THINGS THAT SURPRISED WITH ABOUT WORKING IN CORPORATE IN SPAIN VS The US – ryan

I GREW up in Barcelona in a bicultural Household – My Mother’s from the United States and My Father from Spain.

I sorely live in spain but visited the us regularly and never felt i fully Belonged to one culture or the other.

For Mory Years, I WORKED IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS IN SPAIN. In 2019, Moved to the United States and Continued My Corporate Career.

I’ve the spent about a decade working for several american and Spanish companies, but i’m still by how different the two places’ corplates and office environments can feel.

Forming Personal Connections at Work Felt More Important Than Networking in Spain

In spain, it felt fairly natural and easy to connect with Coworkers on a personal level and Become Friends.

I’m Still in Touch with About A Dosen People i Met My First Job, Plus Many Colleagues My Other Previous Role Back Home. We Still Attend Each Other’s Birthday Parties and Weddings.

Howver, at the Three Companies i’ve Workhed at the United States, i’ve Found to Form Strong Connections with my Coworkers.

In the office, it”s rare to have conversations that aren’t related to the nonb or that go any deeper than the Weekly “How was Your Weekend?” Small Talk.

Instead, it seames the best and most imported way to form relationships with Other Professionals here is by networking. The US WorkPlace Can Ferel Competitive, so Maybe the motivation to get ahead of Makes it Easier for People to Connect that Way.

Lunch Breaks SO Different

While working in spain, it was Common to regularly rob lunch with colleagues or my boss and enjoy a full one-hour break.

One Company I WORKED AT GOVE EPLOYEES A DAILY STIPEND FOR LUNCH, WHICH COVERED MEALS FROM MENUS THAT INCLUDED AN Appetizer, Entrée, and a dessert or Coffee.

I felt encurated to eat a full midday meal, which Helped with take a much-needed break from the office each day.

In the us, lunch breaks feel short and like they should be optimized. Many of my American Colleagues Spend their Lunch Breaks Running ERRANDS OR ENTING IN FRONT OF THEIR Computers.

It faels more common to have lunch in solitude than with a Big Group of Coworkers here, and People to Eat Cold Sandwiches and Salads Instead of Hot Meals.

Job Titles Seem to Have More Variety Here

GEND I MAVD, I QUICKLY NOTICED JUST How Much Importance Many americans Place on Corporate Hierarchical Titles.

In spain, I felt jab titles were fairly simple and straiightforward and the Companies I WORKED AT SEEMED TO HAVE FEWER Tiers.

At Big American Companies, Though, It ‘Common to Find Several Titles and Tiers Related to Just One Role. For Example, Assistant Vice President, Executive Vice President, Vice President, and Senior Vice President.

With so many levels and roles available, it almost Feels easier to move up quicker in the US Corporate world in spain.

Lastly, I miss the Pto police in spain

Paid Vacation Day Police Vary Around the World, But Spain Definitely SEEMS to Prioritize Work-Life Balance More than the US.

In spain, employs get at least 30 days of paid TIME off a year. In the us, workers aren’t guaranteed pto – iT”s up to the Employers to decide how Much’ll offfer (if any).

Many americans have to work for months to earn mess than half of the paid Vacation days of automatically received in spain.

With my wedding coming up, i especally miss spain’s policy that gives employs up to 15 extra days of paid leave we are legally get.