And this is why I'm asking here
Thanks a lot for the info!
What then would you say is the most challenging office environment difference that you had to adjust to?
Daily planning and execution. If you're familiar with a daily time sheet, the difference between one of a Japanese worker and one of western worker is very different. As context, I've worked in industry (pharma) and public financial services in many offices across the country. I'm now back in NYC/NJ as an international desk for a few years before heading back. This is just an example/anecdote and not meant to be fact across the entire spectrum.
A typical young Japanese worker's morning looks like this: Come in early, begin work.
A typical young western worker's morning looks this: Come in late, begin chatting at the coffee machine, walk around, check up on mail/social media, begin work.
Now, this isn't a criticism of either. The western worker gets the exact same amount of work done in the day, they just stay later because they haven't budgeted their time completely around work. The Japanese worker gets the work done faster, but then feels the need to secure more work and not be idle, often taking on more than they can chew.
Also note, the western worker is essentially better known around the office and has developed bonds/a network even with people they are not directly working with. The Japanese worker doesn't worry about networking during the day as there are opportunities after work, but these are less natural and the strength of their network outside of their core team is less.
Networking abilities/strategies of a Japanese or western employee are also very different. But that's another topic/post.
