If you’re new to China, you’ve got a lot to wrap your head around—new language, new food, new people and new challenges! One of the biggest differences is that China is what sociologists call a "high-context culture," where values, rules and social norms are primarily communicated through contextual elements, such as body language, tone of voice or status, rather than being explicitly stated. Sound like a minefield? It can be, especially in a work environment. Let’s dive into our newcomer’s guide to surviving the Chinese workplace.
Getting the job done
In the Western workplace, what usually matters most is that the job gets done. Many companies give employees the freedom to wear headphones, chat with colleagues and take short breaks as long as they stay on task and deliver good work. Encouraging work-life balance is also seen as essential for maintaining morale and preventing burnout.
In contrast, success in the Chinese workplace often depends on appearing busy and working long hours, regardless of productivity. Yes, your Chinese colleagues might take a management-sanctioned nap at their desks after lunch or spend time on their phones, but they will also stay late into the evening and wouldn’t dream of leaving the office before the boss, regardless of their contracted hours. After all, this is the country that gave rise to the “996” workweek, where employees, especially in the tech industry, are expected to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week!
Knowing your place
Hierarchy is clearly defined in the Chinese workplace. Your boss likely doesn’t want to be your buddy (unless they want to show you off as a sophisticated foreign friend) and is probably not that interested in your opinion. While Western companies often encourage employees at all levels to speak up if they have a good idea, you need to tread carefully in China.
Maintaining “face” is everything here, so be mindful of how, and to whom, you express your opinions. Don’t say anything publicly that could be seen as criticizing the status quo or someone else’s work. If you’re a junior employee but have a great idea, present it to your boss privately or over email, and don’t expect credit or praise (more on that later).
If you have an insecure boss, they might even try to make you, the outspoken foreigner, lose face in front of your colleagues. This happened to a coworker of mine who had a prestigious career back home before being hired as a simple English teacher in China. Because of his prior experience and his habit of speaking his mind, one of his supervisors would publicly chastise him over minor issues to assert her authority.
If you’ve been brought into a Chinese company as a manager to shake things up, be patient and diplomatic when introducing changes. Compliment your team for the work they’ve done so far before suggesting tweaks, and never criticize individuals in front of the group.
Praise isn’t always appreciated
Surprisingly, public praise can be almost as problematic as public criticism in China. A Chinese friend once told me, “It’s good to be like a peanut in the office. I want to be a valuable fruit, but hidden underneath, where no one can see me.” What she meant was that she wanted to work hard and do well without drawing attention to herself or receiving praise.
Chinese people are often very modest and find compliments embarrassing. If you want to praise or thank someone in the Chinese workplace, consider doing so in private or via email. If you do decide to praise someone publicly, tone it down and use modest language. Instead of saying, “This person is absolutely the best at this,” say they are a hard worker. This will likely still cause some embarrassment, but using more objective, less exaggerated terms may help.
The highest form of flattery?
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, so don’t forget to be grateful when a colleague takes credit for your idea! It’s no secret that the Chinese are expert imitators, but what’s less well-known is that it’s culturally more acceptable to see a good idea and adopt it as your own. Just ask Nike what they think of Li-Ning.
If you voice your ideas in front of colleagues, be prepared for this to happen. Someone might outright use your idea or modify it slightly and pass it off as their own. This can be infuriating to foreigners, but there’s little point getting angry.
For one thing, your colleagues likely won’t see what the big deal is. They want to do a good job, and if copying helps them achieve that, they will. It’s not personal; in fact, it’s a compliment. While it may not feel that way, it’s a good reminder to keep your ideas to yourself if you don’t want them "franchised." Of course, this isn’t great for the health of the company, but if you care that much, you probably won’t mind who gets the credit, right?
The workplace as a family
In China, the collective—whether it be the workplace or the country—takes precedence over the individual. As such, the workplace is often viewed as a family. No wonder it’s so dysfunctional!
As the head of the work family, the boss expects reverence and obedience. In return, they will occasionally “treat” the office offspring to team-building activities and lunches, which are all but mandatory. Whenever possible, do your part and attend. An employee who doesn’t at least appear to want to be part of the work family may quickly become the black sheep.
Targeted indirect communication
Toxic bosses and idea-stealing colleagues aside, most of your Chinese coworkers will hopefully be nice people. As such, they will likely try to avoid causing you to lose face. Great! Unless you value straightforward communication.
If there’s an issue with your work or if they don’t want to do something you’ve asked of them, you may find that your Chinese colleagues avoid addressing it directly. If you suspect this is happening, encourage honesty. They’ll likely find it easier to express themselves over text or email than face-to-face, so try having difficult conversations digitally.
Even then, read between the lines. If you get negative feedback sandwiched between two compliments, it’s the negative feedback you should focus on.
No chat doesn’t mean no English
If you notice a Chinese coworker rarely says more than “good morning” to you, don’t assume it’s because they can’t speak English or won’t understand when you talk about them. Most Chinese people under 40 studied English in school and probably understand more than you think, even if they never speak it.
If you want to encourage them to speak more English with you, try chatting in your (no doubt terrible) Mandarin to show there’s no shame in making mistakes. You’ll probably feel as awkward speaking Mandarin as they do speaking English, but rest assured, the Chinese typically love hearing foreigners butcher their language. Nothing will win you friends—and laughs—quicker.
Know the norms, but don’t generalize
We’ve just discussed several typical traits of Chinese workplace culture. However, in a country of 1.4 billion people, remember these are broad generalizations. You’ll meet so many unique people here that it will be impossible to fit them all into traditional Chinese paradigms.
Think about your home country. You’ve likely encountered micromanaging bosses who only care about asserting their authority. And we’ve all known at least one conniving coworker with toxic traits. Sociologists might say that such personality types are more accepted in China, while in the West we distance ourselves from them, but here’s a simple truth: every barrel has its good and bad apples.
However strange you may find China’s social norms at first, always remember that we are all human, and ultimately, more alike than different.
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Keywords: Chinese Workplace newcomer’s guide to surviving the Chinese workplace
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