8 things that drive French people nuts about American offices — and vice versa by Shana Lebowitz on Aug 1, 2017, 12:56 PM Advertisement
 If you're traveling abroad for business, you can take an eight-hour flight from New York to Paris and feel like you've just landed on a different planet. Why are people lingering over dessert in the middle of the workday? And why was your new French colleague so taken aback when you asked about his kids? The clash between American and French business cultures is something Emma Seppala and Erin Meyer have thought about a lot. Seppala moved to the US from France when she was admitted to Yale University for college; today she teaches at Yale and Stanford University. She's also the author of the book "The Happiness Track." Meyer moved to France from the US 17 years ago; today she's a professor at INSEAD and the author of "The Culture Map." We asked Seppala and Meyer to tell us about the biggest differences between work in France and the US, that they've studied and experienced firsthand. Below, we've collected some of their insights. As you're reading, remember that there's no universal right or wrong way to go about work — it depends on where you live and what the people around you expect. Remember, too, that not every French or American person will fit the descriptions below. These are simply general observations that can help you prepare to do business in another country. SEE ALSO: These 8 Scales Reveal Everything You Should Know About Different Cultures Many American workers define themselves by their profession; most French workers don't  People living in the US have a hard time detaching from work, Seppala said. It's not just that they're constantly checking their work email — it's that work underlies their entire identity. "Anybody coming to the US will notice just how here, people are what they do," Seppala said. If someone asks, "Who are you?" another person might respond, "I'm a lawyer." "We're perceived by what we do and we take pride in what we do," Seppala added. In France, things are different. It's considered socially inappropriate to ask someone what they do for work right off the bat. Seppala said that's because "in France, work is seen as a thing you have to do. But when I'm not working, I'm not working. It's very clear."
French coworkers don't share personal information with coworkers right off the bat; Americans open up to new colleagues more quickly Meyer uses the images of a coconut and a peach to describe the difference between French and American workers. French workers are coconuts — they're hard on the outside, but get softer as you drill deeper. American workers are peaches — they're soft on the outside, but eventually you hit a hard pit. Here's what that means. French people "don't talk about personal information with strangers," Meyer said. They don't place family photos on their desk at the office. "They're very formal with people that they haven't built a relationship with, and they're unlikely to smile a lot or do a lot of personal talk with people that they don't know well." But as you get to know them, Meyer added, "they become more and more warm, more and more friendly. They open up more about their personal lives and usually, once you've developed that level of closeness, the relationship sticks. You'll probably have that relationship for the rest of your career." Americans, on the other hand, "tend to be very friendly with strangers and talk very easily about their personal lives with people that they don't have close relationships with. They smile a lot at people that they barely know at all." Yet "after a point of friendliness, [Americans] don't share more. [They] kind of close up. That's how [they're] experienced by Europeans: They're really friendly, but they don't show you who they really are." This coconut-peach disparity can lead to stereotypes about French people being standoffish and Americans being superficial.
French workers take longer lunch breaks than American workers  If you're reading this article during your "lunch break," sandwich crumbs dropping onto your keyboard, you're not alone. Seppala has noticed that many American workers grab a bite and eat hastily, hunched over their computers. French people, on the other hand, "really really prize leisure. They really prize enjoying life," Seppala said. "That's called 'joie de vivre,'" she added, using the French term for "joy of living." "No matter where you work, at lunchtime people take one hour off. They go off; they have a full meal at a restaurant with multiple courses and wine. That is normal."
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