Photo by Brandy Kennedy
I’m bi-cultural.
I was born and raised in the United States, but have spent 1/3 of my life, read: all of my adult life, in Spain.
Why is that important?
I’d never worked as a “real grown-up” in an American environment. When I finally got the chance, here are a few things I noticed:
Spanish Work Environment vs. American Work Environment
Money:
🇺🇸 People talk a lot about money: 401(k), Roth IRA, investments, Index Funds, and of course complaining about taxes…I had several colleagues who could tell me the year approx. when they’d be able to stop working completely, and start living. I dare you to ask a Spanish worker when they’re going to retire. I bet they’ll say: ¿Que cuándo me voy a jubilar? Tío, yo qué sé… Pues, cuando me toca…”
🇪🇸 We assume that unless you’re the head of the company, your salary is pretty shite. Investments are not a topic of conversation. Most people are not saving for retirement so much as to buy a house, leave their parents’ homes (Spain has the highest rate of young-people living at home in the EU bc crisis) or to take a big trip.
My Thoughts:
Americans are in a constant trauma response. Their relationship with money is very literally life and death. They save for any possible imprevisto because a trip to the emergency room can bankrupt the average person. I don’t believe that most American workers trust their government to take care of them, and I get it. They’re probably right.
That said, the amount of extra stress placed on most American’s shoulders when they’re paying for the now, planning for the maybe, and saving for the future… ya’ll, dis tew much.
Socializing:
🇺🇸I feel like Americans care less about being liked, and more about being respected. Obviously, getting on well with your colleagues is ideal, but there’s one sentence I’ve neva-eva-evvvva heard a Spanish workmate say which is: “They don’t have to like me, but they will respect me”. Errhmm, in Spain, I feel like that’s the opposite.
🇪🇸Si no hay buen rollo, no hay nada. I remember working at my first Spanish job, a boutique marketing company in Madrid, and feeling so confused. I was always on time, if not early. I never took days off. I did my work. I even volunteered to assist with other projects. Why wasn’t I being promoted? Why were my colleagues simply cordial, and not friendly? Two words: buen rollo. I didn’t hang out with them outside of the office, and on a small team, that’s essential.
My thoughts:
One thing modern American workers are going to do is establish clear boundaries. I feel like in Spain, your employer thinks they have a free pass to your entire life just because you signed a dingy lil 40 hr. contract with them.
First, they have you join the company WhatsApp group, then they make you buy the lottery tickets at Christmas, then it’s the birthday cañas for the dude you’ve only exchanged a few words with… and then… then once they believe you have buen feeling, asking you to stay for an extra 30 minutes, or work on a project that has nothing to do with your position becomes harder to say ‘no’ to because you guys were just drinking till 1am the night before for Juan’s birthday! Ugh, it’s pervasive, and it’s slow, but believe you me: that ish is inevitable.
Side note: Please, laugh at my fumbles.
I used to teach primary at a private school in a suburb of Madrid. It was there that I learned the weight that beer, jamón and the lottery carry.
It’s like this unwritten 3-strike rule.
Test 1: Do you want to grab some beers at this questionable bar across the road after working an 8-hour day? Oh, why this bar? Because they know us and it’s across the road… and…they have tortilla. Oh, you don’t drink? You don’t even like Mahou?
Strike 1.
Test 2:
*walks into the teacher’s room*
*sees a spread of ham, cheese, crackers, cookies, chips, etc*
Whose birthday is it?
“Maricarmen’s, do you want some ham? Take some…”
”
*thinks* Which one is Maricarmen???
No, sorry, I don’t eat meat, and I brought my lunch.
“Jamón isn’t meat…”
No thanks, I’m fine.
*death stare*
Strike 2.
Test 3:
"So, that’ll be 20€ for the lottery ticket. Do you want to pay now, or tomorrow”
Um, what lottery ticket?
”The Christmas lottery ticket. We play every year.”
Oh! Cool, have you guys ever won?
”In 1996 we won 100€!”
Hmmmm, no thanks.
”Ok, but if we win… we won’t share the earnings with you…”
Strike 3.
Feelings:
🇺🇸In young, startup-esque companies, feelings matter. Bosses schedule check-ins, do temperature checks on the role and ask you questions about how you feel. My experience was that sharing was encouraged, but not too much. It’s one thing to moan about what you don’t like, and it’s another to point out what you don’t like, but also offer a solution.
🇪🇸I have a boss, who I’ve worked with for the past 5 years, who still doesn’t spell my name correctly. I think that says enough.
My Thoughts:
The level of political-correctness in the US is unmatched. Is the care genuine? Not usually. Is the inclusivity real? I’m not sure. I genuinely get the feeling that most companies are either afraid of being sued, or being cancelled, so they cross their ts and dot their is.
Final Thoughts: You are NOT your job
The experience for working cross-culturally was dizzying, and not just because of the difference in time zone.
It was filled with mixed messaging.
On the Spanish side, my boss is asking me to take a month off (paid) because I haven’t taken a break since March and my time is adding up. On the other hand, I have my American startup boss saying that on an international team, we only take days off if it’s a holiday in our specific country.
I have the Spanish side asking where I’m planning to spend the month of August, and the American side asking me to block out hours on my daily calendar when I’m unavailable.
If you ask an American to introduce themselves, they start with their work title. If you do the same in Spain, you’ll get where they’re from, their age then maybe what they do.
I had a hard time separating my job title from my identity when I was working for both companies. Without the title, who am I? Americans will negotiate for a fancy title, but still do the same job for the same pay. Spanish people, I truly believe, are just happy to be here, working, and getting money every month. At least that’s my impression. Also, most young Spanish people are so over-qualified that being an industrial engineer, or a lawyer or a developer doesn’t make you special here.
I think I’ll have more thoughts to share on this in the future, but this is all for now!
