news

I recently heard a joke from a graduate of Imperial College London.After returning to China, I changed four jobs frequently, and each job did not last long.

When asked why, he said:I don’t want to do things I don’t want to do, nor do I want to be criticized by anyone, and I don’t want to have my salary or bonus deducted because of criticism.

He didn't want to be a bootlicker like other employees, either licking their leaders or licking their customers, and sometimes even giving gifts to curry favor.

He believes this is not the case in the British workplace.He couldn't accept such a job. Not being criticized and not receiving gifts were his bottom line.

Although this is a joke, what it mentions is indeed a microcosm of the "reverse culture shock" that international students encounter when they return to China to find employment.

Especially in recent years, the enthusiasm of overseas students to return to China for employment has been high.Faced with the differences between domestic and international workplaces, international students suffer a great psychological gap, and employment tragedies are also occurring one after another.

There is a concept in sociology called "culture shock", which refers to the cultural discomfort people experience when they come to a foreign country and start a new life.

Many international students will experience culture shock when they first go abroad, but as you become familiar with your new life, this shock will gradually fade or even disappear.

What many people don’t realize is that “reverse culture shock” often has a greater impact than “culture shock”.

Reverse culture shock refers to the process of readjustment that people who leave their home country and live abroad experience after returning to their home country. This reverse shock is common among international students.

Especially when foreign culture collides and conflicts with domestic culture, it takes a long time for returned international students to readjust.

The degree of reverse culture shock is also related to the length of time that international students live abroad.Generally speaking, the longer you live abroad, the greater the reverse culture shock you will feel when you return home.

The protagonist of the story we mentioned above encountered "reverse culture shock" in the workplace, which resulted in his inability to adapt to the domestic employment environment, thus affecting his personal work and life.

In recent years, a large number of overseas students have returned to China to take the civil service examinations, little knowing that they will face even more severe "shocks" once they enter the system.

An associate professor who studied and worked abroad for 15 years and then returned to China to work at a university said,When I first returned to China, I was completely devastated.

When I was working overseas, apart from scientific research, I taught. My life was very pure, with work and life clearly separated.

But after returning to China, I need to attend various meetings and help my superiors deal with various trivial matters.

As a class teacher, I also have to deal with class affairs and administrative affairs. Students and leaders send messages anytime and anywhere, whether it is weekends or holidays.

The interpersonal relationships in the office are not complicated, but they are not relaxed either.Because the desks in the office are arranged strictly according to hierarchy, there is a suffocating feeling inside and out.

Therefore, the employment difficulties faced by returning overseas students is not just a problem of employment situation. The cultural and psychological impact is also a factor that cannot be ignored.

For international students who return to their home country to find employment, the inconveniences in life can be tolerated and adapted to for the time being, but "reverse culture shock" in the workplace is inevitable.

China and the West have different cultural backgrounds, and the workplace cultures that are cultivated are also very different.

Western society places more emphasis on personal interests and personal values, and individualism prevails, so the overall environment is relatively open and free. Everyone holds the same view: as long as you don't affect others, it's fine.

However, the country focuses on collective interests and collective honor, and everyone is considered a subset of a certain organization or institution.

Your words, actions, clothing, behavior, etc. all represent the image of the entire organization.

In the eyes of many international students, this is an interference with personal freedom, and there are many restrictions in the workplace, which makes it impossible for them to work with peace of mind.

In terms of communication, workplace communication in Western countries is relatively direct. Employees can express their own opinions and directly question each other's views. There is no strict hierarchy.

But in China, pointing out mistakes means being criticized, and may even be considered as targeting and attacking. Communication is not only about discussing the matter, but also about dealing with various complex interpersonal relationships.

Whether expressing emotions or opinions, you need to think twice. You must take care of the leader's emotions and respect the opinions of your predecessors.

International students who are too outspoken may end up being seen as “inflexible” and may even make you less popular.

This is because China is a high-context culture and communication is complex. During the communication process, one must observe the other's expressions and understand the implied meaning, emphasizing understanding.

Western countries such as the United States and Germany have low-context cultures, where the focus of communication is on content and logic, and they emphasize clear, simple, and direct expression. Therefore, many international students generally feel that communication is a big problem after returning to their home countries.

Chinese bosses are authoritative and paternalistic, with the final say. The hierarchy of superiors and subordinates is relatively strict, and the status of bosses and employees is not equal.

However, the workplace environment in the West is more equal, and some open-minded bosses will deliberately downplay their authoritative image and narrow the distance between themselves and their employees.

When getting along with colleagues,In the domestic workplace, everyone likes to take the initiative to talk about their own or others' family and life. Some colleagues will even ask when they meet for the first time: Do you have a boyfriend?

However, in Western society, which respects privacy, everyone is just a colleague in the workplace, and daily communication will avoid these sensitive topics.

These workplace culture differences between China and Western countries are neither good nor bad, but these differences make it difficult for many international students who return to China for employment to adapt in a short period of time.

In addition to workplace culture,The high-intensity work pressure in China also makes many international students feel "shocked".

Some time ago, a very popular article titled "Mainland Elites, "Crying" in the Hong Kong Workplace" appeared on the Internet.

The general content of the article is:Mainlanders who entered the Hong Kong workplace through the Talent Scheme have made Hong Kong people cry.

Mainland elites take the initiative to write down their advantages on their resumes:Requesting salary cuts, giving up vacations, and being online 24 hours a day...

In the eyes of my Hong Kong colleagues, this is a complete "labor scab".

The most intuitive example is in the fifth season of the variety show "The Heart-Stirring Offer". There is an intern from Hong Kong named Zhu Chaoying. Her creed is: refuse to work overtime and leave work on time.

In the Hong Kong workplace, it is a consensus to leave work on time, and there is overtime pay. "One minute more is one minute lost."

The working hours in foreign companies are generally like this, and they emphasize work-life balance.The working hours belong to the boss, and the time off work is your own.

In foreign workplaces, there is a clear dividing line between work and family life, and daily work tasks have clear detail requirements.But in domestic culture, it is difficult to separate work and life.

Someone once made a hypothesis: If you ask 100 foreigners, which is more important, work or family? It is estimated that 99 people will say, "Is there any need to ask? Of course, family is more important."

Because after get off work and weekends are statutory rest time for workers, in foreign companies, the boss will feel sorry if you need to work overtime.

But it is different in China. Working hours and rest time are very vague. In the eyes of some bosses, overtime has become a matter of course.

It is worth mentioning that the formal communication method in foreign workplaces is mainly email. After get off work, people turn off their computers and don’t care about anything else.

But in China, people use WeChat more often, which means they inevitably receive work information after get off work or during breaks, and work seriously infringes on personal life.

Many international students attach great importance to the balance between life and work and cannot accept the 996 overtime culture in China.

It is also difficult for them to identify with and understand many domestic workplace cultures and experiences, and in the end they can only keep changing jobs to find a job that suits them better.

"High pay, little work, and close to home" is everyone's dream job, but the reality is not necessarily that good.

Many people think that international students are too idealistic when it comes to employment.Today is no longer an era where international students are on the market for a price.

Others believe that while international students enjoy the resources and conveniences brought by Chinese traditions, they themselves practice sophisticated egoism.

He wants others to pay him a salary to coax him, but he will never coax others, and he does not accept any criticism.

Some people also believe that it is the overall bad environment that makes international students seem out of tune with the world.They are not wrong, it's just that the domestic workplace culture is too complicated.

In fact, both domestic and foreign countries have their own advantages, and we cannot generalize. But what is certain is that the workplace is not a charity, and employment is not just lying down and counting money.

Many international students are too idealistic, too aloof, and unwilling to compromise.

They hope to find a job that matches their personality, allows them to make the most of their strengths, and pays well.

At the same time, I hope that this job can realize my personal value and gain respect and understanding from everyone, but these are difficult to satisfy at the moment.

The domestic workplace culture is imperfect. Since we cannot change the existing environment, we can only change ourselves.

Before our ideals are realized, we still need to be down-to-earth, adjust our expectations, and get involved in the world.

Because there is only one kind of heroism in this world, that is, to still love life after recognizing the truth of life. Let us encourage each other.