Australia boasts a unique work culture that blends efficiency and relaxed and friendly environment. Understanding their work environment is crucial for individuals seeking employment or planning to do business in the country.
We understand the growing interest of remote workers in collaborating with international clients. This is why we went live with a special broadcast about “Understanding Australian Work Culture”, where we give some eye-opening insights about their work culture and how you can use these insights and knowledge as your edge when pursuing opportunities in Australia.
In this blog post, let’s all delve into a more comprehensive understanding, shedding light on the values, communication styles, work-life balance, and professional etiquette that shape the Australian workplace.
The broadcast kicked off with Ces, Filta’s Account Manager, who shared her “3 T’s” approach and emphasised the crucial tips to help you ace interviews with international clients, particularly Australians.
Time
Punctuality and professionalism set the initial tone of your interviews. Being mindful of time is crucial. It’s not enough to simply join an online interview right when it’s about to begin. Ces recommended entering the meeting room at least five to ten minutes before the scheduled time. Additionally, make sure to assess your LBA – lighting, background, and audio to ensure that they work and to show that you are well-prepared.
Let that beautiful face shine with proper lighting, set up a professional looking background, and ensure your microphone is working flawlessly. Remember, acing these details and prepping in advance will set you off on the right foot for interview success!
Timbre
When you’re in an interview, your tone of voice matters a lot. So, try to stay cool and collected because if you sound all nervous, they’ll totally notice. Take a nice, deep breath and let go of all those nerves. Just breathe out the awkwardness and nail that interview like you always do!
Trust
Establishing trust is extremely crucial, so there’s no need to go overboard and boast about being a know-it-all just to make an impression during an interview. Instead, have confidence in your abilities, highlight your distinct skills, and let your true awesomeness shine through. Showcasing your genuine self and demonstrating your strengths will make a lasting impact and build a solid foundation for trust between you and the interviewer.
In the second part of the broadcast, we had Maddy, Filta’s Experience Operation Specialist, shedding light on the distinctions between Australian and Philippine work cultures.
Use of Honorifics
When it comes to working with Filipinos, you’ll notice something quite amusing. They have this thing where they always address their bosses as “Ma’am” or “Sir” to show respect and acknowledge the hierarchy. But guess what? Australians and other Western folks are like, “Nah, let’s just call each other by our first names, no matter our position in the workplace!” It’s like they’re on a first-name basis, breaking down any barriers that titles might create. They’re all about getting along and not overthinking those fancy titles. It’s all about keeping it casual and friendly, mate!
Hierarchy and Equality
As what we mentioned earlier, the Filipino workplace places significant emphasis on hierarchy to the extent that it becomes ingrained as a core value within the company. You’ll often hear people addressing each other using titles like “Hey, TL Carlo!” and other hierarchical markers that really drive the point home.
But with Australians and other Western workplaces, as much as possible, they don’t want people to be intimidated by the titles so they prefer to be on a first name basis.
Don’t get it wrong, they value the hierarchy but Australians just don’t use it to differentiate themselves which may intimidate others.
Tardiness and Timeliness
There is nothing more important than time with Australians. When you don’t value time in the workplace, Aussies may get disappointed as this is equal to not giving importance to your work.
So, if you’re about to join an Aussie-owned business, don’t be fashionably late. It won’t earn you any brownie points and definitely won’t help you build the trust needed for a smooth work journey with them. Show up on time, and let the good vibes flow!
In addition, even though Aussies might be known for their strong work ethic, they still value punctuality and encourage you to practice work-life balance. Timeliness is an integral part of their culture, which is truly admirable!
Being Relationship-oriented vs. Results-oriented
Filipinos are known for their super-friendly vibes, and that extends to the workplace too! They get so close to their colleagues that it’s like a big, happy family. It’s pretty sweet to hear, right? But here’s the catch: sometimes all that closeness can lead to decisions that don’t quite match up with what the company needs.
On the other hand, the Australian working culture is result-oriented. In this kind of culture, in decision-making, they choose the one who gives results and better output regardless of the tenure in the organisation and their relationship with them. This kind of decision-making in the business leads to a more success-focused environment that helps Australians to be more loved by other global professionals looking for international clients.
Aussies During Business Meetings
When it comes to business meetings, Australians and other Westerners are known for their serious and organised approach. They have a knack for keeping their eyes on the objective and staying laser-focused on achieving their team’s goals. It’s admirable how they maintain such a determined and goal-oriented mindset.
Now, let’s talk about the working culture in the Philippines. These incredible individuals have their own unique style of getting things done. Even when faced with tight deadlines during business meetings, they manage to maintain a more laid-back and friendly vibe.
It’s truly impressive how they skillfully juggle productivity while still creating a light and enjoyable atmosphere. While this cultural difference might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s undeniable that they know how to strike a harmonious balance between work and a positive work environment.
Non-Confrontational and Direct Conversation
In the Philippines, even if they are in the workplace, they are still concerned about how the people around them would feel if they said any feedback. That is why in this kind of situation, they tend to use non-confrontational conversation and sugarcoating to make their feedback less hurtful, so people wouldn’t feel bad or take it personally. While thinking of others’ feelings is good, this may not be a good course of action in the workplace. This may lead to vague and confusing feedback and might lead to the wrong way of improving what the feedback aims to pinpoint.
In some countries, like Australia and other Western nations, people are cool with their bosses giving them feedback in a straight-up manner, no beating around the bush. They appreciate it when you just say it as it is, without any fancy language. And hey, don’t worry about them holding a grudge or using it against you later because that’s not their style.
In conclusion
Understanding Australian culture is essential when you are working or planning to start an Australian-owned business. When you understand their culture, you will be able to know the proper ways to collaborate with them and work effectively while improving one’s work personality because of their great working culture.
Australians despite their working culture are one of the best people to work with. Try to jump out of your comfort zone and collaborate with them, and learn that having a work-life balance is also their culture!
Do you want to start working with Australians? You are in the right place! We have a pool of business owners from Australia who are looking for an awesome Work From Home buddy like you who will love to work and collaborate with them to grow their business. Join and be part of the Filta Community. Check out our job opportunities today!
