Though Americans and Canadians share some cultural touchstones, small differences in workplace norms can lead to unexpectedly mortifying situations.
Not quite the same
The quickest way to rub Canadians the wrong way is by treating Canada like the 51st state. Sure, the US and Canada share a border and language. We may listen to many of the same songs. But we are not the United States. Thinking that the rules, workplace culture or even HR policies are the same out here is just ignorance.
Lost in translation
Sending official documents with “color” instead of “colour”, “center” instead of “centre”, and “traveled” instead of “travelled” is a sure sign you didn’t take the time to localize. Neither does making metric-minded Canadians think and re-translate every measurement, temperature, or distance into Fahrenheit, miles, or pounds.
Sounds different up here
Calling “chesterfield” or “washroom” or “tuque” weird or funny gets tedious fast. Ridiculing regional lexicon or making jokes about Canadian accents changes friendly conversation into forced comedy. Canadians like it when co-workers accept region-specific phrasing.
Keeping it out of the office
Invoking divisive U.S. political issues like gun control or health care battles in casual office chit-chat forces Canadians into uncomfortable territory. Most Canadians don’t want to discuss hot-button politics while at work. Don’t force Canadian employees to pick a side in issues that are your country’s domestic battles.
A complicated system
Generalizing ignorantly about Canada’s single-payer health care system will usually earn you an unspoken group eye-roll. Claiming it’s “free” ignores the fact Canadians are heavily taxed. Claiming it’s “socialized medicine failure” ignores how Canadian’s feel about universal coverage. It’s best not to lecture citizens on how their own social programs work.
Dial it down
The standard mode of American business communication is hyper-drive cheerleading: pushy self-promotion, mega-volume excitement, and shouting-over-other-people. Canadians in the workplace are a bit more reserved, appreciate group agreement, and are humble. Interrupting colleagues or boasting about your accomplishments is seen as hostile, not driven or ambitious.
A little courtesy
Skipping niceties and jumping right to pressure emails or imperative action items can sound jarring to Canadians. Canadians like to lead with pleasantries, even in business emails. It might be as simple as “Hope you’re having a good week” or inserting “please” instead of dropping into command mode. If everything is rushed and conversation is squeezed out, it just comes off as blunt rather than efficient.
Check the calendar
If you schedule around U.S. holidays and realize you’ve missed a Canadian deadline, that’s poor planning. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, Remembrance Day in November, and Boxing Day after Christmas. Failing to realize (or plan around) those holidays will make you look incompetent.
The famous S-word
When Canadians say “sorry,” it does not always mean that they feel they are at fault. They may be saying “excuse me”, “I didn’t catch what you said”, “that’s too bad” or “we almost collided.” If you correct them with “Why are you apologizing?” each time, it will get more irritating than the apology.
Different scoreboards
Presuming each co-worker fills out NFL, college football, or March Madness brackets leaves Canadian colleagues out of team bonding. Some Canadians can be huge fans of U.S. sports, but they tend to care more about hockey and their domestic teams. Don’t assume everyone at your company watches the same sports as you.
Business works differently
It frustrates Canadians when you treat Canadian business practices as though they are merely duplicated from those of the U.S., e.g., failure to account for differences in labor laws, privacy laws (PIPEDA), or payment processing platforms (Interac).
Complaining because Canadian banking or tax policies/workflow don’t default to American ones shows you didn’t do your research. Acknowledge that Canada has its own economy and laws you will have to follow, or you’ll end up making costly mistakes.
Forgetting the indoor voice
Offices in the States can often be overwhelming with loudspeaker phone conversations, people chatting across cubicles, and raised voices down the hall.
Noise in many Canadian offices is frowned upon as rudeness to those around you. It might not occur to you, but your normal noise could be seen as obnoxious to coworkers who are simply trying to focus. Loud voices are naturally perceived as rude and self-absorbed.
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