Differences between Working Cultures of UK and China

What differences are there between China and the UK in terms of working culture?

Our director Olive Yanli Hou accepted an interview on this topic with Cecily Liu from China Daily, October 2016.

Olive Yanli Hou, a former journalist from China, who in 2013 founded her own marketing agency in London, briefs her Chinese and British clients on the dos and don’ts of ‘the working culture of the other side’.

“The UK working culture appreciates planning and procedure, but when Chinese clients need something, they need it now,” said Hou.

She enjoys the “smart productivity” of the UK where meetings are scheduled in advance, although she understands why constant changes are a logical product of China’s fast-paced working culture.

Another key difference is the importance of face-to-face meetings in China, in contrast to the UK’s greater reliance on phone calls and emails.

Hou said a good sense of humour and the ability to participate in jokes during tea breaks is also important to workers in the UK, and she has learned to ask colleagues more challenging questions than she would in China.

Hou has been inspired by the vastly diverse backgrounds of colleagues in the UK, thanks to London’s popularity with expats from all over the world.

Read the entire article from China Daily.