American reacts to Australian Workplace Culture
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- Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
- Thanks for watching me, a humble American, react to Australian Workplace Culture
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I'm a 72 year old Australian, and I've never heard anyone shorten anyone's name to the initial, here in Australia, my whole life! At work or anywhere else!
I get called B 😊
Many people are called by initials eg Charles Tomas , CT, I have a female relative who is called by her initials by her Dad and it runs together as a name
@@micheledix2616Who's Charles Tomas? Sorry, I don't know who he is. But I actually meant just calling someone by the ONE initial of their first name (like S for Susan). I've not come across that in my life. I have known people who were called both initials, but not just the one.
@@micheledix2616 oh yeah they do, but she only used my first initial. Silly me only realised a few years ago my initial’s before I was married. My maiden surname starts with S. My initials were BS lol. It hit finally hit me, some people say, That’s BS for Bull S*** 😂
@@7Melancholia7 Charles Tonas was.an.example.
My ex husband and I owned a large successful WA traffic control company back in the 90s. Every year on the first Friday in December, for Christmas/end of the year party, we took all workers and their partners, on a Swan River, river cruise with dinner, and handed out a $400 Christmas hamper (large leg ham, chrissy pudding, bon bons, 6 bottles wine, carton of Corona beer, carton of VB, 6 pack spritzer's, 6 x 2 ltr bottles coke, packets of nuts, chips, shapes, savory snacks). We would present each worker with a bonus ( $100 - $1000 depending on length of service, and work quality). Cruise ended 11pm, we would put everyone on a bus, give workers and partners $100 each in chips, and headed to the casino, and paid all taxi fairs home.
Then on the same weekend, Sunday, we had family Christmas day - we put on a big BBQ at our house, all kids and partners given a gift up to $30 by Santa, and we played games with the kids all afternoon (cricket, footy, totem tennis, table tennis etc).
We did this because our business required our workers to work long night time hours, as well as going country for up to 3 weeks at a time. Which does affect their whole family life.
Being a family ourselves, we wanted to show our appreciation for all their hard work and sacrifices. It built a very close and respected relationship with all our workers and their families, and we loved doing it.
Sharing our success with them, was the right thing to do, because our workers are the reason why we were successful.
Wow, I am sure your employees appreciated you very much and they certainly would have been very loyal to you and your business. Beats the party bag of cheap chocolates we used to get. Only after change of board members and some management would we get a $50 voucher and Christmas pudding, and actually felt appreciated. Worked in aged care.
@@christelgrimmer4478Thank you for your lovely kind comments.
Yes our employees were always very grateful, reliable and loyal, which in turn deserved all they received from us. They earned all that was given. Our business was open and worked 24hrs, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including Christmas day, so a lot was asked of our team.
We both came from normal tradie families, so knew the value of respect and sharing, before starting our business.
In our eyes, not sharing the spoils of hard work and success with the workers, is just wrong. We sold the business in 2004, but the new owner ran it into the ground, and went bust a few months ago, which was very sad to see.
You are what all employers should be. Without your workers you have nothing. Treat them well and they will respect you and be loyal to you. I would have loved working for you. That is how you build a successful business.
@@kennethdodemaide8678Thank you for your lovely comment. I really appreciate that 🙂
I love people like us Roslyn! Perth here too.
She is talking from her experience in her particular work environment. Calling someone mate is acceptable anywhere, especially if you know them. No-one would take offence. In Australia it's not about the word you say but how you say it, the intent behind it.
Incidentally, the same can be said of the word 'Bastard'.
@@Lord_Numpty and many other words , not allowed here.
Very true, it's not uncommon for Australian guys to call each other the C word as a term of endearment.
Spot on blue collar don't follow these rules strictly
So true.@@davidcruse6589
I think an very important thing she missed is there is no class system. Every job is as respected as any other. A doctor could easily be best friends with a plumber with neither feeling superior to the other.
we are the great levelers
True, everyone has a part to play.
Although, I've seen tradies get into arguments with each other and hang shit on one another plenty of times
Painter's painting over the Sparkies power sockets
Everyone paying out on Plumbers with "Shit flows downhill"
That’s special , how it should be
Yep I married a builder so I’m living proof of that. Not sure I could bear being around someone else like me 😂
Somewhere in Australia a court house tried to make the security guards not say mate to the public at the front door, it lasted less than 24hrs. 🤣💚
It was more than a court house it was Federal Parliament House security guards.
Prime Minister John Howard and the Labor leader Kim Beazley objected to the order, saying the expression, "mate", was a part of Australian culture.
As you say, the ban was withdrawn within 24 hours.
Good comment though.
That was Parliament House Canberra. It wasn't the politicians making a fuss, but public servants.
@@daveg2104 That's even funnier🤣
It was Parliament House in Canberra
@David_Beames I remember it was a big deal at the time. That totally makes sense. Thank you.
Australian language is often a very subtle language, depending much on tone, inflection and context for the same words. A break down on the meaning of some Australian words you might be called:
"Mate" - A broad range of meaning from friend to idiot, depending on tone and context.
"Sport" - Being called Sport means things are heading south rapidly.
"Sunshine" - Run, because your next few minutes are going to become extremely interesting.
mayyyte givin away the secrets.:)
Missing "Champ" in that list lol
Loved it. I got my giggle for the morning. So true!
I had a boss who would drop the f bomb, and you'd hardly hear it. He was so good at dropping it, and he dropped it often. We'd have meeting with the big boys from Sydney, and they wouldn't even batt an eyelid.
@@jurgentreue1200 If you've ever worked in a kitchen, this is casual talk. My boss calls everyone a c*nt
This lady is originally from Argentina and her videos are targeted at other ppl from Spanish-speaking countries, who may have different social etiquette. That's why some of her advice may not quite gel with you. Also, someone called Susan would more likely be called Sue or Susie than S 😊
I do believe that this "Lady" is not Argentinean. I do believe this social commentator was originally from Brazil.
I was going to comment this too.
I don't think I've ever met someone who was referred to as just their initial.
Wherever she is from the European culture is both friendlier/affectionate and not... as an aussie chick who married into a European family I love the 'kiss kiss' but I am a hugger and it took my father in law many year to not be rigid when I then followed the kisses with a big hug. After 20year he now hugs me back immediately ❤
I don't think its common practice to abbreviate to the first letter, but it probably happens time to time if the right person decides to make up the nickname and it sticks.
I reckon S is her preferred nickname not the name applied to her by others. I went to a private girls school and you can get everything from your full name, your nickname/s or your surname.
I feel in a few of her videos she conflates personal observation in her own circumstances with what’s normal and accepted for us.
A few years ago, one of my colleagues was a bit sick while she was at work (she had a bit of a cold) and one of the boys in her class must have mentioned it in passing to his parents; the next day, this boy showed up at school with a huge container of Aush (Afghani noodle soup) for her, saying "my mum wants to you to eat all of this so you get better!"
It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.
Australia is pretty multicultural all over now, not just in Sydney or Melbourne. Most larger towns have a mixed diverse population now. You were wondering about holiday pay. Full time employees have a minimum of 20 days a year paid days off with leave loading, plus public holidays with public holiday pay, 10 days sick leave and long service leave after 10 years. Some industries have more paid vacation time. I am in the health industry and have 6 weeks of paid holidays per year which accumulates to a maximum of of 30 weeks. This year i had 12 weeks long service and 8 weeks holiday so i had 5 months off all fully paid. To hear about the way the USA treats their workers is totally mind blowing to us.
The Liberals made leave loading optional some time ago. Not all businesses pay it these days.
Yep. I live in a regional area and we are very multicultural. Quite a number of migrants move to areas that remind them of their homeland. So we have people in rural and remote areas as well
Salaried employees definitely don’t get leave loading. LL is a thing of the past.
@@GenZMother it depends on if you work for the government. I work in a public hosptial and get leave loading
@@kymharris269 LNP did its best to turn us into US Down Under, aka privatise everything and destroy the middle class.
I'm an Aussie and I have never been called by my initial. This lady probably heard a couple of close friends who had a particular way of referring to each other.
I've never been called by my initial either, but I did go to school with a DD. (ironically one of the few people from primary school whose full name I still remember specifically because he was called by his initials) I think the thing she was missing is that this is more an aspect of Australia's nickname culture rather than being something commonly done as a standalone thing.
I'm an aussie and I have a few mates we call by either just their first or second name initial.
I used to work with 3 Indians we called B and T but that's only because their names were stupid hard to pronounce for us 😭
I don't know where this lady lives or works but she really has generalized a bit much.
I've never been called an initial at anywhere in my life & especially not anywhere I've worked. Never!
Saying 'Whaaat?" in any circumstance is just rude! I said that to my Mum, once, when I was a teenager & was soundly rebuked for my rudeness!
There is a very broad multicultural dynamic, even in the country areas. Maybe not the same denseness as in the cities, but the % is possiblely still similar.
She's originally from Argentina and her videos are targeted at other ppl from Spanish-speaking countries, who may have different social etiquette.
the initial thing kind of struck me as odd as well, nick names sure, that happens more than calling people their actual name, but never heard of someone being called just their first initial like "hey S, what are you up to"
and I work for a company that had a system for assigning work to people based off their first and last initial. but the only time that was used was inside the system and for shorthand in emails and work orders. for example "RW is going to handle the towel rail at job X while JP is installing the wall mount at job Y"
I have a colleague that gets called by their initials both though and only one person.
My Dad's name is Harold and a lot of his work mates call him H,
Hey H how ya going
Do you mean "generalised"?
I live near a very multicultural town with a population under 7,000. We have a Chinese cop, Indian service station, Sri Lankan, Chinese and Indian doctors, Irish and French wait staff, Canadian and American neighbours etc etc etc! They are all AUSTRALIAN!
As an Aussie who worked with an American (from Chicago), apparently our humour in the workplace can be confronting. We tend to ‘pay out’ on each other. She thought we were really rude and unkind until we explained that if we’re making jokes at your expense, you’re one of the gang.
The subject of speaking in languages other than English in the Australian workplace came up a couple of times during my time as a manager in a software company. My view was that if people are talking about what they did outside work, then I had no problem with them not speaking in English. But if the conversation was work-related, then other people should be able to participate. This is an important part of teamwork.
How would you be able to differentiate...if you hadn't any knowledge/fluency in the language of the non-english speaker ?!
@@krishender I couldn't differentiate. But my staff understood the value of what I asked them to do, and they spoke English when anyone else was within earshot.
We usually asked people to (mostly) stick to English on the work floor, but in break rooms or over lunch, etc, it was fine to chat in the language that suited them most. It usually wasn't a problem.
@@krishender That would be up to the staff member to self regulate. They would be trusted to behave in a respectful manner. If they were discussing work matters, it really would be essential for them to use a language that their entire team could understand.
The thing is that talking in another language is kind of like whispering in front of others and excludes people from conversations. Sometimes one colleague explains something to another in their language to better understand things. That is totally acceptable in the work place. But there have also been times where some have had long conversations in other languages with others around who could have no idea of what was being said and were therefore excluded. That is incredibly rude! In an english speaking workplace it is expected that all have enough of a grasp of the language that all can pretty much understand what is being said and be included in conversation. So stick mostly to english where possible.
Susan is shortened to Sue, not "S."
Or Susie
Yeah, we don’t call them by their initial, expect for my sister Kay 🤣
Yeah nah.
I got called B only by one friend.
@@adelelouise and Susie would get shortened to Suze
Im Australian and one of her comments reminded me of a workplace story my mum told me. She was in the lunchroom with another English speaker and 2 Nepalese co-workers came in, 2 young women. They came up to my mum n friend and one of them quietly said "we're going to be speaking our own language but its just because shes getting married and doesnt know what to expect .. and i dont know the right words in English" 😅 It was the sweetest story, but mum and her friend were like "go for it, if you need old lady advice, we're available" 🤣👍 Every time the girls giggled, the "old" ladies giggled along .. girl talk is universal i guess 🤷😅
Sue, Susie, Suz - but not S 😂😂😂
Yeah. No one has ever called me ‘C’. And I have never heard anyone call anyone else by the first letter of their name. It annoys me that every foreigner that comes here who ends up making videos about us tells bs facts like that. Where the F do they get this bs from? Do they just make it up or are the friends with weird morons that the rest of us do not know? Odd.
Exactly. Never in my life heard anyone referred to by their initial. Rubbish. Names often shortened, or alternately lengthened. Damien - Damo, Rob - Robbo.
Most of what this woman is saying is nonsense imo. Sounds like she's working at a Uni in socialist Melbourne or in a government office.
Very narrow view of reality in Oz.
This is just her view as a foreigner living in some posh area. Need an Aussie born person give a balanced view.
@@ozzybloke-craig3690
Me lol. I had only one friend who called me B lol. Never bothered me. My name is long, so I got called quite a variety of my full name shortened. Girlfriends children couldn’t say my name, they came out with Boo, they are now 40s and them and their parents only call me Boo lol.
Workmates I’d get Bern or Bernie. None bothered me.
I get called P frequently by friends.
The one thing I have noticed that a majority of Americans order without saying the word “please” but they always say “thank you”. A lot of the young people in Aust are picking up that now. I fear that has come out of US shows and movies. I have been to the US many times and have noticed this.
I hope in Aust we get to keep our “Englishisms” and say “please” when ordering. When we were kids and asked for something, our parents used to say”What’s the magic word?” So we all learnt to say please when asking for things.
Totally agree, rudeness in the younger children is coming out 😢
I even say please to Hey Google 😊
Story:
Magician about to do trick: “What’s the magic word?” (Expecting “abracadabra”.)
6-year-old kid: “Please!”
Magician: “Can’t argue with that.” Finishes trick.
Couple of things: We dont shorten names down to the letter unless its an obvious phonetic reason like Debra might be Dee which to a foreigner speaker they might think its the letter. We have drinks with our workmates after work and then go home. Our wives dont join us because only the single people stay on, the married and whatnots leave early then catch up on who rooted who on monday.
LOL You may have to explain what "rooted" means.
😮😊
One of my sisters friends is called P, because her name is difficult to pronounce
😂
my name is Jay-Pee short for Jean-Paul. hard to say for Aussies. Go figure!
Our son moved to Brisbane from Canada a month ago and found a similar job last week at almost double his previous salary plus profit share for 36 hours a week. He asked to reduce lunch from one hour to half an hour so he could leave early. No problem. He has a take-home high spec laptop and has a paid public holiday after only 9 working days. MUCH better conditions than in Canada. Everyone gets 10 paid public holidays a year plus 4 weeks paid annual leave. Workers not on contracts get 17.5% extra leave loading on their annual holidays. There are also 10 paid sick days a year (they accumulate) and the employer is required to contribute the equivalent of 12% of income to superannuation (pension fund). An average worker will retire at 65 with maybe $500,000 tax free in super, and more if he/she adds up to $25,000 a year. It would be very rare not to call your boss (even the CEO of a big company) by his first name. No wonder people want to move to Australia.
My wife was known by her initials in her workplace for a long time, but that's because she was one of 5 ladies in the same department all with the same given name and they needed some way to differentiate 😀
Watch her video about vacation time and cry in American 😀 I'm in a typically Australian workplace and I get: 20 days of recreation leave a year; 10 days sick leave; 6.5 days Long Service Leave (you can only access that once you've worked there for 10 years or more); 7 extra Personal Days (these don't accrue from year to year - all the other leave types do). Australian also get around 10 paid public holidays a year (not paid if you're a casual employee).
Which is why casual rates in Australia are so high.
And superannuation contributed by employer
I'm a casual and i get Sat, Sun and PH rates it depends on which Award you are on
@@WickedestKarI think you'll find they were meaning non-casual employees get paid on public holidays, even though they don't have to work.
Note: if you have worked for 7 years but leave before the 10 year long service leave, you will be paid out on a pro rate basis. And casual employees are also entitled to long service leave, and again if the leave between 7 & 10 Years are to be paid our on a pro rate basis.
I’ve worked for 36 years as a public librarian and have negotiated a 3 day work week for the past year transitioning to retirement. I work 7 hours a day with a 45 min lunch break. Before this I had a 4 day working week for 17 years when I had my son who is now 20. I’ve been very lucky with a supportive local government employer.
Lunch breaks are usually one hour. Starbucks went broke in Australia because they had lousy coffee and overpriced. We have about 30 coffee shops in my small town so we don’t need Starbucks. Coffee is amazing here. Most workers get 4 weeks paid holidays every year and if you are a shift worker you get a loading and bonus paid days off for working weekends. We also get long service leave if we stay with the same company for 10 years or more they will pay you 12 weeks extra holiday’s.
I was wondering how to send Ryan a video with how Starbucks was received in Australia 👍
12 weeks every year from then on or just once in your tenth year as a present?
@@robopecha it’s once every 10 years but if you leave after 12 years then they have to pay you a portion of the next 12 weeks long service that is owed.
@@cherylemaybury9967 wow. i have never heard of that concept before! i am in europe.
@cherylemaybury9967 also depends on which state and whether public or private industry. In Victoria, accrued LSL can be accessed (& is paid out, in the event of cessation) @ 7 yrs. Also, LSL is accrued annually @ 6.5 days per year (pro rata for part-time & casual employees) for the life of your employment, and accrued LSL may be carried forward with you from one employer to the next.
I don’t know about the initial thing, I’ve never heard of that, but they do shorten most names, like Susan, would probably be Sue. Speaking in a different language, around people who don’t understand it, is considered rude, unless you translate. Most workplaces are honest and open and everyone is treated with respect. ( well mostly)
In my workplace, we get 2 15minute breaks: one in the morning around 10:30 and one in the afternoon around 3-3:30 and we get a 1hour lunch break. And we have a room for our Muslim colleagues for them to pray. Where I work, we get 6 weeks annual leave per year.
Those hours were the same in my workplace. We got only four weeks annual leave though (plus two weeks of gazetted public holidays of course).
Pretty much the same for any job I've worked, too.
Same!!!
Have you got a room for Hindus to pray? And Buddhists. They like prayer rooms too. I do however remember the fracas that occurred at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) when 1 group didn't want to share the 1 prayer room! Hahaha. As a result the Uni got the shits and took the room away from everyone! Turned it into a study area for all. My son was studying law there at the time. As its not compulsory by law to provide prayer rooms you see. End of drama.
6 weeks?! In the many jobs I've had I've always gotten 4 weeks (in Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane). All my jobs have been in the same industry though. Must not be a generous industry.
I'm old and I've never heard anyone called by 1 initial; TJ, JC maybe. I wouldnt call my boss mate, but any colleagues yes. We are highly multicultural everywhere because regions need overseas workers for farm harvest, healthcare & unskilled work. Its still pretty chill country.😊
I work 9.00am to 5.00pm with an hour for lunch and morning and afternoon tea breaks of 15 minutes each. Not every employer in Australia is as generous as this.Just to add, I get paid well above the award as well.
And some are more generous.
@@Rastusmishka12 Possibly but I haven't met 'em 🙂
@elizabethc1039 I get an hour and a half for lunch and go to the gym. I also take between 5 and 10 mins every hour to have a walk away from the computer. Usual hours are 9-5 but sometimes required to take meetings after hours which I'll normally do from home. Our workplace has an understanding of do what you like but get the work done.
We have awards. Employers can go beyond the award, but there is a minimum of 30 mins for lunch and 15 minutes for smoko twice a day.
The length of your lunch break is commensurate to the length of your shift, I can take a 30 minute lunch and work 7am to 3:06 or I can take an hour lunch break and work 7:00 - 3:36 at the end of the week I'll have worked my required 38 hours.
Saying "what" is considered rude in Australia not just in the workplace. It would be okay with family but even with friends, I avoid it. Obviously some ppl will have different experiences but average australian workplace/family
I think saying "huh" is more acceptable than "what".
I think you're okay with "what?" if a colleague says something quietly to you from the next workstation over and you'd like them to repeat it. Any other context it's probably rude.
Depends on the tone as well. The Brits tend to say "wot" all the time (been in the UK for 10 years now) but not considered rude, however it also depends on the class of the people involved. Classism is still very obvious in the UK unlike Australia which is less so.
I agree 'What' by it self is rude I will take what did you say or pardon.
Never ever have I heard anyone being called by their initial, and I have worked at many sites/buildings and workplaces. She probably worked somewhere very unique and thinks this is typical in Australia.
I get H, as I have an unusual name. Just easier to say, but yeah... It's rare.
Americans blown away that we treat each other with common human decency and dignity
Americans just can't ditch that wild west/every man for himself mentality.
@@dcmastermindfirst9418can totally vouch for that after being in two takeovers by American firms that ruined the pre-existing Australian culture
@imcured Such as?
If anything we take American culture and improve it.
Like how we invented McCafe...
My American friends think it looks like a fancy restaurant in comparison to anything they have.
@@dcmastermindfirst9418 such as we were all told we were no longer to use the term guys to refer to people. By a white American man.
Immigrants to Australia are amazing. It's been a while since I've had to bring lunch to work because all the Thai, Lao, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, German, Italian, Greek and Filipino ladies bring extra for me because I help them at work. I take the rest home for dinner. My grocery bill is very small.
You are one lucky bugger. :)
One time an Indian colleague of mine made Indian ice-cream for the entire work section and brought it in to work for morning tea, good times 🍨
Okay, where do you work because we all want in... (Joking yet jealous in a good way 😁).
I lived in Laos eight years. Some of the best cuisine on the planet. You are very lucky.
I was a school teacher before retirement. Many teachers were called by friendly nick names by other staff but in my experience, shortening a person’s name to the first letter is not very common.
My husbands an asset inspector (fancy name for checking power poles) in the far north, he contends with snakes most days. And every now and then they have to check poles near mangroves, so they have a spotter to keep an eye out for crocs coming near them. I offered to be a spotter for them, I could have so much fun with that. 😂
Multicultural communities are pretty widespread in Aus. I live in a small country town, and we have a sizeable Phillipino and Indian community, with quite a few Islanders, South African and Japanese people in my workplace.
Hey Ryan 👋
That coffee she showed is a mocha ( half coffee half chocolate) and it’s amazing 👌
it looked like chocolate, I'm getting one next time im at the coffee shop.
if you like coffee they are not so amazing. Kinda ruins the taste of coffee
And if u don’t like coffee it’s worse.
Its multi cultural all around Australia - in the regional areas as well as the cities. My friend is Fijian, father to my child is Portuguese and I have a Slovenian and Cypress friend too. I live in a small regional city.
Even in small towns you’ll find multi-culturalism. We’re from a small beachside town and couldn’t believe that in Toronto, when we lived there for 2 years, the amount of people we met who hadn’t ever eaten a lot of the food that we eat regularly even in a small town. I agree with most of the views this lady had. Thanks Ryan!
While working for Virgin Australia at the International airport in Brisbane, it was such an experience to see different cultures dress up after work to go celebrate a special day ie: Diwali, beginning and end of Ramadan. And the food that people bring/share at work on a normal day was fantastic. Obviously many cultures celebrate life through food, so there was a lot to go around during break time. Break times obviously depends on your industry and deadlines, we had 'smoko" = short break for 10 minutes twice a shift and then 30 minutes for lunch/dinner. Not sure about other work places, but there were showers and big locker rooms to accommodate for people who had two jobs or had other commitments to travel/commute to. Aussies generally have good manners but when it's time to put your foot down, they're very direct extremely direct, especially when there is a mix of cultures and beliefs, it can be quagmire trying to understand each other. Speaking another language apart from English in the workplace is a complete no no.
I think most Aussies would consider the US to be our closest friends and most similar cultures. Far more so than the UK. I was in San Diego buying a ticket to visit a maritime attraction. There was a sign saying there was a discount for veterans. I jokingly said I was a veteran but not from this country. The ticket seller gave me the discount saying, "you're Australian right? That's close enough to being American". Never felt more humble...
I have lived in both the US and Australia, and worked a lot with US and British teams as an Australians and I find British culture more similar to us than the US, but it does depend on the particular thing you are thinking about. We are definitely between the two
@@kevc5532 Depends on the tradition I think. A lot of older Aussieisms are defenitely related to the UK. stuff your grandparents instilled in you. a lot of more modern changes are influenced by all the USA media and we've started picking up on that. both the positive and the negative.
A Victorian with a Seniors Card in WA will get no discount on public transport. Hows that go down
Regarding the multiculturism in Oz, not necessarily just in the major cities as many people move to a lot of rural areas also. As a child our neighbours came from Holland, Malta, Italy and Greece. Today you will find people from all over the world living here.
Australia has been very multicultural for a long time. During the goldrush of the 1850's, people moved here from all over the world.
Ryan we had a feedback session on my company international survey of managers here and what they’re like. The managers here had a 60 to 70% rating on what their employees thought of them which was +90% in the US and 100% in China! Mind you still was an increase locally of 50% on what they rated the previous year as it’s probably the best place I’ve worked here. The reason nobody overseas gets why this rating was so low is that Australian invented the ballot system here, which everybody else in the free world has adopted. Unfortunately managers in other parts of the world don’t understand that 60% plus rating in Australia is like 110% everywhere else as they don’t comprehend how brutally honest we can be when it’s an anonymous survey, even when you like someone. NSW in Oz
My boss used to eat quite regularly at a local Indian restaurant where the food was really bad.
He kept telling me how great the food was & insisted that I should take my husband & try it one night!!
So for one week, every night when I cooked our evening meal a put some of the Indian food that I cooked into take away containers & left it on his desk when I arrive at work each morning.
He knew it was me.
I was the only ethnic/ multicultural employee in the place.
He ate every bit, every day & handed me the empty containers as I left for the day.
All he ever said was
" Is this what you eat at home every day?"
Regional Victoria is definitely quite multi cultural. And swearing although not "condoned" is quite common but not expressed in a derogatory fashion but in general conversation. Including amongst nurses!!!!! Especially female nurses lol!!!
Nurses see and deal with a lot of $hit that most people would find very difficult. They sure should get to swear. My respect to nurses.
LOL yes, some women swear more than the men.
I don't see much multiculturalism in Benders, but it may be on the increase.
Except the Chinese, of course.
it's funny because everyone swears in their own groups. when meeting in larger groups in industry you just wait for the boss to swear before everyone else relaxes and starts talking normally.
Us Aussies never miss an opportunity to abbreviate a word, and in Melbourne we will also then abbreviate the abbreviation lol
abbrevos are great
Coming up to 27 years living in Aus. Never been called "B". Did have a kiwi neighbour call me "Bin" though.
@@bencodykirk haha yeah look the initials are weird on their own. My mum we will sometimes call her T (insert surname ) and a cousin is Big T
@@bencodykirk Yes, The NZ accent has become more different over the years. There is a name (which I have forgotten) for where they move the vowel on to the another vowel in pronunciation. So in Ben, the E is pronounces as an I -' Bin'. I was trying to teach a small child from NZ to pronounce 6. He kept saying 'sex'. I hope he became a rugby player.
@@barnowl. Funny thing tho, when an Aussie says six it sounds to a kiwi [ N.Zer} that you are the one saying sex. I would think a kiwi saying Ben would sound more like Bun.
Corporate business is very differently run to all other employment. Most Australian owned businesses have a fair and honest work culture with mixed races in many places, but always depending on their skill levels.
People in Australia don’t refer to others with initials xd I’ve lived in both the country and the city idk what that’s about lol
Exactly!
i beg to differ my cousins name is Justin John he gets called JJ
Yeah, 2 initials is not that uncommon. I worked with a BJ in my last job.
@@WickedestKar yea but that’s not an Aussie thing it’s just somthing people around the world do with certain names in general in fact I’d say aussies prob do it even less so then places like America 🤔
Hey Ryan, long time watcher and 1st time posting though ( my other half is from the Mid-West of USA ). I'm an Aussie born and bred from Chinese immigrant parents. As others have mentioned, calling someone mate is generally acceptable anywhere, but from a white collar ( office/corporate professional ) perspective, it wouldn't be considered to be good professional etiquette to call/respond to someone you've just been introduced to at business a meeting as mate straight away. But, yes within the team you work with and know, calling others mate is common and acceptable. Sure, if I'm at the coffee shop, I will call the barista "mate" or if the sales person at the Kmart helps me find an item, it's ok to say, "thanks mate" in those situations. Kissing people on each cheek is more of a European custom/greeting that one would consider avoid practising in a corporate/professional workplace environment as it can be misconstrued as sexual harassment or people might take offence to it. Yes, it is common in Australian culture to shorten people's Christian names especially if you have a long one, but in my 56yrs of being an Australian and working in both white collar and blue collar jobs, I have never ever heard of anyone shortening down a person's first name down to just the first letter of their name. Sure, Susan or Susanne/Suzanne will become Susy/Susie or Sue. When people already have quite short first names that can't be shortened any further, the tendency for Aussies is create a longer name/nickname. Example being my name is Lok, so many call me "Lokky" or even "Lokster".......... Happy "arvo" mate and hope you visit "down under" one day soon !!
As a Education teacher I get 2 weeks off every 9-10 weeks, then at Christmas I get 6 weeks it’s amazing 😊 I do accumulate long service leave after 7 yrs , sick leave, and personal leave.
You're the first teacher I've actually witnessed say they have the school holidays off. Most complain about having to do preparation in that time.
@@derekhobbs1102 mind you I am a Education Assistant or Teachers Aid so not too much prep for me
@@Jessie20032 Like an SSO?
@@derekhobbs1102 what is a SSO? I work at a school assisting the teachers
Well as long as you're teaching facts and give the right of critical thought and discussion in the classroom, then you deserve the time off ☺️😚
Most often people have nicknames and if they are comfortable with that you can use it. She mean't the initial thing is both first & surnamne initial like GT or KD or RB. Mine is KH but my work collegues always called me "Hoff" because they reckon i look like like David Hasselhoff. It is very common to be called by a nickname as long as the person is ok with it.
Drinks after work are usually a Friday before you head home when you knock off a bit earlier so everyone can join in and then head off home when they need to leave or even better is the Friday lunch when you all go to the pub for simple bite to eat & a drink and they are good fun as everyone is chilled out and a lot a humour (banter) rolls off the tongue as long as it is appropriate for all present as we are all very conscious of different cultures. Most immigrants adopt the Aussie way of life to be chilled out, witty & making sure you laugh a lot & not take things so seriously but still have good work effic to get the job done. The biggest impact on your health & well being is "stress"
Friend has worked US and UK with long hours and vg remuneration but craves Aus work/life balance .
Worked hard here too, but easier to "escape" to a surf beach/hiking/cycling in down time. 4 weeks annual leave + public holidays wp helps.
Ryan, your clip mentioned nicknames in the Australian workplace! My cousin started a new job, and as she was being introduced to the other workmates they came to this guy and the person doing the introducing said...."And this is David, but we call him 'Far'! My Cousin thought for a moment and said..."Why do they call you Far" ....and David said......"Because my surname is 'Kernel'!!!
It's not just the big cities that are multicultural, it's commonplace in country towns as well.
I work in Aged Care in Queensland, and our staff members sometimes just bring their own food (indian, thai, chinese etc) and share it with everyone else. Sometimes we even have staff functions where we all bring something from wherever we came from :)
I work in a Federal Government agency and we do hat at least twice a year. It's fantastic. Food from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Greece, Scotland, Indonesia, Chile, Fiji, and a woman from England who makes the best sausage rolls any and all of us have ever tasted.
I work in a busy kitchen and breaks vary drastically. I usually work from 10am-10pm and will get 30mins to 2 hours break depending on the workload and what I get done. Some staff prefer not to take breaks and work all the way through, I don't know how they do it standing on their feet for 12 hours a day.
There’s a couple of differences in professional workplace culture- unless you’re in a particularly conservative industry like law, accounting, finance or real estate (or the like) a suit an tie is not often worn below the executive level and open neck business shirts are acceptable in most circumstances. You mostly address your superiors by their first name except for the most formal circumstances, there is a lot more discussion about the best way to do things and in many cases input is welcomed.
Australians have an informal bit of small talk at the start of business meetings and the American way of diving right in to the matter at hand is off putting as personal relations with business partners is given more weight here- we want to know what kind of people we are dealing with and whether we are comfortable with them so that five minutes at the start of the meeting is really important for a successful outcome.
In Australia our sense of manners is much closer to the British than to the American ones, and some American behaviours are considered rude or abrupt/abrasive and can put people offside (such as saying ’what?’ to people and being overly task-oriented).
Lunch is typically 40-60 minutes and some workplaces have a 15 minute break for morning tea and afternoon tea (usually with a 40 minute lunch ), but the work itself is usually focused and productive, at least in professional settings. Even though we work on average 2-4 hours a week less than Americans we achieve the same outputs in most circumstances. We have worked out that informal team based work arrangements that treat people well gets good results rather than cracking the whip.
I work in an office but in a blue collar industry and everyone swears a lot and uses slang and calls each other mate. In blue collar industries you get 2 breaks, smoko in the morning for 15mins and then a midday lunch for 30mins. Your break entitlements are dependent on the hours you work because they are legislated, some companies opt to give longer breaks or an afternoon smoko as well but for an 8 hr day everyone is entitled to 45mins usually split into 15mins then 30mins.
oh yes l worked in a mine site and loads of swearing and slang. It was the best work environment because people were focused on getting the job done than trivial things. When l worked day shift l found my self swearing which shocked everyone on that shift.
It’s completely contextual. Not all workplace culture is the same, not all people are the same. Some places are like families. I’ve kissed work colleagues on the cheek and given them a hug, but these are people, I’ve worked with for many years, have developed rapport with them and perhaps they went on maternity leave and have returned to the office after many months so it’s a mutual and genuine warm greeting. Again with compliments or casual banter. It really doesn’t matter how far up the food chain they are, it comes down to workplace culture and individual rapport. There’s boundaries of course, I wouldn’t be that intimate with someone, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t compliment a colleague on their looks either unless we had developed a rapport where it couldn’t be misconstrued as something inappropriate.
G'day Mate! On working hours it depends on the industry in which you work. I worked in a major teaching hospital and we would be there for 8 &1/2 hours but there was an unpaid 30 minute lunch/dinner break. That said we also had 2 x 15 minute "tea breaks" as part of the 8 "working hours" Our award did let you work for more than 3 hours without a break...Fun Fact:- the term "mate" was banned from being used by staff in the Aussie Parliament back in 2005 but it was so heavily ridiculed that the ban only lasted 24 hours! Cheers!
7:34. Same in Australia, men always stand up and shake hands too!
where I worked in factory na philipine ladies speak in their own language always
Edit: this happened this week where I volunteer, workmate spoke about another workmate who overheard and reported to boss and workmate was suspended for a week!
Edit: we have a problem with people accepting Australian culture when they move here - its a big problem
Really, that sad that’s been your experience. I have found just the opposite. We LOVE sharing their different foods, and getting recipes
Speaking in another language around us Aussies is just really bad behaviour, wanna be here then at least try to learn.. or how do we make friends. Cause a lot don't want too.
I love the genuine smile on your face when you hear something positive about oz
Australian here, named Susan. I hever never been called"S", not in any environment!
That reminds me, when I was in high school the tuckshop was run by two women named Sharon and Susan. So they called it "Shaz & Sue's". I've never heard of anyone being called by their initial, except when being referred to anonymously like in letters to the editor (for example "A, from Brighton")
Classic S response 😂
Where i work we have a lot of colleagues who immigrated from other countries and im a manager. Im so happy when a staff member gets to work with someone from their own country, like when someone is new and nervous. I feel happy to introduce them and let that colleague support them and for them to speak to each other in their native language. Of course its easier to learn in your own language. I try hard to learn something about all my team members native lands and customs, and help them learn about my culture. I really enjoy being in a multicultural environment 😊
Having worked in the US I can say there really aren’t that many differences in the workplaces. The same differences between industries apply equally here as they do in the States. An office of lawyers treat each other and behave much differently than a retail store than construction site than a factory than a farm etc etc. The “mate” thing is much more a male thing than many commentators seem to acknowledge. A man would very rarely call a woman “mate” and vice versa. More common these days with more women in traditionally male work places e.g. a mechanics workshop where a female might be “treated as one of the blokes” so as not to treat her differently but I’ve never heard a male call a female “mate” in an office setting.
We call women in our office mate, I've never heard any of them complain, but it is used more for saying thanks for doing something for you rather than a greeting or farewell. But then, most of the women have spent time in the field in the mining industry so maybe it's more acceptable.
As a woman I use mate fairly regularly both to females & males. Usually in a positive context, very occasionally not so positive. Quite a few of my male associates also return the favour ✌🏼
I was taught at a young age to stand when greeting someone especially in a formal/semi formal situation
I've worked in most of Australia's big cities for an extended amount of time and most of this rings true to me. Except none of the companies I have worked for have ever celebrated foreign holidays like ramadan, diwali etc, never been a thing for me.
Big tech industry thing I think
Almost 50% of Australians are from overseas or have a parent who is an immigrant. A lot of families speak a language other than English at home. I llive in an Asian suburb so it's easy to get Chinese, Japanses or Korean ingredients including vegetables and fruits.
The thing about "mate" is from the colonial times when people tried living in some pretty dry and inhospitable areas and the mateship thing grew out of the need for people to look out for eachother. The practice died out but not the word especially for men You go down the pub to meet up with your mates. You go to the footy and meet up with your mates. It just means friends. Some politicians latch onto the term and extoll the virtues of mateship to stir up some patriotic sentiment and make them seem like they give a shit about their voters.
Ah the white collar do's and don'ts. A video on the blue collar do's and dont's would be hilarious. Shame you're not going to get many videos outside Melbourne let alone above the Brisbane line as it's a completly different world. Apart from our distinct love of coffee and food from other cultures.
Worked in a lot of different places, it's all down to the people you work with, I use mate as an informal tic of acknowledgment, and had a boss try to shame me for using it, and I told him clean I am an australian and proud of it and I will continue to use it, that worm was a coward and slunk off when he got fired instead of taking his licks anyway, no one liked him and he made the days and night longer for all of us.
We tend to be more laid back because we work insanely hard, it's rare to find a full grown aussie that's the lazy wheel and we give a lot of leeway to make sure pressure isn't crushing, everything can be solved if you just work it through, might take an all nighter but we'll get it done and done right.
No one uses initials, not only does that sound retarded, it's definately fake, nicknames certainly, we do use manners excessively, but we are damn blunt, profanity is used constantly, but it's not insulting, just simply expansive, we like a good additive to a story, good mates will throw fire at each other like we hate each other and laugh it off over a drink.
This girls an immigrant though, she's not got the burr most of us have, almost has a european tinge?, so what she's experienced is likely not the aussie one, and definately not the male side, gods you should hear some of the girls we have in the trades, they could make an HR manager have a stroke to hear some of them go.
Damn shame all things considered, we have lost that grit, a lot of weak spines and weaker minds have been cropping up everywhere and I hope it dies a dogs death in a ditch somewhere and never infects the bush, those are the last holdouts of real australia.
I had African registered nurses who spoke in their own language. I asked them politely to speak in English, they were fine with that.
I grew up in a small city in the middle of nowhere, Qld, Australia and we had a ton of people from all over the world living there! Its definitely not only a large city thing to be multicultural.
Ryan was proudly brought to you by Chick-fil-A.
I work for an American company here in Australia- it’s a 5 generation family owned business and we are treated incredibly well. Better than any Australian company I’ve ever worked for.
Pretty sure workplace discrimination needs to be an action (not comments) for it to be taken further. Persistent bullying or harassment including sexual harassment can be taken up with unions and/or the Fair Work Commission (a sort of industrial court and regulator, among other things).
I am a proper Aussie and I’ve never called one of my mates the first letter of there name nor heard it
I don't know where this lady worked but my experience as an office administrator was the worst 9 months of my working life, the office politics, the backstabbing, the petty bull crap, the belittling and bullying from the boss were ridiculous! But that was an office, every other job I've had has generally been good and even fun and relaxed. On my first day at work in the office, an Asian woman asked me if I was from England so I said I was but moved to Australia when I was about 10, I was excepting a pleasant welcome but instead, I got "I hate English people" and she walked away and most of the staff were equally as rude if not nasty. I'm sure that not every office is as toxic but I've heard a lot of horror stories from office worker friends
I found that working in an office environment with the majority being women, that backstabbing, pettiness, and (bitchiness) comes with the territory as compared to working with other humans.🙂
Totally, spent years working in accounts and admin and it was bizarre how petty and bitchy those workers can be... I'm no longer needing to work in that kind of environment and I never will again
@@soulfuljuiciness it is totally soul destroying unless you are like those sort of people or enjoy their company
We don’t love Starbucks. They failed in Australia as their Coffee was too sweet. They are trying to get back in now. Multiculturism was encouraged by the Government. We have had so many people come here since the War. They brought their music, great food,customs and culture and helped to build Australia up. Glad to have them.
Its very common in Australia for all employment contract to give 4 weeks annual leave and 10 days sick/personal leave a year. Long Service leave can sometimes be given at 7 years prorata'd from 10 years. I work in Perth and while its a sleepy city (really more of a big country town) I can walk out of the office for my 60 min lunch break and choose from about 15 different cuisines.
The last place I worked at, just about every person in the office was from a different country. Indian, Turkish, Persian Afghan among others. I loved it and learned a lot about different cultures. Ours was a more casual office and no one ever called their colleagues by their initials. But everyone was friendly and it was enjoyable to go to work each day. In Australia you get between half and three quarters of an hour for lunch and we get 4 weeks paid vacation. After 6 years you get an extra 2 weeks for pro rata and 6 weeks after 10 years for long service leave.
I grew up with parents and teachers correcting us, “Don’t say “what”, say “I beg your pardon”, and even worse, “Don’t say “ay”, say “I beg your pardon?”
Agreed. Though, " Sorry mate, what was that you said ?" is entirely appropriate if spoken in a warm tone with the correct body language. Nuances are all. I can say "I beg your pardon?" and start a fight.
I'm all for being polite but I admit I would find "I beg your pardon" a bit too formal.
It's not something I've ever really been taught or told, however my grandparents made an effort to make sure I never replied with "what" or "hey" to anyone. And I'm glad they did.
My father would always say “Don’t say ay? Say what. It sounds more better. “
@@perryschafer5996my family was the other way round, but they were joking. If we did say “ay”, we knew we’d have been in trouble.
I used to live in Newcastle, NSW and worked ‘in town’ (the CBD). There were so many amazing beaches to choose from and we literally could and would go to the beach during our lunch breaks! You’d be so jealous Ryan!
I love Newcastle and seeing surfboards being carried through the business district gives me so much joy. Such a juxtaposition and it made me so jealous
I used to rent near the previous bus depot up the top of Scott Street. I’d knock off work, quickly change into casual clothes and walk along the Ocean Baths and beaches to chill after work. I miss those days! Awesome you hear you liked Newie as well! @@darrenweston7785
At the moment as long as you have a pulse you can get a job.
I was working in a regional area of South Australia alone for 18 months. My family moved back to Adelaide for the kids schooling. I had an Indian worker on my team and she would make me an Indian dish once a week because she didn't like the idea of me being alone without having a home cooked meal at least once a week. I have fallen in love with Indian food. You have to try it.
I think she is talking about working in an office in a city. This is not indicative of our overall workplace environment!
It is the way you say "Mate" that can be a friendly way or particularly angry way.
Ryan I commented on this lady’s previous vlog you put up. Much of the information she has given is inaccurate. She only partly knows what she is talking about. For example you wouldn’t get fired for making a discriminatory remark; you would likely get a warning.
I am Australian born and in 30 years in the workplace I worked it was very professional and formal. No idea where she worked.
I have never heard anyone at any of the places I have worked at shorten someone's name to just one letter. Of course you get the ones like putting O at the end of the name(Damo, Johno etc.) or puuting -zza (Shazza, Bazza etc.) but that's as far as it goes.
Flexi time has been around since the 80’s. I had a job where there was a two hour period to start (8am - 10 am) and finish (4 pm - 6 pm) and lunch could be from 30 minutes to 2 hours as long as you worked your core hours. It was the best job because I started early and finished early . Once my car wouldn’t start so I had to hike 30 minutes to the railway station and then take a 30+ minute train ride and then walk to the office. Inconvenient, but not stressful because I had plenty of time to get to work before 10 am. We worked a 37 & 1/2 hour week but only got paid for 35 hours, the withheld 7 & 1/2 hours pay covered a rostered day off once a month. Perfect for medical, dental appointments etc. We had so many two hour lunches where everyone from the Partners to the filing clerks would celebrate birthdays, retirements etc. When I retired the partners held a catered lunch and presentation in the Board Room that everyone attended. Everyone was addressed by their Christian name and even though it was a huge company with several Interstate offices, it was a very professional yet relaxed atmosphere. Females could wear slacks but anything overtly inappropriate for office wear, by anyone, was quietly addressed by the Human Resources department. Inappropriate relationships were liable to instant dismissal. One of the attorneys fell in love with the receptionist so she resigned in order for them to be together - still happily married the last time I ran into him. The company was years ahead of most of Australia in offering Superannuation to ALL employees in the 1970’s. In Australia you get respect and admiration for how you deal with people not who you are or what you are. Disrespecting anyone because you feel you are superior to them will cause people to label you are a jerk, but we are also pretty forgiving if you redeem yourself.
Workplaces in Australia have minimum conditions set out in the Fair Work Act 2009, including a minimum of 20 days paid annual leave for full time employees, 10 paid sick days, a minimum wage A$23.23 per hour [currently], maximum hours 38 hours per week [plus reasonable paid overtime on request]. 12 weeks paid parental leave. Long Service Leave which differs by state - here in NSW is an extra 8.67 paid weeks of leave after 10 years service. - These are the basic requirements, but you can sign a contract or have a different workplace agreement, as long as it passes the boot test [better off over all test] i.e you can't be forced to sign away conditions without something in return. In addition to this there are about 10 public holidays a year that you also get paid for [differs by state]. The Work Health Safety Act says you must have a minimum of 30minutes break after 5 or 5 and a half hours work, but most people get 60 minutes for lunch in offices. Your lunch break is unpaid time, so employers are usually okay with you taking an hour. Of course there are loads of people, that work really hard and don't take their breaks too. Its the culture in certain industries [especially finance] to work loads of unpaid overtime to reach unreasonable sales targets, because if you don't reach them you will be performance managed and probably lose your job, and since the pandemic our hospitals are so short staffed you hear constant horror stories of nurses working 20 hour shifts, but they would at least be paid for the excess hours.
Lunch times are usually an hour long, sometimes longer or shorter depending on demands of the job and work ethic. Most places have an agreed workplace award which not only pays a certain amount but guarantees break times like Smokos or morning and afternoon teas...about 10 minutes. Evolved from the amount of time it took to have 1 or 2 cigarettes away from your desk. I used to meet up with colleagues during smoko. We also worked Flex time where we could work extra hours to have a half or full day off every fortnight.
Australians definitely are honest and direct. I have unwittingly offended non Australians many times not realising other cultures are very different in this respect, lol. We really don't mean to offend or upset anyone, we just don't see the point in pretending or lying about things and usually when we are honest it's for the person's own good.
Actually it’s not just big cities that are multicultural because we have visa programs in Australia where professionals that we need sign onto working in the country (rural and remote areas) for a certain amount of years to gain citizenship. So Indian nurses, European doctors and other skilled workers are poached by Australia once they get their degrees either in Australia or in a home country with degrees that qualify (some degrees don’t qualify and so they need to go do an Australian bridging degree to ensure they are up to Australian standards for their profession).
Breaks depend on where you work and what work agreement/laws are in place. Where I work we do 12 hour shifts and we get 3x 15 minute breaks and 2x 30 minute breaks in the shift.
20 minutes for lunch in the US sometimes, Ryan??? No way! It's an hour here and about 15 minute breaks in the mornings and afternoons. It has been a 38 hour week, four weeks of paid annual leave and 12 or 13 paid public holidays a year for decades. Of course some places like factories may have just 30 minutes for lunch. Most then especially or others with an hour's lunchtime will bring their own lunches from home to save time and money and heat food in the office staffroom. I've worked in country towns as well as in the bigger cities and burbs, and they're all multicultural.
Often there'll be Casual for a Cause Friday, when people wear casual clothes to the office, including in places that service the public. For that privilege workers will make a financial contribution to a charity. Also, if you accrue excess hours of work you can take always time in lieu off one day a month or work four days a week.
But: I've NEVAH been called by my initial and have worked in all kinds of workplaces. That's just weird, and sounds rude!
Assuming you’re a permanent full time employee, you get 4 weeks paid annual leave you can reserve year over year if you’d like to take a 6, 8, 12 week holiday down the track. You receive 12.5% leave loading on top of your holiday pay which is paid at 100% of your normal hourly rate. If you’re a shift worker you get 5 weeks plus 20% leave loading. If you’re permanent part time it’s paid at a pro-rata rate.
You also accrue 1.3 weeks paid long service leave per year of service which is usually taken after 10 years service, often available to access after 7 years.
Factories-15 mins for morning tea....30 mns for lunch
Offices were 30 mins for morning tea and 1 hour for lunch
Tradesmen- flexible(? Trying to get the job done( eg waiting for pain,plaster,cement to dry)).
Working with animals..flexible according to animals needs.
Coffee shops some are more exacting than others..so that varies...
I work at a sports bar and grill with American style food in Australia. everyone I work with is laid back and have nicknames. I think one person has just an initial but most are nicknames on our badges like this girl at work named Shannon is shazza, Andrew is Drewy. A lot just have their full names on their badge.
My husband loves baking, he works 3 days in the office each week, so when he goes he always bakes something and takes it in for morning tea.