Are British Offices More Formal Than American Offices?
There it was... The weirdest sign I've ever seen in an office. Above a sink littered with dirty tea cups, there was a printed note that said
"Do the washing up or your fingers will be cut."
A rhyming threat of violence in the break room is unusual, if not unprofessional. And yet day after day, there it hung. HR saw it. Leadership saw it. Nobody cared.
This is representative of one of the major characteristics in a UK office: Personality. It's not just that offices tend to be slightly less formal than an American office, it's that people are allowed to show who they are more. In a British office, you aren't expected to check your personality at the door.
I worked with a Managing Director that did an Elton John impression at a Christmas party. One of the most brilliant minds in the last office I worked in had a beard like he was a member of ZZ Top!
The Measurement in Formality
Beyond personality, we'll measure whether British offices are more or less formal than American offices by four hallmarks of freedom in the office: dress codes, meetings, lunch breaks, time off.
Dress Code:
Dress codes are about the same. Prior to the pandemic, I would have said that British dress codes tend to be a bit more relaxed than American dress codes (which are often a bit rigid). However, post-pandemic, most companies have more relaxed dress codes so now it's about the same in the UK and US. Of course, people working in large multinational companies generally have the same business dress codes. For example, people dress the same in the offices of the big banks in Manhattan and Canary Wharf.
This is a tie.
Meetings:
This is where Americans tend to be a bit more informal.While there may be really well thought-out agendas for meetings in both countries, Americans tend to chat a bit more at the beginning of meetings - especially when they're in person.
Point goes to the Americans on this one.
Lunch Breaks:
Both the US and UK typically offer a 30 minute lunch break for full time workers. While this tends to be more of an office culture dynamic that can change from company to company, the Brits tend to be more precious about their lunch breaks. While it still definitely happens in the UK, there are less people having lunch at their desk in British offices.
Point to the Brits.
Time Off:
Americans famously take less time off than the Brits. In the US, the amount of time that you get to take off usually depends on how long you've been with the company. In 2021,the average amount of time that Americans had off was 10 days. Compare that with the UK where full time workers must receive at least 28 days off per year. That's an enormous gap! It's made even worse by the fact that about 55% of workers in the US don't take all of their time off allotted to them according to a 2022 report by Zippa.
So, why would we measure time off when considering office formality? It's because of why Americans don't take time off. Many Americans feel that they can't take time off because they fear how it will make them look to their bosses. They want to appear as hardworking. Some are worried that if they're not in the office, they will miss an opportunity or that nobody will be able to cover for them. This is definitely cultural and it does occur in some offices in the UK, but certainly not in most.
The final point goes to the Brits.
The Winner
With the measurements that we've selected, the Brits actually have a bit more freedom with their office lives. This is probably a shock to those who think of images of the stuffy, suited and booted Brit. However, those images are, for the most part, outdated. If you're moving from the US to the UK for work, you'll find a pretty similar office environment with a few additional positive characteristics. Being more relaxed about showing your personality in the office, taking time off and actually enjoying a lunch make life more enjoyable.
