Buổi 87: Reading – Matching features + short-answer questions (sốc văn hóa nơi làm việc)

Learning the unwritten rules

(Bài đọc tự viết; nhân vật và công ty là giả định. Đây là trải nghiệm cá nhân, không khái quát về quốc gia.)

A Moving abroad for work is often described in terms of practical challenges – visas, housing, opening a bank account. Yet many people say that the hardest part is something less visible: learning the unwritten rules of a new workplace. We asked four professionals about their experiences.

B Linh, an engineer, moved to a company where meetings were very informal. “At first, I waited to be invited to speak, because that’s what I was used to,” she says. “But nobody invited anyone. People just jumped in. My manager eventually told me that my silence was being interpreted as a lack of interest.” Within a few months, she had learnt to give her opinion without waiting, although she admits it still feels slightly uncomfortable.

C For Marco, a marketing specialist, the surprise was feedback. In his new office, criticism was extremely direct. “On my second day, a colleague told me my presentation was ‘not good enough’ – in front of everyone. I was shocked.” Only later did he realise that his colleagues meant no offence; it was simply how they communicated. “Now I actually prefer it. Rarely do I have to guess what people really think.”

D Aisha, a nurse, found the opposite. Her new colleagues were so polite that she struggled to understand when something was wrong. “They’d say, ‘That’s an interesting approach,’ and I’d think they liked it. In fact, it meant they didn’t.” She started asking follow-up questions such as, “Is there anything you’d change?” – a strategy she now recommends to every new arrival.

E Tomasz, an accountant, says that his biggest challenge was small talk. “In my previous job, we got straight to business. Here, every meeting starts with five minutes about the weekend or the weather. I thought it was a waste of time.” After some months, he noticed that colleagues who chatted more were often the ones who got help most quickly. “It’s not about the weather,” he says. “It’s about building trust.”

F All four agree that the first three months were the most difficult, and that feeling homesick was common. Their advice is similar: observe before judging, ask questions, and find at least one colleague who can explain the things nobody writes down.