US business meeting decorum
Coming to the US to start a business is always an exciting and lucrative proposition. It’s also challenging because starting a business in a new environment can be difficult and take some getting used to. This is very much noticeable when it comes to setting up productive and effective business meetings.
It’s important to get familiarized with the difference in decorum between US businesses and those of Europe because there are some differences there and not noticing them mean you may end up seeming unprofessional or un-courteous.
Being on time
This is a simple rule and there’s no way around it. You’ll need to be on time and to follow the schedule that you’ve agreed upon with others taking part in the meeting. In Europe its customary that being 15 minutes late is accepted but in the US that would be disrespectful.
When you’re setting up the meeting its essential that you clearly mark when the meeting starts and how long do the participants have to RSVP to the invitation. All of these are done both when meetings are taking place online and when there are actual physical meetings.
Work hours
Americans are used to working long hours. This is the case when it comes to organizing a work day and a yearly schedule. Americans probably take the shortest vacations in the Western world. This is something to get accustomed to if you want to be in the loop with your American workers and associates.
Again a lot can be accomplished just by being direct, straightforward and setting your boundaries straight so you could ask about the hours and days off and make sure that you’re on the same page. All of this is to say not to be alarmed when you get a work email at 8 PM and set clear boundaries about when to answer it.
Team Buildings
Working on the personal relationship between coworkers is very important for American businesses. It sometimes seems like American businesses are very goal oriented and focused on work itself, but beyond that there’s always a need to work on personal relationships and to treat the employees as a second family.
Therefore, there will be a lot of chances for team building and you should take them and get to know your new American coworkers in a setting outside of work. No one will be angry if you don’t, but it’s what’s expected.
Political correctness
This is a topic that’s a subject of a lot of discussion recently. There are many who believe that the whole concept was taken too far and there are instances where that is the case. However, it’s still a big part of the office decorum since companies want to make their offices a safe space for anyone who can help the company in some way.
For the most part, the companies will provide the guidelines in regards to the language you can use and you should familiarize yourself with it. Other than that, exercise common sense and try to be sensitive to the perspective of others.
Being straightforward
Being oriented towards works and towards solving problems, Americans have become very straightforward when it comes to expressing their ideas and their concerns. It’s best to try to adopt this kind of approach to meeting discussions, yourself.
It may lead to unwanted confusion if you’re too tactical and tend to be beat around the bush when making your point. To some this may seem like you’re not honest. This may be difficult to those coming from less assertive cultures, but it can be something you learn over time.
American culture
Americans aren’t xenophobic and the workplace is very much a meritocracy. However, most Americans are very much steeped in their own culture and don’t know enough about foreign culture. The conversations, meaning those not related to work, will therefore mostly be about American culture.
This shouldn’t be that much of an issue since American movies and TV shows are already a big part of the global culture. Getting into American sports might take some time getting used to however, but it too can be done.
Conclusion
It’s important to familiarize yourself with the proper decorum in order to be polite and effective during business meetings with American partners and coworkers. This is sometimes as simple as making sure you’re on time but it can also be a bit more complicated when it require you to know more about American culture and arts.
It’s also important to try to brief and straightforward when you’re making your point. This is the consequence of the work culture that’s oriented towards goals and problems solving as American is. Take the time to know your colleges and establish personal relationship with them as well. It takes some time to adjust, but you can never go wrong with being hard working and having manners.
