Korean culture is difficult to understand. Trying to fit in at work here is even more difficult to piece together. But never fear – follow these five steps to make friends in a jiffy.
Did you ever get left out when they were picking teams for sports class? Did you think that once you entered the working world you’d be past those kiddie shenanigans? And now that you’re at work, you’ve found it’s no different. Working in Korea, you might be the last to get a message, or you might just happen to have been left out of that group outing on a Friday night. Maybe, your boss gave everyone some holiday candy apart from you. This isolation is even more prevalent in a work environment where you might not be able to speak the same language as your colleagues. But all is not lost. There are some great hacks for fitting into the work culture of South Korea. Based on my two years of experience as a teacher in this country, I’ll let you know how to build a rapport with coworkers with next to no Korean ability. Here are five great ways to make a good impression at work so that you fit in right away.
Read ahead to learn how to master these steps. Watch as you are voted ‘Most Popular’ in the office every month.
1. Gift giving
Everyone loves snacks
In your culture, it might be weird to frequently give gifts, especially if it’s not a special occasion. Sure, you might bring a cake to the office if it’s your birthday. However, would you think of bringing some choccies to work just because it’s a random Tuesday? In Korea, it’s a different story. There is always a little gift or snack near the kettle to boost morale. These gifts are extravagant and certainly don’t break the bank, but they show you that your colleagues care.
I’ve been given everything from Spanish chocolates, courtesy of a teacher’s most recent vacation, to freshly baked sweet potatoes, still hot from the oven. How about keeping a little stash of candies in your desk drawer for both yourself and for when you see a coworker looking a little down? And if you don’t know what candies to store, have a look here. One of my favourite interactions is when my desk-mate leans over to hand me a Yakgwa. No words needed, but a much-appreciated gesture.
Get creative
In the expat teaching community, there’s an unspoken custom of buying a gift after your first paycheck. No one expects you to rock up to your new life in another country and have appropriate presents to hand out on the first day. However, a month after you’ve settled in is a great time to solidify friendships with a prezzie. Once I’d received my first paycheck, I went ahead and ordered some chocolates from the U.K. to thank everyone for their help. This was also a great way to share a little bit of my culture.
As time has gone on, I’ve also baked cookies and made brownies. These all disappeared from the staff room in the space of an afternoon. Making a little present is a great heartfelt way to treat your coworkers, without breaking the bank. Using arts and crafts also ensures that you won’t break Korea’s strict bribery laws, which prohibits gifts over 50,000 won. Don’t stress yourself out with finding the perfect present. Just pick some snacks or fruit that you enjoy and buy a little extra for everyone else. Your gift will definitely not go unnoticed.
2. Go to company dinners
What is a hoesik?
In Korea, you might have heard of a hoesik, or company dinner. You might also have some bad connotations of the word, associated with inescapable nights out, taking up your leisure time and extending the period that you are under the whim of your seniors. These company dinners have also been linked to rowdy behaviour and drinking in excess.
Recently, however, the hoesik culture has changed to include different activities with less pressure on workers. This change means that even if drinking isn’t your thing, you shouldn’t avoid these work gatherings. You might even enjoy them. They are a great way to chat with colleagues you might not have previously engaged with. They also offer a more relaxed atmosphere to talk about a wider range of topics.
Do I need to go every week?
Company dinners can be fairly constant, maybe once a month or more. This commitment adds up to being a lot of free time that you might rather spend with family, friends or alone. This can make attending every single one very difficult. Contrary to popular belief, you can miss them. But try not to make it a habit to skip every single dinner.
Try and compromise with your schedule to attend a few. You might even have more fun than you thought. Perhaps, you’ll be seated with people you don’t usually get an opportunity to interact with. Also, try to make the first hoesik of the year. This way, you can start off on a good note and get in everyone’s good books. Showing your face at this event will allow you to create a warm impression. Before long, you’ll show your colleagues how fun and easygoing you are.
3. Learning basic Korean
Do I need to be fluent?
You don’t have to be fluent to make a good impression. And Korean isn’t easy by a long shot. Even the numerous ways to say ‘hello’ can be confusing, and it’s difficult not to stumble over that ‘goodbye’. But the more you know, the easier it is to communicate and the more fun you’ll have at work. Even if the idea of holding a conversation in Korean seems like a scary ordeal, improving your listening skills will help you to learn more about your coworker’s interests and personalities.
Learning some simple vocabulary could help you to find the perfect gift for coworkers (look above) or could be something to keep in your back pocket for when you eventually want to strike up a convo in Korean. Knowing a couple of throwaway words like ‘delicious’ or ‘spicy’ (actually food words in general are great) can really impress and show people the strides you’re making to adjust to the culture.
Honorifics and formalities
Confidence rather than rudeness or contempt holds most people back from speaking to you in English. It’s probably the same reason you’ve not been able to approach your colleagues in Korean. I know for one that my confidence in Korea was impeded because I was afraid of mixing up the levels of formality embedded in the language.
I couldn’t think of anything worse than dropping a casual Annyong to my Principal when I should have used an honorific ending. But then I came to a transcendent realisation. Everyone makes mistakes. The fact is that you tried. Nowadays, whenever a colleague comes over to talk to me in English, I always remember the effort and confidence this act takes. I’ve tried to carry this kindness forward by learning more about the language and making every effort to greet people around the office in Korean.
4. Learning cultural norms
A simple bow
It’s best to learn some cultural norms so that you don’t put your foot in it and ultimately embarrass yourself. That’s the hard truth of it. You won’t arrive in the country knowing everything, and office politics can be hard to navigate in your native language let alone in Korean, but there are some blunders that are easily avoided by taking an interest in Korean culture.
Bowing, for example, is a simple gesture that shows you have an awareness of the culture and are already embracing it. Bow when you greet someone, when you’re saying thank you, or when you’re leaving the office for the day. You might be more used to a firm handshake when meeting people, but taking the initiative to bow will instantly earn you some respect and is a great way to immediately fit in at work. I have now become an expert at the bow/wave, which combines bowing while waving, integrating Korean etiquette with my common form of greeting from home.
The office food chain
Hierarchy is important. Although there may be more leniency towards you as an expat, you’ll still experience this hierarchy at work and in your daily life. You’ll see rankings between the social statuses of different job titles, as well as distinctions based on age. With lots of social dynamics to consider, it’s difficult to fit into the pecking order of Korea sometimes. To make your life a little easier, show everyone respect at all times. This includes speaking with formality and remembering to accept objects with two hands.
Try to be open and observe your colleagues closely to understand where the power dynamics lie in the office. You might not navigate the cultural norms associated with these hierarchies perfectly, but knowing there are subtle social conventions at play will help you to fit in at work more easily.
5. Don’t forget to smile
Where words fail, smile
In a situation where you might not be able to communicate effectively with the people around you, how can you express yourself? When words fail, your facial expressions and body language become even more important. One of the easiest and most communicable ways to say that you’re happy is by wearing a grin. You don’t have to walk around with a smirk all day but try to smile when people enter the room and focus on walking confidently around the office space.
Smiling at your coworkers in the hallway, even if you’re not comfortable saying ‘hello’ in Korean, can earn you some major brownie points. Adding a bow to this acknowledgement could get you even more kudos (did you read up on learning some cultural norms?).
Make a new first impression
It’s a fact of life that you’re unlikely to be happy every day, and that’s okay. And even if you walked in on the first day full of nerves and scowling, it’s never too late to put on a smile and show everyone that you’re warm and inviting. Maybe if you smile at your colleagues they’ll feel more inclined to make the effort to talk to you first.
I found that when I shifted my attitude from being a sourpuss to being a ray of sunshine who bounded into the teacher’s office every day, I instantly gained more popularity. This wasn’t a simple change and it took a lot of effort on my part to show everyone that I was a warm person. But with a cheesy grin from ear to ear, I soon had other teachers approaching me and offering me the food they’d brought in. Coupling this with some friendly greetings, the whole office quickly knew that I wasn’t as moody as they once thought. I know that you might not be happy to be at work, but even a plastic smile could win you some fondness from your coworkers, and after a while, you might genuinely be happy to rock up to the office each morning.
It’s not a popularity contest
You don’t have to get on well with everyone at work. There are going to be people you don’t talk to as much and maybe even people you really despise (just kidding). But, you don’t want to be isolated in the office. If you’re living in Korea, you might already be familiar with how lonely life can get as an expat outside of work. Being lonely at work too is unbearable. Think about it. You’re at work for nearly forty hours a week. Don’t you want that time to be as enjoyable as it can be? If you agree, try implementing some of these tips the next time you’re in the office. Come in with a little something for your coworkers, or enthusiastically join the first company dinner. If the moment’s passed, it’s never too late to pick up some Korean or note down some cultural norms that might win you some popularity points. And least of all, remember to smile. These tips might just make you a new friend, who could make the whole ordeal of going to work that much more bearable.
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