French Corporate Culture
Discussion
Vaud said:
I forgot to share this phrase with you for self deprecation..
Je parle français comme une vache anglais.
(I speak french like an English cow) - i.e. badly... might raise an amused eyebrow, and it's quite "clean" - and ironically, correct French.
Sorry, old bean, not quite. It's "comme la vache espangnole" and because vache is feminine, "anglais" would be "anglaise" so it's not quite correct French. It is, however, a great phrase to use and always seems to make the French laugh when said.Je parle français comme une vache anglais.
(I speak french like an English cow) - i.e. badly... might raise an amused eyebrow, and it's quite "clean" - and ironically, correct French.
jamesson said:
Sorry, old bean, not quite. It's "comme la vache espangnole" and because vache is feminine, "anglais" would be "anglaise" so it's not quite correct French. It is, however, a great phrase to use and always seems to make the French laugh when said.
Actually no. Your correction of my gender usage is correct. But Spanish cow can be interchanged with others. I just checked with a French colleague.
jamesson said:
I used to come in first thing and crack on with my work instead of going round the entire department shaking hands with/giving bisous to everyone.
This to me always seemed a crazy waste of time. Ten minutes in the morning, then again at lunch spent secouing la flipping main.I had to kiss the secretaries too and one in particular seemed to give me a daily electric shock as our cheeks touched. Think it was the building at fault or the carpets or something.
They also rarely go for a drink after work.
Vaud said:
Actually no. Your correction of my gender usage is correct.
But Spanish cow can be interchanged with others. I just checked with a French colleague.
How funny, my French friend just told me she's never heard it used with other nationalities. Different part of France, perhaps. But Spanish cow can be interchanged with others. I just checked with a French colleague.
castex said:
This to me always seemed a crazy waste of time. Ten minutes in the morning, then again at lunch spent secouing la flipping main.
And woe-betide you if you either forget or think you can sneak out without shaking hands with everyone - including the people in the little office right at the end of the corridor miles away. They will come into your office the next day and they WILL mention it!Worst faux-pas I ever made in this respect (I was young and new to France) was leaving and shaking hands with everyone in an office EXCEPT for this one bloke who wasn't one of my colleagues. I cringe now, even 26 years later.
This was my experience: Multinational company, HO in Paris, company language English. I was moved from UK to Paris office.
Avid attention to planning and detail. None to the actual deadline. This often resulted in projects being delivered long after they were needed. And endless requests for bits of paper/CPAs etc, without regard to the delivery date. It was quite bizarre.
No office banter or social life
No out of work invitations/leaving drinks etc
Senior managers could be confrontational which in the UK could be perceived as bullying.
Despite the French manners, I found the tone between senior and junior staff to be abrasive, but this could be translation/tonality issues.
As a pp said, accept the differences. Because my company was multinational, I didn't prepare myself for the change in culture.
Avid attention to planning and detail. None to the actual deadline. This often resulted in projects being delivered long after they were needed. And endless requests for bits of paper/CPAs etc, without regard to the delivery date. It was quite bizarre.
No office banter or social life
No out of work invitations/leaving drinks etc
Senior managers could be confrontational which in the UK could be perceived as bullying.
Despite the French manners, I found the tone between senior and junior staff to be abrasive, but this could be translation/tonality issues.
As a pp said, accept the differences. Because my company was multinational, I didn't prepare myself for the change in culture.
castex said:
This to me always seemed a crazy waste of time. Ten minutes in the morning, then again at lunch spent secouing la flipping main.
I had to kiss the secretaries too and one in particular seemed to give me a daily electric shock as our cheeks touched. Think it was the building at fault or the carpets or something.
They also rarely go for a drink after work.
Sorry, but kissing secretaries in work time and not having to go out for drinks in my time with the people I work with seems pretty good to me.I had to kiss the secretaries too and one in particular seemed to give me a daily electric shock as our cheeks touched. Think it was the building at fault or the carpets or something.
They also rarely go for a drink after work.
We're always being told that UK workers aren't as efficient as those on the Continent. I've worked for a French company that makes satellites, and another that makes big airplanes. Bloody useless, both of them. The UK does the work, usually at much lower pay rates than the French, the French part of the company takes the credit.
Dog Star said:
castex said:
This to me always seemed a crazy waste of time. Ten minutes in the morning, then again at lunch spent secouing la flipping main.
And woe-betide you if you either forget or think you can sneak out without shaking hands with everyone - including the people in the little office right at the end of the corridor miles away. They will come into your office the next day and they WILL mention it!Worst faux-pas I ever made in this respect (I was young and new to France) was leaving and shaking hands with everyone in an office EXCEPT for this one bloke who wasn't one of my colleagues. I cringe now, even 26 years later.
They even do it on sports teams - when arriving for a training session, you would go around and shake the hand of every single person in the changing room, before sitting down and starting to get changed. Every person who arrived after you would do the same.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff