There are also consistent gender differences in how small talk plays out. People chat as they go up in a lift together; when they grab a coffee or eat their lunch; as they wait for a meeting to start or when theyre packing up their papers at the end. The main difference I have noticed is that everyone will meet you for a coffee in Sydney and Melbourne even if they have no intention of doing business with you. In London there is the pub culture and all the media companies (and lots of my friends from other industries too) have their preferred "local" where half the company congregate on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. When someone asks you this question, start with, When I was in that situation, I decided to and then share a few more details about what you did. It also shows that you value their opinion. Please send some ideas to be nicer and help my colleagues on their last day of work on Fridays. Try these thoughtful questions to check-in during a crisis.). You never know if a more senior colleague is listening to what youre saying. I also feel like people socialise less after work here than in London. However, we found that one group people who were adept at reading others and adjusting their conversations in response were less likely to report feeling disrupted by small talk. Thanks for telling me about your new project. In some ways it puts you off, as it's just hassle. They ensure this website works correctly. You should avoid talking about your coworkers family, unless youre 100% sure that they have children. In other words, socio-pragmatic insights and skills are needed to manage good social relationships in the hybrid workplace. I was born in New Zealand, grew up across South-east Asia, went to university in Boston and then worked in NYC and London before Sydney. They say it makes them anxious, spreads gossip, wastes time, and isinauthentic and awkward. Of course, I wouldnt rather kill myself). I'd say Australia as a whole has a better work-life balance. I would say the key difference is that drinks on Friday or in the office is common in Australia, but in Malaysia you would need to do it outside work out of respect. We're lucky enough to have a culture that encourages early adoption, so why don't we see more risk being taken? Australians have a unique set of business etiquette rules in comparison with other business cultures. For example: "Beautiful day, isn't it?" "Lovely. However, its still related to work. That is when they arent doing road work (laughing). Small talk at work can quickly lead to complaining about dislikes at the company, annoying coworkers, and pet peeves. Your role, previously more defined or sectorised, is much broader here. Team members feel that their colleagues are competent and reliable, that they will make good on their promises and will give support when you need it. It can be really challenging to understand cultural expectations when working in another country, and it can be even harder to find ways to connect. People can small talk with anyone. I cant wait to hear more the next time I see you. (Check out my video on Hows your day been? and all its variations for more ideas on what to ask and how to respond. I am quite new at the job and want to improve the skill and your tips are really doable and realistic. Australia is shockingly expensive. It's about being able to be your real, authentic self at work. Wouldn't change that for the world. Small talk is something many of us miss about going into the office, and for good reason: It helps people feel emotionally connected and boosts collaboration and creativity. We asked how much small talk they made at work each day and about their positive emotions (friendliness, pride, and gratitude) and ability to focus. If someone asks, How are you? its ill-mannered to rant about your bad day. Capture your audience's attention with smarter emails, Slacks, memos, and reports. When it's done right small talk can help create a golden workplace culture where people feel safe, secure, and at home. That was one of the great myths put to rest I had never worked harder or longer hours in my life. Thus, the opportunity for small talk disappears. That place where people share a joke, a coffee, lunch, Friday arvo drinks and really connect with each other. In Asia it is the done thing to hang out with colleagues at the weekend, but here people seem to have many different friendship groups outside of work which is refreshing. Ignore the rules and think about the real issues. So if you want an easy way to start a conversation with someone in a pub or anywhere really, especially if there's a match on, then knowing a little bit about the game is going to help you. At work i am struggling to come up with small conversations and now i feel more confident because of what you have provided. Cookies allow us to record important information about how you arrive at, use, and move through this website. One probable upside is that these exchanges, though less spontaneous, are more inclusive giving everyone the opportunity to connect rather than leaving it to chance. I am a Human Resources Officer and I have to deal with many people (from inside the company and outside) and small talk is definitely a key thing required. It isnt a long-winded complaint or a rant about management! This balance seems to be intrinsically societal; that Australia has decided to place significant importance on being outside and spending time with family, as much so as working incredibly hard. This morning has been pretty, but I like it that way. I've known lots of expats who've transferred with their company and realised they totally underestimated the cost of living, especially if they planned to stay long term and buy a home. While you can ask, How are you? or How are you doing?, I suggest trying to get a little more specific. Introductions. For a country with such a great climate and an outdoors lifestyle, it's a car culture. Psychological safety, put simply, is the belief that you can speak up and speak your mind without the risk of punishment of humiliation. But its also worth stating what small talk is not. Kim, Small talk is relatively light, brief and surface level. While everyone likes to talk about the weather, women are also likely to compliment each others clothing and appearance, whereas men are more likely to employ playful insults. At the same time, it enables them to show their wisdom from their past experiences, so once again, you show that you value their work. Traffic or the daily commute, especially in major cities, Recent viral YouTube videos making the rounds, Local sporting events, especially if the team is having a good season, Major television or entertainment events, like the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Grammys, but only if theyve happened recently, Popular TV programs, Netflix, and Amazon series, Local tourist attractions, especially if youre new to the area, Weekend plans, if its Thursday or Friday, Upcoming holiday plans, especially if a long weekend or a major holiday is approaching, Upcoming vacation plans, if its a high travel season like the summer or school vacations, Recent weekend trips or vacations, if you know theyve come back from one, Compliments on a new hairstyle, especially if it was a major change, Compliments on an article of clothing or an accessory, Questions about where to buy specialty items that you know your coworker is interested in, such as gourmet food, cool shoes or jewelry, Food, especially if youre at a meeting where food is provided or its breakfast or lunchtime. Does your blood run cold when you receive an invitation to a cocktail party? How do you know what to share or ask other people about during these short episodes of social talk? Ideally, focus on small talk that encourages the person to say, "Tell me more" or to contribute their perspective to the conversation. Sure! It sounds super interesting. Self-identified cat people have more unusual personality traits than dog people. I have to say work is as equally social here as in London and NYC, but there's much more of a "work culture" in Australia. I've found that it's like this across all industries here. With flexible working hours, it's much easier to have time to talk with your colleagues. Am I required to make small talk? Once your coworker has volunteered information about their romantic partner, its okay to ask polite, work-appropriate questions about that person. In these ways, it supports networking across teams and business units. By my afternoon they've all gone home and we can get our Monday started whilst America is still enjoying their weekend. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. How Blame and Shame Can Fuel Depression in Rape Victims, Getting More Hugs Is Linked to Fewer Symptoms of Depression, Interacting With Outgroup Members Reduces Prejudice, Practice Improves the Potential for Future Plasticity, How Financial Infidelity Can Affect Your Gray Divorce, a waste of time and as an impediment to a meaningful conversation, a study by psychologist Mathias Mehl and his colleagues, studies indicate that people are happier when they talk to others, Why We Are Suckers for Conspiracy Theories, Why "Snitching" Makes Us So Uncomfortable. Here, I found it was quite the opposite. This will help quieter colleagues or those from diverse backgrounds to feel included. There is a sense of camaraderie and community and, in turn, these have been shown to support productivity. Small talk is extremely important but its also socially and culturally complex. I have to say overall there's much more of a "get shit done in work hours" type attitude here than elsewhere. The one thing that stands out for me is, more than I have seen in other parts of the world including the US, Australians are prepared to go the extra mile. For example, we don't mind the use of profanity in the office. I'm originally British and lived and worked in London for 12 years. Do you go out of your way to avoid neighbors and co-workers so that you do not have to engage in idle chitchat about the weather and other equally inoffensive topics? Highlighting the ways small talk can boost employee happiness as well as the companys bottom line can win over people who tend to self-isolate. This small talk at the margins of a work conversation was probably something you scarcely even noticed. Workplace culture is the behavior standards, techniques of communication, and practices in an office. Also, be sensitive to the nature of the conversation. The National Employment Standards (NES) are a set of 11 minimum entitlements which must be provided to all national workplace system employees in Australia. Not having to justify early/ late lunches is very pleasant! If this sounds like you, then you have an aversion to small talk. Don't worry, the job will get done. Fast forward 12 years and there is a noticeable difference in actual and expected working hours in our country. It sounds like you need to have an additional conversation with your employer about their specific expectations for your interactions and the small talk topics you feel comfortable discussing. In addition, even among native speakers of English, some people are more socially adroit than others. She is 56 years old and a self-absorbed narcissist. All guests were required to arrive at exactly the same time, and the hosts provided index cards with meaningful conversation starters. Consequently, you get to learn more across a wider portfolio, either horizontally or vertically. You could also ask: The question you choose will depend on your coworker and your work environment. Sarah Thompson, Emma Rapaport and Kanika Sood. It's part of Australia's DNA and I see it reflected in our own business agile, diverse, innovative with speed to market as a key point of difference here and internationally. They found that though small talk was both uplifting and distracting to employees, the positives outweighed the negatives, and the negatives could be managed. This can also set a positive tone for a meeting. In short, being adept with small talk is an important component of your arsenal of social skills. I'm Malaysian and used to work in Malaysia. But proceed with courage. How have you managed (this challenging situation or problem)? Here's how small talk in Australia often goes. I have Autism and am 22 years old. Most people here work more effectively in the day to ensure they can leave on time. Thank you so much for sharing. Four ways to encourage casual conversations in a virtual setting. | What worked well when dealing with this challenge? "The main difference I have noticed is that everyone will meet you for a coffee in Sydney and Melbourne even if they have no intention of doing business with you," says a British expat. Once again, I encourage you to keep it positive, but you may be able to ask the other person for some help or some advice. Heres what I did.. It is also likely to contribute to psychological safety within the group. I like to receive more!! Once you start to get to know people better, you dont have as much need for small talk. Fund managers are assessing two capital raisings on Monday as Aura Energy . Hows yours going? During election season, you will probably hear people mention their preferred candidates, but its usually best to avoid topics that can cause strong emotions, especially if you dont know your coworkers very well. Knowing when to initiate small talk and also knowing when to move on and escalate the level of discourse beyond the mundane will make you a popular conversational partner. Invite each person to take a minute or so to share just a little about whats been happening in their lives professionally and personally. His participants completed a battery of questionnaires designed to measure happiness and well-being, and it turned out that higher levels of well-being were associated with less small talk and more substantive conversation. It is an area that we need to watch as burn-out and work fatigue will become real concerns for companies and employees. Managers and employees alike should be careful not to let social conversations take a negative turn. Read it here or follow BusinessInsider Australia on Facebook. In the Anglo-Australian context, individuals are more loosely connected and interact on a basis of equality than the Chinese. Small talk is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as Polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions.. I think this is epitomised by so many companies closing for a week or more over the holidays to ensure their staff has down time to spend with family and enjoy the summer. Wow, thanks for letting me know! I was very impressed with the way Australian businesses work with and for Asian companies. This also opens up the conversation so that you can swap stories and share your own experience. Thanks. Some people choose to start with " Hows it going " - to which you aren't meant to give an answer. Bane Hunter, executive director of GetSwift, Seven out of ten Australians think English is crucial to national identityDavid Freund. In general, people tend to try to solve a problem themselves before asking. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. When jobs are as secure as they are in Australia, there is less of an incentive to be a star performer, to come in every day and smash it out of the park. Small talk is a strange concept for foreigners at first because it is may not used in some countries but it is common in Australian workplace. We exchanged hellos with colleagues on our way in from the parking lot, chatted about our weekends . The guests were required to police their conversations by sounding the alarm and changing direction if they perceived that the conversation was drifting in the direction of small talk. The Australia Day Cockroach Races at the Story Bridge Hotel last week. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. After a colleague volunteers information about their family, this is usually an indication that it is a safe topic and one they probably like talking about. Of course, there are some topics that you should avoid in the American workplace, especially if youre new and dont know your coworkers well. Ive been focused on the presentation for my biggest client later this week. One of the reasons I wanted to move here [from the UK] was the embrace the work-life balance culture The other thing is the time zone. The first thing I'd say is that the cultural differences were clearly less apparent to me than they were to my colleagues from the US head office. So if you can laugh at your own mistakes and give as good as you get, you'll be embraced into both professional and social life. Youll speak clearly and confidently so that people will definitely understand (and listen to) what you have to say. One Spark client at a global law firm explained, During the pandemic it was important to us to make sure employees were still making the random connections you might find in a shared office space to help with innovation, building networks, and collaboration. This is not necessarily desirable in the sense of work-life balance, but I would say the biggest change for me is in terms of productivity during working hours. This gives you the chance to learn about new resources and gives your coworker the opportunity to share what interests them. Here's four tips for making small talk: Devices down Listen first Ask open questions Respond enthusiastically 1. That goes hand in hand with how laid back it is! Small talk is a big deal. They reduce the uncertainty and sense of personal risk that any new behaviour initially carries, especially for those from under-represented groups. And then nothing! Its natural to feel frustrated at work, but try to keep these conversations out of the office. Can a Relationship Work When One Partner Is Much Older Than the Other? According to one study, 38% of Brits had small talks about the weather during their last 6 hours of the day. Would you mind sharing your experience working with this client? This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information, such as the number of visitors to the site, the most popular pages, how users find this website, and how they move through the website. We exchanged hellos with colleagues on our way in from the parking lot, chatted about our weekends while waiting for meetings to begin, and swapped stories about our families with our cube mates. Is Your Relationship Making You a Better Person? This website uses cookies in order to understand how you use the site so you have the best experience. Weight and Physical Appearance Published on July 8, 2019 7 Inappropriate Conversation Topics in the Workplace Claudia Reiners In this post Show Although these might seem counterintuitive when youre under deadline pressure, our research suggests that they are restorative and reduce burnout. Most people acquire these skills in their first language from years of immersion in their own culture, mixing socially and working with others. Small talk refers to an informal, polite conversation that often focuses on unimportant or trivial topics. Heres another question thats good for seeking your coworkers perspective. But please never ask a married coworker if they plan to have children! Another topic to avoid is health. Generally, the interviewer will try to break the ice; its your job to keep the conversation flowing. A recent INSEAD study of more than 500 professionals working remotely across the world showed that the teams that were thriving in the new virtual environment were formally scheduling social gatherings involving quizzes, shared playlists, book recommendations, and movie clubs. On Day 1, I personally encountered the following interesting twists on both the English language and indeed the normal office lexicon .. Doco -> Document, Preso -> PowerPoint presentation and the classic Spready > Excel Spreadsheet! Sharing a few small (often fairly superficial) items of personal history and current circumstances helps the team to bond. Small talk is particularly important in cultures where people do not like awkward silences and broadly speaking, Australia is one of those cultures. These brief, casual conversations are a great way to get to know new people, but they can be even more important in the workplace. That's kind of fun actually. The proximity to Asia and the fact we are in the same time zone means there are enormous opportunities across the continent for Aussies. This story first appeared in Business Insider. As we navigate endless Zoom meetings and new work/life challenges, lets not underestimate the value of small talk. Lets improve your stress and intonation so you find your natural flow in American English. Before Covid-19 and social distancing, small talk was a daily workplace ritual for most of us. Its loss matters a great deal and savvy managers are realising they need to take action. So, dont try something like this until you get to know a person very well.