Scheduling meetings and cultural differences
When I first moved to Canada (originally, the first Anglo-saxon country I called home). I noticed a marked difference in the work patterns with respect to Mexican (and other countries like Spain) standards. For example, in Canada, it is usually traditional to work from 9 am to 4 pm, with lunch usually happening around 12 (noon). Thus, I have observed how people schedule meetings at 2pm (something you’d rarely do in Mexico)
Unless it was a lunch meeting, you almost never would organize a meeting at 2pm in Mexico. But I’ve grown used to this system. As a matter of fact, I changed my eating habits when I moved to Mexico for a couple of years. I went to have lunch usually at 1pm (at the latest) and I would often organize meetings with colleagues abroad (e.g. phone or Skype meetings) around 2:30pm (when most Mexican people would be having their lunch). It’s funny how one adopts social norms and customs from the culture where you are most immersed.
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- Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (Whistler, BC)
- Scheduling project work early in the morning
- Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
- The powerful reverse cultural shock
- Lorena Ochoa wins Canadian Open (golf)
Who do you know that only has to work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.? Aren’t most workdays at least 8 hours?
Also, I don’t think it’s really that funny that you’d take on t
Weird! Your blog just posted my comment as I was typing it! The rest of the comment should read:
…that you’d take on the customary lunch hour here. I mean, if people you are working with book meetings at 2 p.m., you just have to go to them, no?
More importantly, what are the customary work hours in Mexico?