Answers >> Suzhou >> Business & Jobs
  • vukota
    Points:17
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    (1)

    A fair comparison... is working with Chinese really THAT bad?

    I think it would be safe to say working with Chinese (mainlanders) is a lot more difficult than it has to be, there it is!

    Some of you may not have much to compare with... as you were possibly only employed in your home country and here in China. Some of you may have worked in other parts of the world and have a broader view on what it is like to work with Chinese people.

    I do UI/UX design and I have had clients from all around the world. Germany, India, Switzerland, USA, South Africa, Brazil and places considered part of China (depending on who you ask) like Taiwan and Hong Kong.

    After working with mainland Chinese on various projects I have to say... I go out of my way to not work with them on any future projects. The list of reasons why is too great but mainly it is horrible communication, disorganization, lack of creativity, too emotionally sensitive to criticism, not being able to verbalize proper requirements and much more.

    From all the people I have worked with, Germans, Dutch, Americans, Canadians, English and Swedish are the best to work with. Chinese would have to be the lowest (a little lower than people from India and Pakistan). I don't work with people living in any of these three countries (that's not to say I won't work with say "Matthew Pattel" in the UK, different education, society and work ethic... not racism).

    What IS good about working with them? Chinese don't monitor their employees as strictly as Western countries but I believe this may mainly be due to laziness in management. Also it yields poor productivity.

    And they are prude negotiators... but again this is kind of double-sided... as if they don't get what they want. Rather than thinking of an alternative, they will get angry and just act like a child that didn't get their candy.

    So then, what do you think? Is working with Chinese much more difficult than working with people back home? Have you ever worked in a place with people more difficult to align with than Chinese?

    Would working under a Chinese boss be at the top of your preference list or somewhere near the bottom?

     

    9 years agoin Business & Jobs-Suzhou
    Answers(13) Comments(4)
  • Wang Nan
    Points:130
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    When someday you feel like everyone and everything is against you, take a break and know that usually the problem does not lie in them.

    It lies in that you don\'t GET them.

    It\'s the pain with every boss.

    Hope you tide through it stronger.

    4 years ago
  • 尚学教育
    Points:50
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    yes!
    8 years ago
  • Jasonrba
    Points:0
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    it is so bad ,many foreignser work in China without working visa
    8 years ago
  • arista
    Points:20
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    hello!
    8 years ago
  • Bourne
    Points:20
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    yes!
    8 years ago
  • desh
    Points:30
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    I guess the problem is in the attitude. A lot of Westerners I met here are not exactly happy in China and one of the reason is that they do not understand the surrounding environment well.
    In some of them it creates feeling that they are always right and Chinese, if they do not happily and immediately agree with their right ideas, must be then totally stupid.
    Common! This country flies to the universe and at least US and Canada are seriously afraid of some Chinese telecomunication companies like Huawei or ZTE.
    How did they make it if they are all so incapable?
    I would say that problem does not have to be on Chinese site. You mentioned explicitly that you can deal and/or cooperate the best with people (of all races) from your culture and cultures closed to yours.
    On one hand this is totally understandable. On the other hand it may indicate where the communication problem lies if such person decides to move and work in China.

    AMIGO SPORTS:

    are you ok?
    8 years ago

    gover:

    Not much different to China of today.
    9 years ago
    9 years ago
  • tarkan
    Points:30
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    I think the biggest problem is generalization. In China there are all sorts of people. From absolutely lazy and stupid bums to tremendously smart and hard working geniuses.
    Another problem then may be to what extent you and your partner understand each other.
    The things are due to many reasons handled differently here than in the Western societies.
    9 years ago
  • sinko
    Points:30
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    Chinese workers are fine. There are people who are good at some things and not so good at other things. Just like anywhere else.

    I think what we see and experience here is a sympton of the social econonmic and industrial relations phase of development..... with Chinese characteristics.

    9 years ago
  • hama
    Points:12
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    When you say UI/UX design and I remember your S-Nova website design company I assumed you figured out the huge disparity between website design costs in US/Canada VS website design costs in China and basically decided to play the role of middle man, yeah? I know in the states a good (professionally designed) website will cost upwards of $10,000 where as here in China there are tons of companies that will do it for $1000~1500 but of course the quality of design and coding is no where near the same but it's quite smart if you can find a western company in need of a website and you can quote them $5000 then give $1500 to the Chinese firm to actually do it and you pocket the rest.
    9 years ago
  • choumar
    Points:30
    (0)
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    I would agree with the chekoma above; in China I worked with some hardworking intelligent people who would go far in Australia. I also worked with some right idiots. None of the good ones had the connections to make it into management. Management was fucking dire.

    I prefer working under a more western management style, where competence is both demanded and rewarded.

    As an aside, I often get strange looks here at home when people learn I've spent a lot of time in Asia and say "oh, Asians work really hard!" No, I reply, they all spend a lot of hours at work. Working hard, working productively and spending a lot of time at work are all completely diffetent things. Turning up at 8am and leaving at 8pm don't meam shit if you've taken three hour worth of breaks, spent two hours gossiping and had a wee nap in the middle as half my colleagues did (the other half DID work very hard to make up for the slackers).

    9 years ago

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