How to prepare for the U.S. workplace (cont.) - Be prepared for a diverse workforce, for example, approximately 50% of U.S. workers are women. You will have colleagues from many racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The U.S. workplace is very sensitive to sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior. Although you may not intend a comment to be inappropriate, a colleague may interpret it as such. There can be serious repercussions to an employee's job and future with the company, depending on the particular situation. Definitions of unacceptable behavior may vary from company to company. At the end of this brochure is an excerpt of the NYU definition as an example.
- Do not gossip about your own or others' personal lives. Office "grapevines" ( 2 ) tend to be faster than e-mail. Something you may have told someone in confidence could become information shared by many. Be discreet as to how much personal information you reveal. For example, if you need to take a day off to help a sick parent, you may not wish to go into the details of their condition, depending on the situation.
- Schedule your time off well in advance. Though you may be ready for a vacation after your first week, it is likely you won't be eligible until several months - or a year later. Depending on the work environment and pace, it is advisable to request vacation days 2 - 4 weeks in advance, whenever possible.
- Use office property in a responsible manner. Make sure if you take materials home, they are used for office work at home - and returned to the office the next day. Likewise, use office technology in a responsible manner. Treat e-mail as formal correspondence, with correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Do not "surf the web" for pleasure while at work - nor should you store documents of a personal nature on an office computer. Finally, do not load computer games onto an office machine.
- Understand how Americans view their employer, for example, the days of working at one company lifelong have largely passed for the majority. On average, Americans change jobs 4 - 6 times in a lifetime.
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