393@reddit
How do you know if you don't ask?
StaticUsernamesSuck@reddit
I'm less likely to discuss pay with my personal friends than colleagues.
I work in tech and make a decent amount (not massive, but compared to my friends), so I would feel like a massive dick if I let on how much I make.
JayR_97@reddit
This is exactly why salaries should be public info. Keeping quiet about it just makes it easier for companies to get away with underpaying people
miIk-skin@reddit
I think this is an older generation thing. I'm a millenial and all my colleagues and I know how much each other gets paid. We all ever know how much each other's houses cost, how much the rent in their flats are etc.
Beartato4772@reddit
Weirdly the only person I've ever seen be annoyed about salary discussion was American.
vishbar@reddit
These are both exactly the same in the US. It would be considered very strange to brag or even mention how much you're paid in a US workplace.
yessirnosirmaybesirr@reddit
never understood the pay thing. i think its healthy to know how much all your peers are on. in turn you then know if company is taking piss with you or where you could be if you go for that job in the future.
Familiar_Crow_@reddit
Yeah I think this is definitely a generational thing that older folks don't like to discuss pay. We have a list of all the pay grades printed out and on the wall in my office (alongside the info about our union). People aren't named or anything, but you can see how much a grade 5 or 6 is being paid for example.
Rude_Rhubarb1880@reddit
Watch “the office” UK and US versions
ukslim@reddit
Exactly what I was going to suggest.
You might think, well it's a comedy, it won't be realistic. But in fact the UK version at least is very authentic; if something isn't really obviously an exaggeration, it's realistic.
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
A couple people have suggested it so far. Is it really mostly accurate? The US version is definitely over exaggerated so I didn’t consider it much! I’ll be sure to check it out if so! :)
YarnPenguin@reddit
There's a lot of workplace comedies- The Office and the IT Crowd, also Green Wing, The Thick of It, Black Books. Exaggerated for effect of course but there's truth in there.
We love a Meal Deal, that transcends sectors.
Everyone will talk about the weather.
After work drinks are an occasional thing, most people will try and get out of it but feel their excuses are shoddy and transparent so you'll end up going anyway.
It's always someone's turn to buy the milk and people who don't drink hot drinks will have to remind everyone constantly as it's just assumed that everyone drinks hot drinks.
The idea of a Work Bestie is pretty true over here too, sometimes they make it into Actual Friend but mostly it's Work Friend.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
The rows over the tea kitty can get wild. Though many places provide free tea and coffee. Shitty instant mostly.
The OP can have no idea how much tea is drunk. It can be hourly.
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
Haha yeah i didn’t realize it was actually a thing people did! As a kid i assumed the tea thing was just a stereotype. I’m sure my husband will be overjoyed that there’s somewhere in the world where people drink as much tea as he does regularly lol
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
It's mad. People drink tea constantly. You make before a meeting. After one you'll discuss the outcome as everyone makes another cup. You'll make one after lunch before going back to your desk.
Running out of mugs is a big issue in some offices unless the dishwasher gets run. Stealing somoens personal mug, even if it lives in the cupboard is bad form. Some people reuse the same mug, possible only washing it at the end of the day. Other people stack them up on their desk, half drunk then go and get a new hot one.
Most people have tea with milk and no sugar. But tradesmen often have more sugar. If someone asks for tea, it means with milk unless they specifically ask without. The only question is 'any sugars' which means how many teaspoon fulls of sugar. Hence the name teaspoon.
PuddingAndPie01@reddit
Someone's personal mug at my office went missing, they printed and put up posters to try and get it back
glassbottleoftears@reddit
Half hourly in an NHS trust I worked at
WoodSteelStone@reddit
The instant coffee in our office kitchen is kept in a giant glass container - think goldfish bowl with lid. Every morning someone who also looks after the stationery cupboard tops it up to the brim with more granules from a giant one he trundles around the building on a trolley. I've been there over ten years and never seen our bowl of coffee emptied. Which means if I dug through he layers to grab some from the bottom it would be more than a decade old. But I probably couldn't anyway as it looks to have set like tar.
YarnPenguin@reddit
Coffee terrarium
Sensitive_Tomato_581@reddit
We all love a meal deal? Not me - ultra processed processed sh*te dressed up as fancy!
Classic_Contract301@reddit
Could agree more with Thick of It and Green Wing, both stone cold classics
ukslim@reddit
In my early career - UK corporate software engineering, late 90s, lunchtime pub drinks and after work drinks were absolutely routine.
Anyone's birthday, they were expected to invite the extended team to the pub, we'd go to the local, and the birthday person would pay for all the drinks. Expensive on your day, but you make it back across the year.
Things have changed a lot though, for a number of reasons. I look back on the drinking culture in that place with mixed feelings. We had a lot of fun, and we worked well because we'd bonded. But a few people became serious alcoholics - not purely because of work-related drinking of course, but the culture must have contributed. It could be seen as exclusionary to non-drinkers. And so on.
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
Until the early 2000s at the Victoria AmEx office there was a lunch trolley and then an afternoon trolley. On Friday afternoons it had beers on it. Not free, but excellent value food and drinks.
prussian_princess@reddit
My experience so far has been that birthdays weren't necessarily celebrated. Most of the time, it was just a drink at a pub, if at all. Some brought doughnuts, but most didn't do anything at all.
In my last place I worked, people drank a lot. Two pints was the minimum for a drink, it seemed, and while it was nice that it was on the company's budget, I had nowhere near the desire drinking that much. I'm certain that some of the guys were functioning alcoholics.
ukslim@reddit
"It's my birthday so I've brought cakes" was a think in my current job, before we all abandoned the office during Covid.
My wife's office has consciously abandoned that tradition, on the basis that they were all eating cake more often than they want to!
glassbottleoftears@reddit
Early Peep Show too
ChipCob1@reddit
Big Train have done some brilliant office based sketches as well.
ukslim@reddit
OP should probably be made aware that wanking in the office is not generally acceptable.
YarnPenguin@reddit
Underrated for sure
Amonette2012@reddit
Horribly accurate, I can't watch it because it reminds me of temping.
Beartato4772@reddit
Obviously it's caricatures. And it's relevant it's now 25 years old.
But there is plenty to recognise there.
tcpukl@reddit
The pub is missing though in the UK version. Pub lunch and pub after work.
anxiousthroway85@reddit
As others have suggested watch British office based shows, and remember that it is usually and expected to click off at 5pm at the end of the day and sometimes earlier on Fridays with no expectation to work overtime and your work will certainly not be contacting you until you are back in work. When you want annual leave you put in a request and it’s granted with no guilt trips.
ZeroFrogsHere@reddit
Yes
I enjoy both versions but it's a great example of UK humour Vs US.
It's a lot less in your face and I think most people who work in offices in the UK can relate to the UK Office massively.
LazyBarracuda@reddit
This is the correct answer. The original UK The Office is at times excruciatingly painful, observational humour and covers a wide roster of personality types. The first series of Peep Show also delves into office culture quite a bit.
jastity@reddit
I spent my time watching the UK office consumed with tears. I’ve never been able to rewatch it.
LazyBarracuda@reddit
It could be brutal! I thought the ending was beautiful though.
ClumsyandLost@reddit
And other UK TV shows, to get an idea of how we talk in general.
Opening_Succotash_95@reddit
We get a lot more holiday time than Americans and you're expected to use it.
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
And enforced you take it, not just expected
ukslim@reddit
Sort of. I've known lots of people not use all their holidays.
The issue is that if someone doesn't use their leave, they feel entitled to carry it over. In principle you could carry over lots of holiday year after year, and then decide you want to take 3 months off.
So, employers set a policy of limiting carry-over to, say, 5 days. But then some employees will get to end of year and start hassling for exceptions "I know I've got more than 5 days to carry over, but I couldn't take the time off because the project deadline was looming".
So to counter this, HR departments are quite proactive about sending out reminders - make sure you take your leave, we won't make exceptions, and so on - so there's a trail and nobody can claim they weren't warned.
It's pretty common in the months leading up to the cut off date (usually Jan 1, but employers vary) for a certain type of employee to be saying "I've got a lot of holiday to use up, so I'll be taking off every Friday for the rest of the year". While other personality types are saying "I have to work between Christmas and New Year because I used up my leave in the summer".
Beartato4772@reddit
Legally speaking they have to make you take 28 days (I'm not saying it always actually happens).
ukslim@reddit
Eh?
Many people have 25 days of leave.
I would, if it weren't for holiday purchase and long-service boosts.
OutdoorApplause@reddit
The 28 days legal entitlement includes bank holidays. I assume your 25 days does not, so you have a total of 33 days, over the 28 day minimum.
VaferQuamMeles@reddit
28 includes bank holidays I suspect. So 20 days not including those. Some people have the option to work bank holidays and take the time off in lieu as if it were normal holiday.
unsure_chihuahua93@reddit
Yes and I would say we work shorter hours and there isn't an expectation of coming early/staying late (some industries, like finance, might be different...watch the show Industry for that!). People work during working hours and then log off. There are also legal protections that force companies to consider a certain amount of flexibility for parents returning to work, so a lot of people with young kids will work 3/4 days per week, or have a hybrid schedule that lets them do school drop-offs/pick-ups around the work day. Obviously more common for mums, but I know plenty of dads who also have some kind of part time/flexible setup since having kids.
MorningLanky3192@reddit
I think that depends on the industry. I work for the council, I and many of my peers and managers in grades above me are working way more hours than our standard, albeit flexibly. Many organisation are wildly underresourced these days
unsure_chihuahua93@reddit
Definitely true! I guess I've observed (working in the UK for European companies and dealing with US corporate clients) that Americans seem to feel like they always have to be available, and to work really long hours when their UK/European equivalents are saying happy to clock off and start again tomorrow.
SilverellaUK@reddit
And we don't work extra hours or when we are on holiday in normal jobs.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
This can depend. In higher paid professional and senior roles there is an expectation that you keep in vague touch while away and you often end up working in the evenings too. However it’s absolutely true that in more junior roles you can simply do a 9-5.
Beartato4772@reddit
Speaking as a person in a professional and senior roles the only times I truly get angry at people is if I hear from them while they're on holiday.
I have no company stuff on my personal devices and they will not be hearing from me for the next 2 weeks when I'm off. If they can't cope for 2 weeks without me, I've done my job very badly.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
Oh yeah. OP: 20-30 days holiday per year is standard often with bank holidays on top. 25+BH probably the norm. And it’s considered really bad if you don’t take it. Three months before the end of the what HR and line management will be on your arse reminding you that you must take time off. It’s for avoiding burn out.
Sick pay can be quite generous. In some places it’s a few days then onto government paid sick pay for six months, which is lower than many salaries. But in corporate jobs and professional and most middle class jobs either an insurance will kick in and pay you or the company will pay you. Many places have 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay. But unlike the US they’re not considered PTO to be used if you feel like it. You use only when ill. After a few days you need a doctors note. And you never have the American thing of donating sick leave to an injured colleague etc. you don’t need it. The idea is horrendous. And those injured at work get extra protections.
Maternity leave is one year and can be taken by either parent or shared. The government will pay up to nine months I think but at a lower rate. Many middle class jobs and large companies will pay for 6 months to a year at full pay or maybe 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay.
Healthcare is not usually tied to your job as we have the NHS which is free to all, great in an emergency and slow but still high quality for chronic stuff. In professional jobs and some others you may get private healthcare on top but that is a perk, it speeds up appointments but makes no difference to emergency care as that is always NHS. No one here is worrying about medical bills. The consequence of losing your job are therefore a bit better.
Classic_Contract301@reddit
How do you know that someone in the UK is your absolute mortal enemy and they’re going to pee on your grave before your coffin hits the floor? They blatantly don’t include you in their tea making run.
jcling@reddit
I can actually answer this because I have worked in both the US and UK haha
I have worked in New York City, Liverpool, Manchester, and have worked with Londoners.
I would say in the US, praise is a lot more common. Managers and colleagues will go out of their way to tell you if you did a good job. At one of my old workplaces, we'd have daily meetings praising each other on specific things we've done well. In the UK, this would be seen as very strange. (I kind of miss it.)
In the UK, praise is more infrequent. If you're doing a good job, people won't really say anything. Or it might be brought up in a formal meeting.
In terms of communication, British people are a lot more indirect. If you mess up, an American manager would tell you very directly what you did wrong. In the UK, they'd try to soften criticism by saying something like, "That is an interesting proposal..."
In the US, you're expected to go "above and beyond" more. People are more likely to work overtime. People take less vacations. "At will" employment is a thing; in most states, employers can fire you for whatever reason with no notice.
In the UK, people try to avoid burnout. Employees have more rights, especially after working two years at a company. It's expected to take holiday. People talk about their holidays A LOT. I'm weird and still have this American fear of taking holidays because in America, they'd be rejected. There's this taboo that if you go on vacation, you're letting down the team.
I would also say that American companies like to splash their cash a lot more. They're more willing to take risks. In the UK, they are a lot more cautious. There are less "perks."
In the US, a lot of people see their job as their identity. So they are more likely to bring it up in casual conversation. British people are more likely to separate work from their life. In casual conversation, they talk about their hobbies more.
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
Depends highly on the 'type' of workplace. Factory, financial institution, consultancy, school, hospital etc..
Some UK workplaces have a thing about making tea for everyone if you get up to make one.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
The Brits are maybe more cynical about corporate buzzwords. More likely to play buzzword bingo and take the piss out of those using the words. Though eventually words do drift in and become the norm.
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
We definitely did play buzzword bingo!
Now, can you escalate this issue, we need to solutionise something before end of play
The_Gene_Genie@reddit
Park that thought, we'll swing back round to it then throw it at the wall to see what sticks
Puzzleheaded-Lynx204@reddit
One thing to note is that although we do use buzzwords, we don't have American football or baseball. So no linebackers or quarterbackers will be involved. But if something is generic enough that it could feasibly carry across to another sport like cricket (eg "hit it out of the park") then it might have made it across the pond.
arfski@reddit
Aligned.
SpaTowner@reddit
Have people talk less about water coolers and whether someone took the last of the coffee without making a new pot, and more about how Derrick’s astronomical tea fund debt is the reason everyone is having to suffer Tesco own-brand tea instead of Yorkshire Gold this month, and he leaves a wet teaspoon in the sugar bag.
Sea-Still5427@reddit
It's going to vary hugely. Can you give some examples of context? What kind of job, level, business, industry etc.
terahurts@reddit
To some extent it's going to depend on the industry. I've worked for a US multinational (in IT). My US counterparts seemed to have less flexibility in the way they could do their job. Everything was 'by the book;' and required multiple sign-offs up and down the management chain and there was a big expectation to do (unpaid) overtime to meet targets. Whereas the UK and EU offices tended towards a flatter management structure and more a more relaxed management style, letting staff take the initiative to get things done. On the flip side of that, we were also more personally accountable for fuck-ups since we didn't have the protection of half a dozen managers signing stuff off at every step.
There was an expectation from the US that we'd put the company before personal life which caused a little bit of friction here and there.
On all-hands conference calls, the UK and EU staff seemed more likely to ask questions about why changes etc were being made, wanting to understand the reasoning behind them.
Holidays were a big difference as well. My US counterpart had something like two weeks of contractual paid leave plus another week for long-service. I started with four weeks and earned an extra day a year. On the other hand, most of UK staff would eat lunch, working at their desks whereas the US guys were protective of their lunch breaks.
US office staff weren't unionised whereas most of the UK office staff was.
Tea/smoke breaks rather than watercooler discussions.
One thing that surprised me a little: The US guys were much more invested in the company culture; they'd play on company sports teams, go to weekend company cook-outs and wear company logoed clothes outside of work. It was a real source of pride for them. We were a lot more cynical and, occasional company funded BBQs and one or two bowling nights aside, didn't really go in for all that sort of stuff. Once 5:30 rolled around, the lanyards came off and any social activities between staff were personally, not corporate-arranged. TBF some of that could have been down the size of company, the US site was an absolutely huge employer in the city where it was based whereas my UK office employed about 100 people.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
When US HQ branded clothing arrives here we either ask whether we’re being paid modelling fees or we stick it on the DIY pile and paint in it.
Beartato4772@reddit
This happened once in a recently bought company I worked with. The pile granually disappeared over the course of a year for always this exact reason.
I saw exactly one person ever wear one unironically and he's the person you'd have guessed would.
terahurts@reddit
Yup, I had no problem wearing the corporate fleece and a polo shirt during business hours and I've still got a couple of their golf brollies but I drew the line at wearing them outside of work unlike the US guys who wore down to them in hotel bar when they were over this side of the pond. Although, in their defence, in US at least the company is very well known and popular in the industry they work in.
jiajune3@reddit
The tea round is mandatory. In a UK office, if you get up to make a tea or coffee, you are socially obligated to ask everyone in your immediate vicinity if they want one. In the US, it's every person for themselves. If your character makes a tea and doesn't ask, they are officially the office villain.
Beartato4772@reddit
This has not been true in any UK office I've worked in outside very small close knit teams.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
No one will outright criticise though. They’ll just grumble under their breath and make quietly sarcastic comments.
Unhappy-Philosophy-9@reddit
You’d be hard pushed to find an Englishman that uses the phrase ‘table an offer’ or something along those lines. It’s seen as an Americanism and usually avoided.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
You should write your own stuff instead of mutilating other people's work
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
The creators themselves approve of fan works and frequently interact with fan-made media. I do write my own original works, but I prefer fanfiction because it allows for a creative medium to express my love for a series in addition to my fanart and deep dives I do on my main account. Also, the ending was just REALLY depressing. My husband just finished the series and has been sad his favorite characters both died so I’m writing the fic as a “what if they lived and nothing bad happened?” Scenario. :)
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
I’m both a writer and a fanfic writer. Fans engaging in your work enough to want to write fanfic about it is the ultimate praise.
ukrepman@reddit
Why? I've never read a fanfic but it's just a bit of fun and doesn't hurt anyone. Tell me what your hobby is and i'll tell you why it's stupid
d-a-s-a-l-i@reddit
Maybe less a workplace etiquette, but it leads to different dynamics (in my experience of working in California and London).
Most people in California drive to the office, which means that everyone leaves at a different time and once they leave the office they’re on their way home.
In London everyone takes public transportation which makes it much easier to go for a drink afterwards. Some stay for 15 minutes other for longer, but most people can participate.
HalfAgony-HalfHope@reddit
There are exceptions for certain professions but:
Going for a drink after work with colleagues is very typical, especially if you're in your 20s and 30s, no kids etc. Sometimes happens at lunch too. I used to love a cheeky pint at 12 bells 😂 (lots of pubs sell food too).
People usually clock off at 5 and dont think about work until the next work day.
37 or 42 hour work week is standard. Most office jobs aren't 80 hours a week or anything mad.
Overtime is paid and not usually mandatory.
People usually get decent annual leave (I have 31.5 days).
Two week holidays abroad are normal.
People love a supermarket meal deal.
People stealing milk (rightly) causes rage.
If you start at 9 but you get there are 8, its weird. Unless you get flexi.
People who are too dedicated and by-the-book are referred to as 'jobsworths'.
FadedAlligator@reddit
full pubs at 5pm on Thursdays with everyone standing outside even if the weather is bad
DameKumquat@reddit
Fanfic? Look on AO3 for the tag 'Britpicking' and there's at least one guide to writing fic set in London.
The biggest differences are less bragging, knowing you can only be fired without notice for gross misconduct, you are expected to use all your annual leave (holiday), especially in finance roles where you may have to take two weeks off in a row, for security reasons, and sick leave is totally separate from annual leave.
And any employer will provide a kettle or boiling water tap for tea, yes.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
Can I ask what the reasoning is for two weeks off in a row for security please? Now wondering.
DameKumquat@reddit
It's not my area, but historically people in finance could set up regular payments and procedures that just happened to siphon off some money to themselves. Anyone not wanting anyone else to take over their job for a week or two came under suspicion. I don't know how much of an issue it is now payments are automated and all, but I hear it's still a requirement to take chunks of time off, in that kind of role.
IrrelevantPiglet@reddit
Any employer outside the public sector.
DameKumquat@reddit
I've been in 20 offices in the public sector and there's always been a tea point or a kettle. You just have to provide your own tea, milk and mug.
In a non-office job, facilities may be limited, but often still based round tea access, eg taxi driver huts.
Capital_Society_4064@reddit
If it's london based : A big part will be the thriving and matter-of-fact after work pub culture - no other place in the uk has the same situation as most places don't have the public transport network london has - meaning so many people Drive that they can't go to the pub after work other than a special occasion or similar. It's very standard on most days of the week that a lot of people will at least pop into the pub after work.
On a similar note any team christmas party or similar event will be very focused on the booze, more so than dinner or an activity( we do these too but only with booze)
From what i understand, it's more common in USA for your workplace to put money in for these sort of parties/social events, in the uk that's rare (dependant on industry) that instead each employee might pay for themselves or each put in a smallish amount and that is the fund for your party
People are usually less braggy unless they're in sales
Work hours : Unless you're in Finance/Law/Something super "high-powered" (or maybe if you're a junior dev at AWS/Google/Meta), at 5pm everyone clocks off, there isn't an attitude of trying to show off to your boss by staying till 7. There also isn't an expectation that someone would reply to an out of hours message immedietly/before work starts again, whereas in the US i understand that's sometimes sort of expected
AsparagusDramatic475@reddit
It's fairly similar in some aspects and different in others. We all know that people are the same wherever you go. There is good and bad in everyone. We learn to live, when we learn to give each other what we need to survive, together alive.
deathmetalbestmetal@reddit
wtf
AsparagusDramatic475@reddit
Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony, side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord why don't we? Peace brother xx
Unhappy-Philosophy-9@reddit
You can’t just be fired, they have to have good reason.
BigReference1xx@reddit
sorry to tell you, but yes you can be "just fired" - assuming you've worked there for less than 2 years.
As long as they don't fire you for a small set of specifically banned reasons (you're black / you're gay / you're pregnant etc) you are out of luck.
StaticUsernamesSuck@reddit
It's a bit more complicated than this.
According to the law, an employer must always have "a valid reason they can justify" for a dismissal, and they must have "acted reasonably in the circumstances".
This even applies during a probationary period.
The problem is that it's usually incredibly easy to justify firing someone. They can say that you didn't get along with the team and that will be enough.
Opening_Succotash_95@reddit
Although that's about to change to 1 year.
Unhappy-Philosophy-9@reddit
Then you can sue for wrongful dismissal and probably win, or at least settle. Usually the people who say ‘I got fired for no reason’, got fired for a reason.
BigReference1xx@reddit
That is just absolutely false.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/dismissal/check-your-rights-if-youre-dismissed/check-if-your-dismissal-is-fair/
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
Too broke to move countries I’m afraid. I’ll stick to writing and hearing about it from other people haha. That first part’s a shock though. Here in the US I’ve been fired for no reason other than the fact someone else was willing to do more unpaid work than I was willing to put up with.
ThatNiceDrShipman@reddit
I transferred to a US office for a few weeks about 20 years ago, I've also worked for multinationals with offices in both places. These are the things I have noticed:
US offices are much stricter about start times and in general start earlier. An 8am start is almost unheard of in UK offices.
UK teams drink a lot more. Like, a lot more - this is changing now but going out after work and getting plastered is still the default team activity. Can be a bit off-putting if you don't drink.
UK workers have a much stronger sense of worker's rights, less unfair dismissal etc.
US workers get paid a lot more.
Any food laid on in a US office is likely to be much better than in the UK, where it tends to be pizza, pizza and more pizza.
US folks are super friendly but a little guarded in their conversations with work colleagues; UK office workers may be slow to talk but then over-share if anything.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
Good point about dismissal. In the UK it’s very difficult to lose job once you’re in. The first two? years you are more vulnerable though I think that law is changing. Redundancies require consultation and mass lay offs will take months and involve lawyers on all sides, union potentially.
Unless someone commits a gross misdemeanour you can’t sack them and even then you need an investigation and time to defend etc. If you want to get rid of someone for any other reason then you’re going to have to do a PIP etc. If it’s simply a clash then you’re going to need to pay them off with several months salary. The idea of turning up, being laid off and handed a box of desk contents and security marching you to the door doesn’t really exist. In some industries you do get kicked out immediately for security reasons but then you’ll spend several months on fully paid garden leave.
Bigassbird@reddit
One thing the U.K work environment differs to the U.S is meetings and discussions:
U.K, Friday 3.40pm. Your boss emails you “have you got a quick half hour for a chat Monday afternoon?” Your weekend is now completely norsed because all you do is think about all the ways you’ve messed up and by Monday afternoon you’re gonna be sacked. Turns out it’s a two hour meeting with six of your colleagues to discuss a risk register on a project you’re not even involved in.
U.S, Friday 3.40pm. Your boss directly asks you “Do you have input for the XYZ Risk Register? I’ll need it by 5pm”
CatsChat@reddit
I haven’t lived in the US, but going on US shows, we don’t send out for coffee. There will be a tea and coffee area, usually with an electric hot tap ‘urn’ wired into the wall if it’s a big office, an electric kettle otherwise. If tea and coffee is supplied, usually the coffee will be instant, tea is teabags, the kind without strings. Some offices might have fancy pods or something.
In some offices there will be etiquette about offering to make a drink for others when you go to make one for yourself. So people’s drink preferences might be up on the wall somewhere. People assume that if you are drinking tea you will have milk in it - when I moved from Australia to the U.K. I never had milk in tea, but if people made tea for me on the tea round then they always put milk in. That and the limescale scum that floats on the top of a cup of tea in somewhere like London where there is hard water, made me change my habits so I have tea with milk now.
Teaspoons always go missing. There are passive agressive signs or emails that go up about missing teaspoons.
In public services - NHS, council etc, tea, coffee, milk, sugar etc aren’t provided so someone is probably running a tea and coffee fund or maybe just a milk fund. There will be drama about people making drinks without paying in, or using the milk to make a milk-based drink like a hot chocolate or ‘milky coffee’ instead of its intended purpose to top up other drinks!
Bigassbird@reddit
This person teas at work.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
Spot on though it depends which part of the public sector. Some do have free and fancy coffee machines.
TheZamboon@reddit
Workplace Etiquette varies from company to company. The only common theme I see across them all is time wasting, office affairs and middle management who do nothing except put up red tape and sit in meetings talking absolute waffle.
Forsaken-Yogurt-@reddit
Office affairs are definitely not a common theme where the f--- do you work haha
TheZamboon@reddit
A place with horny people who’s boundaries are clearly blurred obvs
BeardedBaldMan@reddit
I think it's more likely that you're unobservant and not part of the office gossip groups if you think they're uncommon.
Forsaken-Yogurt-@reddit
One person one time having an affair in the occasional office does not make them a "common theme" - that makes it sound like it's every office and usually several at once.
Plenty of people just work at work, that's a common theme
sloth_ers@reddit
The cheese... absolute cheese in every meeting when there are americans.
Honestly, its awkward to listen to whenever I join their meetings. They seem to be all "Companyname for life" or "Yeh Cletus is a rockstar" abd "Go Team" and that shit.
No, brits dont generally give a fuck about the company and dont feel the need to boast and over react ro everything
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
Haha as an American I’ve never had cheese in a meeting but it is a nice snack lol.
Difficult_Style207@reddit
I used to beta read Doctor Who fanfic for American writers to get the English nuance right. I can take a look if you like, provided its a fandom I can work with.
el-destroya@reddit
Depending on how much energy you're willing to put into it but if you're willing to read a book about it, I would strongly recommend the anthropology book "Watching the English". It's available online, I found a pdf copy hosted somewhere at one point and just downloading it, didn't even need to torrent it.
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I’ve written the title down so I can read through it tomorrow! :) I really appreciate it!
Puzzleheaded-Lynx204@reddit
There are lots of websites that offer help for expats working in the UK so they might be a good place to start as they will explicitly point out differences. Eg this one has a section on workplace etiquette: https://adleorelo.com/british-etiquette-a-guide-for-expats/
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
Oh! Thank you! I’ll be sure to read through it in the morning. During my initial search I wasn’t able to find much so I’m grateful for the help!
Eddie_Youds@reddit
Arrive 2 minutes early: "Shit the bed?" Arrive 2 minutes late: "Afternoon." Arrive in a suit: "Your court case come up?" Arrive having had a haircut: "Got your ears lowered?" Ask if anyone wants a drink: "G&T please" (Actually tea & coffee rounds are the backbone of the day with people taking turns to make large rounds for lots of people. Biscuits & cakes are also heavy hitters.) Ask how someone is: "Living the dream"
Bit old fashioned but Friday is often referred to as POET'S day ( Piss Off Early, Tomorrow Saturday )
Drewski811@reddit
This is going to sound rude, but if you don't know anything about the subject, why write about it?
There's no amount of research on this that's going to make you sound authentic.
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
I don’t think the question is rude at all! It’s a series me and my husband both really love and the series finale was emotionally devastating. Fanart just wasn’t cutting it to show appreciation and I know people in most fandom spaces would probably rather read that than my more formal analysis’s of each character. Plus I love learning- especially about other countries. I know a lot about Mexico, the Philippines, and native Hawaiian cultures because I have in-laws and step-family who are from there, but I don’t get many opportunities to learn about other places! :)
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
American offices are more hierarchical. Their structures seem inflated compared to ours (like our director is often a senior role more like your VP (except banking) though in some fields like tech the American structure prevails).
Again in the US there are more hierarchy related perks. So in the US corporate folk may look forward to moving from their cubicle to one day being senior enough to get a window desk and then maybe even an office. Also some places there still have special toilets for senior staff! Mostly here it’s more egalitarian. I’ve worked places where the CEO hot desks like everyone else and certainly senior staff mingle and sit with the ruck. Separate offices are rare but so are cubicles. We tend towards open plan with at most a short barrier you can usually see over between desks. Tables are often grouped collaboratively. Hot desking very common.
Obviously no guns in the office here!
Travelling for lunch: If you’re a professional or senior you tend to eat at your desk unless going out for lunch, more junior roles have a set lunch break. People bring sandwiches etc or buy them locally at Pret A Manger, or Boots or Sainsbury’s etc. If going out for a business lunch it will be within fifteen minutes (walk if urban) of the office. In America people will sometimes drive fifty miles up the motorway to get to a restaurant. Here we just walk outside.
Most will commute by public transport in urban areas. There are lots of rules to try to stop people using cars like limited parking, paid for parking, plus city wide emissions payments like ULEZ. Most will use bus, train, tube or walk. It’s not like the US where outside of certain areas trains are used by poorer people. Trains here are also b’ummin expensive and crowded. You probably won’t get a seat. The walk might be anything from 10-30 minutes and cover a few miles. We have pavements here and cities are made for pedestrians so it’s a completely different experience from trying to walk in the US. Exception is country side as public transport usually bad there so most use cars or maybe buses.
CicadaSlight7603@reddit
We are much more polite and indirect. Our criticisms are couched in euphemisms. On the web are tables with ‘translations’ of UK office speak and they’re honestly spot on. Moving from Kind regards to Regards is a death blow in UK speak. We don’t do big celebrations of performance, it’s all more subtle and showing off or big displays of corporate loyalty are laughed at. Cynicism is normal.
Watching the English book would be a fab resource for you though it doesn’t say much about offices. It’s the cheat to the English culture.
There is a funny YT/FB guy who does US/European comparisons of workplace culture. The UK is closer to the European culture. Dan Pulzello. Try a book like The Culture Map to learn how low and high context cultures differ. I think it contains some case studies of US transplants trying to figure out UK work culture. The BBC series 2012 and WA1 are comedies but give an idea of culture in more arty orgs.
CastlesandMist@reddit
American here in the UK. The UK workplace is a lot more relaxed and chatty. Lots of joking and lacks that annoying hyper-competitiveness you sometimes find in the USA. Anecdotal of course.
uneasy-chicken@reddit
STD in the US means short term disability, but in the UK means sexually transmitted disease. Caused me some confusion when my very quiet colleague said he'd been off due to STD.
cod1ngwolf@reddit
To start off: what kind of workplace is it, is it a large corporate office, or a small start-up, or somewhere in between?
Large corporate office: tends to be more rigid in structure with lots of middle management, there tends to be a "tea schedule" for who buys the tea and milk that week, large cubicles of 4 or 5 people. Friendly, quiet conversations happening, no shouting or raised voices.
Start-up: chaotic, lots of rushing around, very very laid back attitude, jeans and tshirt ok, beers at 5pm while discussing the next release.
Liquor_D_Spliff@reddit
Is this the UK .. ? I've worked at multiple large corporations here and never experienced any cubicles or a schedule for people buying tea.
cod1ngwolf@reddit
Yes, although in my defence it was in 2014 😂
Notveryimportant12@reddit (OP)
The main workplace in the series is a large office building. Mostly academic/record keeping related work.
ungarbage-@reddit
Another fic writer here: if you can specify what parts of the office/plot points you want to cover, people can give you more specific examples.
If you wanted to chat directly so you don’t have to lay your fic plan out here, let me know. I sympathise with the pains of fic research
ChipCob1@reddit
Office politics can be annoying and unavoidable, there are usually at least two 'cliques' in every office.
Comfortable-Fall1419@reddit
The English swear more in the office than most Americans would do.
But even then there’s huge variation across industries, and geographic locations. As a Uk’er politest person I worked with was a Minnesotan and the most potty mouthed a New Yorker.
Browbeaten9922@reddit
As a north American who has spent half their life in Britain I think it's a bit more formal maybe. I don't find people know much about their colleagues, so a bit more impersonal. Maybe this is just in London or a generatioal thing but I don't know the names of my colleagues spouses or the age of their kids for example.
The other thing I would say is people avoid confrontation and it can be a bit passive aggressive. People don't call each other out or make public displays of things. Competitiveness is generally frowned upon except in very specific sales type environments. These are all more general cultural stereotypes which permeate the workplace. Dryness of humour ofc as well, and a certain solidarity against management ofc.
Batalfie@reddit
Sick days aren't an allotted resource in the same way if you're not well enough to come in don't come in. Thohh sometimes people still do l, maybe they hoped they feel better as the day went on, feeling out of sorts affected Thier judgement, they got worse and so were fine in the morning or they're one of those insufferable people who don't care.
rising_then_falling@reddit
For white collar office work the UK is:
Less direct, especially concerning negative opinions.
Less formal in dress, language etc. Less business speak and business jargon.
Uses weaker adjectives for good things. No project is amazing or awesome. A near perfect project is "going really well"
Has less small talk, but when there is small talk it's more likely to be jokey/cynical/witty etc.
Has a stronger, less flexible, workers rights culture. People more likely to just say no to a meeting that starts at 5pm etc. People defending their sacredunch hours.
Slightly less deferential to authority.
Slightly less accepting of corporate bullshit.
Less customer centric.
Slightly less innovative. There will be more skepticism of radical ideas.
Slightly less dedicated. A greater percentage treat a job as a necessary inconvenience rather than as a fulfilling thing to do.
tetlee@reddit
Particularly in London people will go out for drinks after work with co-workers and depending on your line of work at lunch time too. It's pretty much required on someone's first day.
I think there are deeper workplace friendships in the UK versus the superficial US ones.
(Source: worked in the UK for 20 years and the US for 10)
quick_justice@reddit
The difference is absolutely dramatic as work culture in US and UK are completely different.
This thread won’t be enough to explain, you’d need deeper research.
In very short, fundamentally
UK workers have rights and healthcare. US workers live at the whim of the company
UK considers money and status important but not ultimate thing. In US money is a measure of everything and consumerism is unbound
In UK job is for living. In US job is a virtue.
As a result you will see a lot of long hours in US, no breaks, people eating at the meetings and desks, being subservient to managers and cutthroat about promotions and more…
skratakh@reddit
be careful with phrases and idioms, they don't always translate. For example the phrases "to table something" means completely the opposite thing in american vs british english
Possible-Highway7898@reddit
I agree, but there's no need to worry about it as long as you get a British proofreader to go over all the dialogue by British characters.
RRW2020@reddit
Probably unimportant for fanfic, but they are way more polite and fluffy in emails. Like you can’t start off with what you want from them, you have to start off with ‘I hope you are well.’ They called me rude and abrasive. But in person my office had a whole personality of bullying so they were the ones who were actually rude. People dress up bit more here (I was in the western U.S., though, and that’s pretty lax). They cuss a lot less. They eat cereal in the office, so work starts at 9 and people will have cereal at their desk at 9:30. And the tea breaks!! Totally acceptable to take a tea and biscuit break twice a day. And if you get up to make a cup of tea, you have to offer a cup of tea to everyone in your immediate vicinity. People get up a lot just to go make tea.
asymmetricears@reddit
I'd watch the UK Office and The IT Crowd. Both are slightly exaggerated for comedy, but they will give you a decent starting point for what work relationships and office etiquette are like.
Mc_and_SP@reddit
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Genuinely the first thing tech support will ask every time.
mrdibby@reddit
that's because it's genuinely the solution most of the time
in the mobile dev world its "can you clear app data and see if it starts working"
dinkidoo7693@reddit
Not everyone works in an office.
Our employment laws are different to the US
Most places give 28 days holiday
redspike77@reddit
Maybe the biggest difference is the tea alarm
Johnny_english53@reddit
Just watch YouTube clips of the IT Crowd..
Mc_and_SP@reddit
Richmond's out of his room!
Johnny_english53@reddit
I know....
Made_Up_Name_1@reddit
In the UK we get over 5 weeks holiday and take them.
Having worked in the UK for a US company it was staggering how many of the US based folk got as little as 5 days "PTO" a year and would be reluctant to take them in case they were seen as not being a "team player".
MapleLatte89@reddit
UK workplaces are usually a bit more reserved and indirect compared to the US. In the UK people tend to soften opinions (“might be worth considering…”) and avoid sounding too assertive. Dry humour and understatement are common, and silence in meetings isn’t awkward.
In the US communication is generally more direct and expressive. People give clearer opinions, more explicit feedback, and it’s normal to sound more confident or enthusiastic about your own work. Big one for writing: UK = less “self-promotion”, more reading between the lines. US = more explicit, open, and performance-focused. Also worth noting: London offices are very mixed culturally, so it’s not one uniform style
IainMCool@reddit
Watch The Office.
It's OTT but it's full of relatable elements, which is probably why it was so popular.
Puzzleheaded-Lynx204@reddit
Perhaps also Twenty-Twelve / W1A / Twenty-Twenty-Six for London-specific
ldn6@reddit
I’ve done both. US is much more work-intensive, UK people are nicer but don’t do more than they have to. You can be much cheekier and have banter in a British office in a way that wouldn’t fly in the US, but don’t expect people to have a “let’s do this” attitude.
cuccir@reddit
It might be helpful for you to post what you think a few elements of workplace etiquette in the USA are? Given that most people will be able to give you a British experience but not necessarily what's different.
Still, a few things:
* There's not the same sense of presenteeism that is in the USA. People are protective of break time, tend to have more annual leave (\~4 weeks paid usually), tend to come in for the start of their shift and leave at the time they're paid until
* Relatedly, there is less of a "we're all a family/community" vibe, and more of a "we're here because we have to be" vibe. It's not necessarily antagonistic or unfriendly, but there's not an expectation of collective positivity in that sense.
* In shared offices there are often well-established agreements about getting in teas (or coffee - not everyone drinks coffee, but we might often just say "I'm getting tea", and people would understand that they can choose a coffee). Whether that's going to buy some from somewhere, or going to the staff kitchen to make one. Generally speaking though, if you're getting one you might be expected to offer to get a tea for those around you.
* See above for things like buying biscuits, bringing in cakes for birthdays etc. Again, there's no fixed rules from office to office, but likely a locally-agreed custom that you're expected to fit into
missuseme@reddit
What kind of workplace? A building site is going to have different answers to a lawyers office or a supermarket
Rich_27-@reddit
I work in a City centre office block, please feel free to pm me specific questions and I will try to respond
FinancialScore9070@reddit
You always ask what someone is having for tea, as well as ask the people you didn’t ask the previous day what they had for tea.
Also, if you have had a 5 hours sleep and up all night, someone had 4 and it’s worse for them.
vipros42@reddit
Working with Americans I've found them to be surprisingly abrupt. We'd done some good work for the team in America, had good discussions during the process etc. Sent the final calcs and note to them and heard nothing, no acknowledgement or thanks. And yet through the grapevine we hear they were super happy with it.
Lostinthebackground@reddit
Whats the job and how big is the company? That will make a big difference.
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