Q. I'd like to hear more about
other people's
experiences with
different cultures at work.
A.The experiences of other people who have left their home countries and traveled to Tokyo to work don't always turn out as expected, and they aren't necessarily positive stories. Some have experienced failure at work due to differences in customs or language, and others have discovered new things about Japanese work culture.
There is so much email. Most emails have a huge number of CC recipients, and it bewildered me at the start how people sitting right near me would send simple reports via email. I wondered why, but then I realized that reporting our work situation to each other helps us cover each other's work. I was really surprised at the difference in work culture.
Malaysia, age 29,
service industry
service industry
In the workplace, results must be improved not only as individuals but also as a team. At first, it was confusing to help with work outside of my responsibilities, but as I was helped by colleagues and seniors outside of my team, I realized the importance of this, and I am building trust with my colleagues with an awareness of being a team player.
Indonesia, age 32,
IT
IT
Meetings are often not a place for discussion, but for reporting. Spending so much time just sharing information seemed inefficient to me, but it gave me the opportunity to listen to the experiences and circumstances of other people, so meetings were also a place of learning for me.
Taiwan, age 26,
service industry
service industry
When I was studying Japanese before coming to Japan, I was worried that I would always have use proper manners and etiquette, but I have found that employees are kind enough to tell me if I make a mistake and are quite forgiving as long as I understand what they mean.
Vietnam, age 32,
trading company
trading company
I had the image that people in Tokyo always worked until late, but recently I feel that the idea of work-life balance is gradually spreading. I also rarely have to work overtime except on days when I have a deadline, so I can enjoy my private time on weekday evenings.
United States, age 36,
IT
IT
