Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > Canada
Reload this Page >

Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Old Jan 24th 2020, 9:36 pm
  #76  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
scrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by beckiwoo
Seriously? Did he think he was better than everyone else?
Oh I am sure he did. He was not a nice person, and still isn't a nice person, he is 100% bean counter, comes in makes as much as he can and his investor friends can, then jumps ship leaving someone else to clean up the mess. At the airline I was with, he came in mid 90's, sent the company through bankruptcy, slashed wages, cut benefits, skipped corners wherever he could, and once there was nothing else to cut, collected his golden egg, and jumped ship, oh boy did he ever leave behind a mess, then 9/11 happened 2 weeks into the new CEO's tenure, he was hated by rank and file employees so much so we had some pilots who would refuse to fly if the CEO was on the flight.

Due to my experience in the 5 years I worked there and the other experience with companies and management, I do not think highly of management, but then I haven't worked a good company with good employee relations since 1996-1998 era, I tend to work at places at the bottom of the barrel in their industry with the worst employee relations.

That type of attitude from management hasn't exactly been unique either, my last company management when they came to our location to visit, they didn't ever talk to us, they had no interest in speaking to employees. Managers would get a room in the Fairmont and watch from there instead of coming and actually see us work up close, and we could never do anything good enough, we hit the top spot several times for KPI when compared to competitors, but 97%-98% was never good enough, even if the next closest company was in the 60% range, like wtf, humans are not perfect, 100% is not going to happen in the real world with so many variables involved.

I would like to hope low morale and bad managers are an exception but in my work experience over the past 22-23 years, good managers with people skills and good workplace morale seems to be rare.

The job I had last, the job itself was fine, it was management, lack of training, lack of sufficient staffing and lack of equipment that was what made it so bad, provide the tools, good morale and good management it would have been fine place, but companies these days seem to thrive on having low morale for some reason.

Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Jan 24th 2020 at 10:18 pm.
scrubbedexpat091 is offline  
Old Jan 25th 2020, 12:35 am
  #77  
Oscar nominated
 
BristolUK's Avatar
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,522
BristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse
Do government organisations in Canada have a 'mission statement'?
Core values
Bias for action

These are faculty rules but they could be mission statements

BristolUK is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2020, 2:27 am
  #78  
BE Forum Addict
 
CanadaJimmy's Avatar
 
Joined: May 2009
Location: Langley, BC
Posts: 1,951
CanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond reputeCanadaJimmy has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by Jsmth321
At the airline I did see the CEO a few times when he was flying, but never met him, he didn't like employees speaking to him and we were always advised to not make contact if we saw him.
Wow sounds exactly like the guy who took over the company my wife used to work at. Hated any kind of casual conversation with employees. He also introduced pointlessly strict dress code rules, and had more of an east-coast traditional business style than the more relaxed west coast. We theorized it was because he was actually very insecure, he married into money and bought the company, so he didn't have much in the way of personal success, so had to keep up the facade of being superior to everyone else.

Last edited by CanadaJimmy; Jan 28th 2020 at 2:29 am.
CanadaJimmy is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2020, 11:40 am
  #79  
Assimilated Pauper
 
dbd33's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,014
dbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Yesterday there was a purge. This is a feature of office life here. Half a dozen people were sent emails telling them not to turn up for work; a courier would come with their personal items from the office and would take away their computers and any company issued phones. They were all long term employees so I suppose they'd reached some cost threshold, pension about to be vested, three weeks holiday entitlement, something like that. In terms of office etiquette, the lessons there are; don't have personal possessions in the office and, don't take a "permanent" job if they'll give you more money to do the work on contract; think as short term as the management does.

Above all remember, "Top Fifty Canada's Best Employer" or not, you're shit to them.
dbd33 is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2020, 3:21 pm
  #80  
Slightly Canadian
 
Atlantic Xpat's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland
Posts: 10,127
Atlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

I am, unusually enough working in our office today. I usually work from home but had an opportunity meet one of my colleagues who is visiting from Netherlands face to face for a change. Here I sit in our open plan office, next to the help desk guys & opposite a colleague in Product Management in an office that is largely IT folks. (I'm somewhat of an anomaly being the only person in my function in this location & rarely actually working with folks here but more with people in the UK, US etc.) There is banter. There is discussion about popular culture. There are raised voices on the phone. Perhaps I've been in Canada too long but it doesn't feel different from when I worked in the UK. I do draw the line at going outside for a coffee while colleagues have a fag like I used to do in Blighty - its too damn cold for that, plus fewer people smoke these days. (Proper thing!).

I'll be in our head office in London day after tomorrow. The office vibe doesn't feel that different, aside from the head office self importance. Again banter, open plan office, sometimes quiet, sometimes too noisy. More after work socialising but thats due to everyone commuting by train/bicycle/tube and being able to have a pint after work. In Canadian driving culture and suburban offices, you can't do that.

So my experience doesn't align with the strangeness reported elsewhere in Canada. Perhaps its a Newfoundland thing!
Atlantic Xpat is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2020, 7:47 pm
  #81  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 1,370
Lychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond reputeLychee has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat
More after work socialising but thats due to everyone commuting by train/bicycle/tube and being able to have a pint after work. In Canadian driving culture and suburban offices, you can't do that.
I think you identified an important factor here we haven't previously considered. Nice work!
Lychee is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2020, 8:30 pm
  #82  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
scrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by dbd33
Yesterday there was a purge. This is a feature of office life here. Half a dozen people were sent emails telling them not to turn up for work; a courier would come with their personal items from the office and would take away their computers and any company issued phones. They were all long term employees so I suppose they'd reached some cost threshold, pension about to be vested, three weeks holiday entitlement, something like that. In terms of office etiquette, the lessons there are; don't have personal possessions in the office and, don't take a "permanent" job if they'll give you more money to do the work on contract; think as short term as the management does.

Above all remember, "Top Fifty Canada's Best Employer" or not, you're shit to them.
I hate those top employer things, some are questionable at best. I mean McDonald's make top BC employer at times and they plaster this on their windows, but man most locations are independently owned and operated with a franchise agreement so the employees are not working for McDonald's, so sure McDonald's Canada might be top employer, but most people working rank and file in locations are not working for McDonald's. Same with most hotels which are independently owned and operated most often, not many are owned by the name on the sign.

Sign might say Best Western or Day's Inn or Holiday Inn but those companies pretty much own 0 hotels, they just let others pay to use the name.

I consider each day at any job as my last day, you never know when your getting told to go.


scrubbedexpat091 is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 2:11 am
  #83  
Banned
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 19,879
Siouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond reputeSiouxie has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by dbd33
Yesterday there was a purge. This is a feature of office life here. Half a dozen people were sent emails telling them not to turn up for work; a courier would come with their personal items from the office and would take away their computers and any company issued phones. They were all long term employees so I suppose they'd reached some cost threshold, pension about to be vested, three weeks holiday entitlement, something like that. In terms of office etiquette, the lessons there are; don't have personal possessions in the office and, don't take a "permanent" job if they'll give you more money to do the work on contract; think as short term as the management does.

Above all remember, "Top Fifty Canada's Best Employer" or not, you're shit to them.
Hope you were not amongst the ones to receive an email...
Siouxie is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 2:25 pm
  #84  
Assimilated Pauper
 
dbd33's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,014
dbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by Siouxie
Hope you were not amongst the ones to receive an email...
Oh no, I'm interviewing their replacements.
dbd33 is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 3:47 pm
  #85  
Stand-up Philosopher
 
caretaker's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 16,344
caretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by dbd33
Oh no, I'm interviewing their replacements.
Didn't you crash your car attempting to get to the office when others were staying home because of the road conditions? No surprise you'd be one of their best guys.
caretaker is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 4:01 pm
  #86  
Phaedrus by Plato (not5)
 
Joined: May 2017
Location: Vernon, BC
Posts: 206
Phaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond reputePhaedru5 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

This must completely depend on where you are, most of you (especially those in the East) complaining about being ignored and people being rude and selfish. I find quite the opposite, we chat with all of our neighbours, my workplace and work colleagues socialise alot, we have a BBQ at the office every friday in the summer, lots of banter and we text etc outside of work, everybody i walk past in town says hello, i sometimes talk to people longer than my dogs get walked when out on dog walks because everybody wants to chat, even getting groceries we get asked about our british accents and why we're here, perhaps we're more of a novelty in the interior than in the major cities. That being said my company HQ is in Mississauga and the people there are super friendly too and have regular socials.
Phaedru5 is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 5:17 pm
  #87  
Oscar nominated
 
BristolUK's Avatar
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,522
BristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond reputeBristolUK has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by Phaedru5
This must completely depend on where you are, most of you (especially those in the East)
Slightly off topic but I always think of Eastern Canada as Atlantic and it seems weird when people talk about those in the east when Toronto, for example, is 1800km away from us in the real east

I always think of Toronto as being more in the middle (The Midlands? ) but there's no doubt it's East when you look at the map, even if the East Coast that it's closest to is actually New York.

Just my crazy thoughts
BristolUK is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 5:26 pm
  #88  
BE Forum Addict
 
Paul_Shepherd's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,113
Paul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond reputePaul_Shepherd has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Joining this thread quite late..... I would say I have had a mix of all scenarios. I think it mainly depends on your field of work and your location. I work in engineering/manufacturing....I have to communicate a lot with colleagues so that can lead to social situations once you have got to know some of them, purely because I have had to talk a lot to them during working hours. However in addition to this I have found location makes a difference too...

I used to work and live in Peterborough ON, which is a fair sized town but with small town attitude.... I found my work colleagues there very friendly and social, and I made a lot of permanent friends, many of us would also do things outside of work fairly regulary.... after being laid off, I had to move to the GTA to find work, and at the new company I work at, it is very different.... more like what the OP has described....which I find strange, I think this is due to the kind of "city demeanor", I have always found small town/ country people more friendly here in Canada, they have a more simplistic view on life. In addition to the city demeanor, at my current work place in the GTA , it is also very multicultural so there are a lot of language and culture barriers which limits things to talk about. However I have been here almost 2 years, and it has improved....I guess it just takes longer to get to know some people.

I love food and cooking, so have had some great conversations with varying nationalities about certain dishes and also comparing our country's culture where we all came from. China, Phillipines, India, Pakistan, Israel, Jamaica, Guiana, Trinidad,Romania, Poland, Italy, Malaysia Iran, Iraq, Venuzuela, and me Britain, it ,makes for some very interesting conversations on topics from food to politics to personal culture. World sporting events are always interesting too!

But I still do find there are many born and bred Canadians that never say Good morning or Good night, its very different to the UK in that way... after 10 years I still find that weird, but it is what it is I guess.




Paul_Shepherd is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 9:24 pm
  #89  
Assimilated Pauper
 
dbd33's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,014
dbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond reputedbd33 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by caretaker
Didn't you crash your car attempting to get to the office when others were staying home because of the road conditions? No surprise you'd be one of their best guys.
Ack, me crashing a car isn't a sign of commitment, it's just force of habit.

dbd33 is offline  
Old Jan 29th 2020, 10:00 pm
  #90  
Slightly Canadian
 
Atlantic Xpat's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland
Posts: 10,127
Atlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond reputeAtlantic Xpat has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Office etiquette in Canada particularly Vancouver

Originally Posted by BristolUK
Slightly off topic but I always think of Eastern Canada as Atlantic and it seems weird when people talk about those in the east when Toronto, for example, is 1800km away from us in the real east

I always think of Toronto as being more in the middle (The Midlands? ) but there's no doubt it's East when you look at the map, even if the East Coast that it's closest to is actually New York.

Just my crazy thoughts
Those of us in the ACTUAL East regard you New Brunswickers as midlanders....
Atlantic Xpat is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.