BREAKING NEWS
Two French aid workers kidnapped in the Central African Republic
Two French aid workers from the NGO Triangle were kidnapped overnight from Sunday to Monday in the north-east of the Central African Republic, Mahamat Salah Amadou Birao, Bangui's vice-consul in Darfur, Sudan told AFP.
01 December 2006 - 18H12

Survival Tips for Ex-pats
With its social codes and unwritten rules, the French workplace is not always an easy place for the ex-pat to blend in. Here are 10 tips to help you through.

Related links

1.Speak French
Language is a vital tool in finding your way through the French professional jungle. Not least because the English spoken in many French offices is at best approximate. Making an effort to pronounce a few French words flatters the national ego and the idea of ‘the French cultural exception.’ Give it a whirl and you’ll start to appreciate the French spirit.
 
 
2. Understand that public and private are two different things
Do your French colleagues insist on kissing you but still seem cold, distant and unwelcoming? Don’t worry it’s nothing personal, they just need a bit of time to trust you. That which constitutes the public sphere (you) is not the same as that which belongs in the private (which is none of your business).
 
 
3.Get touchy-feely, but know what it means 
Don’t understand male/female relations in the workplace? “Play the seduction game,” suggests international management coach John Gaynard, stressing that flirtation in the workplace is just a game and should not be misinterpreted as anything more. Be relaxed and don’t be afraid to greet colleagues with the French bise (kisses on either cheek). Of course, you need to keep the right distance, but cultivated physical contact while remaining professional is all good.
 
 
4. Know your food
While French food is world-renowned, the importance of lunch à la française is less well-known. Taking time to eat with your French colleagues is the key to professional success. It’s over a good meal and a glass or two of wine (though never more, be careful) that the trust essential to professional life is built. Many important decisions are taken at the table.
 
 
5. Do things face-to-face
Direct relations work better than indirect ones, personal exchanges better than e-mails. Which brings us onto a second point: if you’re not sure whether to call your colleagues ‘tu’ or ‘vous’ take a look at the hierarchy of your workplace: ‘vous’ for superiors, ‘tu’ for equals.
 
6. Stay flexible on your working time
Get into a huff if meetings start late? Take a deep breath and chill. Or turn up late. A good formula to remember is ‘start time of meeting + 15 minutes.’ You may also get the impression that, despite all the chat, nobody has done much since the last meeting and that no decisions have been taken at this one: and you’d be right. But don’t forget there’s a culture of consenus to this apparent disorder: it allows decisions to be accepted by everyone even if they’re taken by those up top!
 
7. Learn the French calendar
The keystone of the professional year comes in September when everybody gets back from their long summer holiday. Pay attention to Stephen Clarke’s words in his novel A Year in the Merde: “Be sure to wrap up your annual project by April 31st ”If not, like the book’s hero, you will be in the Merde yourself. In May “there are too many long weekends,” in June “it’s hardly worth working as it’s summer.” And in July and August “Everybody’s relaxing.”
 
8. Learn about French networking and the grandes écoles
Knowing about France’s elite educational establishments is vital. An X69, for example, is not a skilled pornographic actor but a somebody who left l’école Polytechnique in 1969. If you want to expand your network in France, get to know about the organisations for former students of the grandes écoles – the people here are very well-connected.
 
9. Don’t make culture a scapegoat
Not everything bad that happens is down to ‘cultural’ differences. Sometimes it could even be your fault and not that of the French! Learn to give and take.
 
10. Don’t be scared to ask for help and advice
If despite all this advice the French workplace remains unfathomable don’t hesitate to get help. Ask other ex-pats and make sure your French friends explain how things work. If not there’s always your company’s Human Resources department. Finally there are professional trainers who can help with face-to-face coaching. Here you can discuss any difficult or confusing situations you may have been in. Most trainers offer help for those who’ve been in France for three months or more.
 
 
 
Thanks to John Gaynard, consultant at Systèmes et Ressources ; Maureen Rabotin of Effective Global Leadership and Stephen Clarke, author of A Year in the Merde.
Close