WEIRD CZECH WORK CULTURE
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- čas přidán 3. 05. 2024
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As a doctor I can tell you...
AC DOES make you much more prone to getting sick...It dries out your mucosa (the inside of your nose, throat, mouth), making it prone to bacterial, viral, and fungal infection!
Kind of like scrubbing your skin with body scrub and soap, and not putting any lotion afterward! Sad, chapped skin you'll get, prone to injury and thus -> infection :(
Also, AC machines are "home, sweet home" to bacteria and fungi, unless it is cleaned regularly.
This is why using it on the plane, or in an office, makes it very easy to transmit infectious diseases through the air. (EDIT: you breathe the same air as everyone else in the building. it's better to open windows)
Sorry for shattering Your AC dreams ^^"
Hugs from Poland
Amen 🙏 I fully agree
Better ACs have a humidity control. Cleaning the inside unit is stupid simple with most models.
As a fellow central european I get where you are coming from. We get what? 4-8 shitty summer weeks a year? Well try to live in greece where it is fucking 40 for 3-5 months straight. YOU WILL DIE without AC lol.
That is the price I am willing to pay!
Hahahaha😂 she said it!
@@Turtle1631991 I didn't even know cleaning AC is usually so simple, hehe.
Fully agree with the weather, when it's necessary, it's necessary, just don't overdo it when not necessary
But AC does make you sick.
Only if the temperature difference is more than 7celsius or the cold air is blowing right at you for longer amount of time.
😂😂😂
@@vojtechfrommel4923 or you are going in and out (cold/hot) constantly
@vojtechfrommel4923 Or when the filters are mouldy and nobody cleans them 🙄
I just paused the video to post this (as requested), but you beat me to it...
I've spoken to a number of Czechs that have said that coming to work sick is considered unprofessional.
Well, maybe because it is? Even if we disregard the obvious risk of the employer "loosing" more workers for 1-2 weeks it's pretty disrespectful to intentionally make your colleagues sick. It should be a common thing across the world that if you are coughing your lungs out you should probably stay at home.
if its infectious disease we could take it further and say its even unethical
But only if it's not a sexually transmitted disease and you're not a porn actor...
honestly I would rather people see my sock than getting my germs.
It is considered irresponsible in Australia.
"Squeaky wheel gets the grease" is the equivalent of "Líná huba, holé neštěstí" - lazy mouth, pure misfortune - meaning: Who doesn't ask, gets nothing. Or maybe less common and less fitting: "Voják se stará, voják má" - "Soldier who takes initiative, is well supplied" - originating from military settings in socialism, where supplies were scarce and one had to fend for himself, or he might find himself without ammo, shoes or even food.
Also you might use: "Kdo maže, ten jede" - "He who greases, goes", but for me, the most common and fitting one is the first saying.
In a slightly shifted form, I guess you could also use: "Drzé čelo lepší než poplužní dvůr." - "A cheeky forehead is better than a Meierhof.".
"Kdo maže, ten jede" is about bribery, though.
@@nextghost Or not. And: "Voják se stará - voják má.", is about stealing - or not.
@@toruvalejo6152 Nope.
@@toruvalejo6152Not necessarily. It's more about not waiting to get something, but be proactive and go getting it yourself. It doesn't have to involve stealing, although it's not excluded. 😇
I'm not saying AC makes you sick... but every summer when I go to the Southeast US and the AC is blastin', I get sick.
How do you get there?
@@michellemaine2719 probably by a plane? Just a guess.
Why would anybody in their right mind go to the southeast US in summer?
@@Vojtaniz01to see family?
@@davidmwatches Proper czech response to that would be: "Oh you come from south east US? That explains a lot..." :D
As a Czech I feel weird wearing house slipers in the office, but staying 8 hours+ in a closed shoe is much more uncomfortable
I have been working in Prague 5 years and wearing flip-flops as well. And guess what , I was wearing socks in theses flip-flops....a no-no in the US :)
@@user-cj1rv2tp6e You learn well brother... or sister.
Inu, jiný kraj, jiný mrav, ale i když jsem měl řadu kolegů z různých zemí, tak kromě jedné výjimky mi jejich kultura a zvyky nikdy nepřipadaly jako problém. Tou výjimkou byl jediný kolega ze Švédska, jakého jsem kdy měl. Toho asi taky smrkání znechucovalo. Takže když měl rýmu on, vždycky toho keňoše vytáhnul snad až z paty a pak labužnicky polknul. Načež vydával tiché spokojené zvuky, dokud za chvíli nenatáhnul dalšího. Jelikož seděl hned vedle mě, tak jsem mu skočil do sámošky pro papírové kapesníčky a zkoušel mu je nabízet. Vždycky z toho balíčku použil jeden a pak se vrátil ke svým zvykům. Nevím jestli to tak je podlé švédského bontonu nebo to byla jeho specialita, ale pro mě to byla tak trochu zátěžová zkouška tolerance. Ve své hlavě jsem na něm tehdy spáchal defenestraci, kamenování, upálení i rituální kastraci...
Znám, hnus fialovej !!
tpc
👏pobavilo, díky
Well said!
Having an office app where people vote every day where to go for lunch, creating and breaking lunch lobby groups and fiercely fighting where is the best menu today.
Ano, téměř všichni se v kanceláři přezouváme do pohodlných pantoflí. A ano ženy se do kanceláře hezky oblékají. Ano, dohadujeme se kvůli větrání a nastavení klimatizace. Opravdu není vhodné chodit do práce nemocný, abychom nakazili své kolegy. A ještě by mělo být zmíněno, že na stole máme fotku rodiny, hrneček s kafem, čajem, láhev minerálky, svačinu z domova. Na oběd chodíme do společné jídelny, kde si ohřejeme jídlo uvařené doma nebo si ho necháme dovézt z restaurace, někdy si zajdeme na polední menu přímo do restaurace. Ale také je třeba zmínit, že také tvrdě pracujeme. Nepracujeme od 9 hodin, ale už od 7 hodin do 15:30. V poledne máme 30 minutovou přestávku na oběd. Jo a smrkání u nás není považováno za neslušné.
As a resident of England, I feel that your observation of Czech people's freedom to speak their minds honestly over political correctness as being a negative thing, is silly.
A quick look at the Unsesco Global Peace Index shows that USA ranks way down at 122 place, on the world stage of the safest places to live. Czech republic however is at number 9 for safety!!!
Not for long with our current czech politics.
@@Koblich4everna koho tim narážíš👀
Exactly, not being to able to speak your mind leads to resentment and unresolved issues in society. Sugarcoating or ignoring grievances does not make them go away.
When PC and cancelling people became an issue in US they tried to import it to the Isles. British comedians like John Cleese were first to stand up against in. 🙂It was about 10 years ago and felt like a breather online after quite a while... On the other hand working in Canada😅😅😅 You get what I mean.
@@Koblich4ever How is the current Czech politics making it less safe exactly?
Political correctness you say? No, it's because we have either no blacks nor Texans.
Když jsem dělal IT softwarovou podporu, tak jsem se ihned po příchodu do kanceláře přezul do pohodlných pantoflí. Dělali to všichni, kteří nechodili mimo budovu. Představa, že si třeba v létě potím nohy 8 hodin v polobotkách, byla nejen pro mě nepřijatelná. Když jsem musel do jiné budovy, tak přezutí mi zabralo maximálně do 5. vteřin.
Presně, taky.
U nás je dress code (který je IMO nepřívětivý k mužům, protože kraťasy jsou zakázané, ale sukně ne). Ale zase je tam klimatizace, kterou někdo furt nastavoval na max, takže jsem si do práce v létě nosila svetr.
Ja sa prezujem aj v lete z otvorených sandál (bez ponožiek) do otvorených papúč. Občasne som na boso, ale to záleží od čistoty podlahy.
Mám to stejně. Opravdu nechci (i s cestou) být 10+ hodin denně v jedněch botech. Dress code nemáme. Tohle se mi na většině firem v ČR líbí, pokud nepřicházíte do styku se zákazníky, můžete do práce přijít klidně v tom županu :).
@@patrik7019 Ja pracujem na istom nemenovanom ministerstve v istej nemenovanej malej hornatej krajine uprostred európy. V sandáloch, kraťasoch, tričku a slamenom klobúku tam chodím väčšinu času. Som v styku so zákazníkmi. Občas musím ísť do kancelárie istého nemenovaného ministra. Tam zo začiatku boli reči, že tak tam chodiť nesmiem, ale už je to pár rokov čo s tým prestali. ;-) Minulý týždeň som tam práve bol niečo im robiť.
Klimatizace vysušuje vzduch, ten vysušuje sliznice a tim se snižuje obranyschopnost! Prokázány fakt. Dalsi nesmysl je sedět v průvanu! Absolutně nechapu, kdyz má někdo nastavenou AC na max! 😅
Na max neni potreba, ale mit fobii z klimatizace v lete je pak opravdu za trest v tom kanclu pracovat. Ve 28 stupnich, ktery v kanclu v lete mame, pak nejsem schopen ani premyslet, ale usinam u stolu.
@@MichalDivis tak já nepíši že je horko lepší, ale klimatizovat na 18 je nesmysl! A hlavně ta klimatizace to má stíhat tak aby pod ní nebyla zima a v druhém rohu horko! Mě hrozně vadí ten průvan z výduchů , ten vzduch má třeba 12*c sedět pod ní je za trest! To budu raději v horku!
@@petrcz74A to je prave ten problem, ja zase v pruvanu hlavne, ze neni teplo. A proto vznikaji bitvy o klimatizaci 😀
Z Wikipedie - Odolnost nosní sliznice k infekci snižuje výkyvy teplot.
@@jirkasirka8561 vyschnutí zabraňuje funkci!
Love the comment about political correctness in Czech republic 😀 Absolutely true 😀
It may by due to the different history experience. Amerika has its history issues, Americans (centuries ago) arrived there as colonists. There were a lots of conflicts with native people. They transported there lots of africans as slaves, which even after abolition struggled for their rights and equality (to name a few).
Those are issues which Europe doesn't have. Some countries yes (to a certain level), England had its British Empire, France and Spain used to have territories in Africa (to name few examples). But Czech republic? In the central European region? We are the natives here. For centuries we wern't living here among different races, we were living among different nations of the same race. We did have slaves, true, but that was more than thousand years ago. Long time before Columbus was born. We do not have much black people here but those, who live in our country, they are not descendants of our slaves, they were already free when they got here. I am not saying Czech republic doesn't have history issues. We most certainly do. But they are mostly of different kind. I cannot think of much examples which could be related to the politial correctness stuff or which could lead for bigger need of political correctness in our society. Not to mention that political correctness is not quite compatible with our sense of dark humour, which is kind of our national tradition. Something bad/terrible/tragic happened somewhere right now? We already have a joke about it! (and not just one)
We do have political correctness here (we are not savages), but on a very different level than in US. That's why the US-PC is funny to us.
I think the issues with racism against roma people is pretty significant issue going waaaay back into history and is similary systemic, sure, it's not about slavery but it is here and everywhere in europe.
@@Acinnn But we have never made slaves out of Romani people. The fact that they do not live like us, that they do not chase fame, job success and wealth, has always been and still is their free choice.
To se pleteš, to není rasismus, ale historická zkušenost.
Historicky, když přijeli cikáni (tenkrát ještě kočovali), začaly se ztrácet slepice.
@@pepabroz5896 nevim kdo zacal prvni ale nikdo je pak nechtel zamestnat takze pak meli mensi vyber jak prezit a historicky maji v nasi spolecnosti daleko mensi moznosti obzivy. Taky z jakyho pohledu je ta historie psana.... je to takovy kruh neduvery ze ktereho jde tezko vystoupit.
já viděl naspotupi v Brně do šaliny bandu předpubertálních cigáňat a bylo poznat že by se prostě rády přidaly k obecné společnosti ale pohledy ostatních lidí je uzemnily, tj rozhodně si za problém y s nimi můžeme taky, tím že i další generace nechaáme vyvyálet ve vině
jejich předků @@Acinnn
Sitting in one of the Prague open space corporate offices right now. Just want to say: what you hear here is quite a bit exaggerated for the sake of being funny. Which I respect, but it is not to be taken seriously if you really consider taking a corporate office job in Prague. There definitely are differences in the work culture between Czechs and U.S. citizens, but we Czechs are quite far from being the lazy uncultured fun fellas as described in the video. Take Jen’s description as maybe 30% reality based and 70% author’s comedy licence. IMHO.
Nope. As a Czech I say that it´s like 90 % true.
@@ovec269I am Czech working in corporates with colleagues from different countries and environments (but mostly Czechs) for more than 15 years and for me it is 70% sterotypes, heresays and other bogus made funny. Your experience may be different, do not know where you have it from. But anyway, it is ok, do and think what you want.
She likes to speak rubbish quite oftwn...
Being a lazy uncultured fun fella is great imho!
Yeah, I agree. I work corporate job and half of the things mentioned in this video definitely wouldn't fly there 😅 It's a fun video and I understand that it's impossible to make these without some generalisation, but this is setting some people up for great disappointment 😅:D
The alcohol consumption for lunch might be acceptable in the form of beer. But not more than one (better a small one) but generally, if you are working in corporate, you will probably get a warning and if you do it repeatedly, you will get fired. Seriously. That is bad advice.
I agree and I do not know anybody who would drink beer at lunch. Mostly they are expats to whom soembidy told it is a cool thing to do. Czechs may occasionaly have a small beer or sometimes non alcoholic beer. This is a common experience of the corporate offices in Prague.
@@majenazprahy9909 Non alcoholic beer is not a beer, thus it is perfectly legal to drink it at work.
It differs from a company to company, corporate included. Typically 1 beer in restaurant after lunch is acceptable (unless it's enough to get you more than little tipsy). But I agree it's like with drinking and driving.
Hergot Češi s Čechama se tu mezi sebou baví anglicky 😂
@@petrkorinek9559 Češi se s Čechy baví anglicky, aby angličtí mluvčí pochopili na první dobrou, o čem je řeč.
One missing thing: Going for a smoke is sacred. All smokers go for a smoke every hour for like 10 minutes, so essentially they don't work 1/6 of the time. Us non-smokers usually think about starting smoking just for the benefit of going for a pause without anyone having problem with it. But if I'd just say "i'm going to just stand on the teracce for 10 minutes", I'd be called "nemakačenko" (lazyworker)
Boys have needs - girls too...
Smokers and non-smokers have nothing to blame in this regard - non-smokers go to make coffee, smokers just light up a cigarette with the coffee (in a place reserved for smokers). In the end, it will come out to the same amount of time...
@@laststarfighter8467 At least you drink the coffee at the table while working. Also, if your coworkers drink 8+ coffees a day, they have a problem.
@@jjachaMaybe they drink coffee at the table, but they don't work and just spread gossip, so the result is the same...
Same in England, smokers stand outside in the smoking shelter/ designated area, sometimes more than twice every hour. If I go there as a nonsmoker, just for the sake of equally “reducing my working time” I’d be reprimanded (sometimes by a smoker standing there) and being looked upon as lazy. Well good thing is I don’t like double standards and always fight back…😂😂😂
As a french, i take off my shoes before coming home 👍 we share a lot of work culture with czech.. even alcohol😂and leave early!😂
Czechs are said to be more hardworking than the French. In cities smaller than Prague, offices work from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and there is a 30-minute lunch break at noon.
@@marcip6820 8hours per day, hard worker 😂😂 in France, people doesn't work 35 h per week.. you Can do a lot of extra hours, a lot. Laziness of french people is a legend 😉
@@richardrichard9496 The workload is usually more than 8 hours a day, so you also have a lot of overtime. You won't enjoy your vacation much, because a lot of work awaits you. Colleagues will only do the most necessary things for you. We had to go to work every year between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Hi. This might be subjective, but you have some of the statements wrong or slightly wrong. Firstly: slippers yes, but PLEASE DO NOT WALK BARE FOOT in the office. It's very strange and I've never seen anyone do that. In my office we dont even wear slippers, but that's because we as a technicians have to go out of the office quite often. Secondly: I recommend you DO NOT drink alcohol on your lunch break. It's forbidden in almost every job to be under influence of alcohol or worse. And the last thing: Czechs mostly do not like to work overtime (Just like you said), but with the crisis getting worse, more and more people needs that extra money to cover the gap. However unpaid overtime? Hell no!
I'd advise to observe first week or so. You'll definetly catch what you can or cannot do while at work.
Barefoot no, although I saw the director of my company do just that in the summer. One guy in the summer always wears flip flops, he and another one never take their shoes off in during the rest of the year, the rest, including me, has no problem of either changing to slippers or walking around in just socks. Also I just remembered a couple of men from other levels of our building (rented by other companies) do walk barefoot and I occasionally see them come to the reception desk to take some parcel barefoot. I saw one taking an order of mineral waters from Rohlik this week, with a trolley, and he was barefoot. In the morning. It was 5 degrees outside.
drinking in office? Forbidden.
If you want drinking in job, you must go working on construction site or by tractor driver. You know, OSHA controllers cant go to 50m building roof 😂
Walking barefoot is absolutely normal, if you are working in a office space with carpets. So is one small beer with lunch. Of course not every day and not always and no, you won't be working under the influence of alcohol, you will pretty much burn it before you'll manage to get back to work...
zrovna dnes jsem si všiml u jednoho kolegy, že (v kanceláři) chodí jen v ponožkách
I would never work anywhere where I cant get my lunch beer. And if I would I would change the rule there. What I actually did many times! :D
Hey Jenn,
I would like to point out a few details:-
3:37 Czechs also realize that no one is curious about their bare feet, so they wear socks on their feet even with sandals or slippers, which is a Czech national tradition, as you may already know🇨🇿😂😉,
- Czechs indulge in beer, but usually only after work, because in many companies there is zero tolerance for alcohol in the workplace, just like when driving a car. A drunk employee risks immediate termination. The only exception is perhaps non-alcoholic beer.
- Czechs are distrustful of air conditioners because they are used to the fact that the climate in the Czech Republic is mild and that in summer temperatures it is enough to have the windows open and the fan on in the office, which is also cheaper and consumes less electricity. And although I am not an expert on air conditioning, the effect of air conditioning on the spread of dangerous bacteria and viruses in closed workplaces will be confirmed by any doctor. The rapid spread of the Corona virus 19 during the pandemic was helped in the Czech Republic by the fact that, even though during the lockdowns, citizens could not even cross the district borders to visit relatives, they could go to work and department stores, mainly equipped with air conditioning systems, without much restriction, because money must to be in circulation, even if the entire Czech Republic were to die in the process!💰💵💶🇨🇿😷†︎ 🏴💀🕯
I quit work in office and one of the reasons were that during most warm summer times I was dying there without AC.. I am also not fan of ACs, but sitting 8 hours in office where is whole time 30C is pure hell.. and some ordinary fan is absolutelly useless in that case. Best way is to let open windows during night and keep them close during day. If you have curtains of sunblind. I remember that one of my coleauge every time went to office in morning, open windows because "outside is hot" and in an half an hour there was insane hot.. bleah, I hated that extreme summer times in office.. another thing is that accordint to the work law you should not work in those conditions
Oh but we do have a couple of freaks in our office who don't even put socks on. I tried to do something with it and a Czech colleague recommended me "to try to not give a fuck". Literally this wording. In an office-wide chat.
Smrkání je mnohem lepší než neustálé potahování dovnitř (mám takového kolegu jenž se asi neumí vysmrkat).
Já vždy nabízím papírový kapesník, když někdo popotahuje. :))
The description of the AC situation is accurate. It involves numerous heated arguments, official escalations, and complaints. Finding a suitable temperature that satisfies everyone has been an ongoing challenge discussed extensively during meetings
Regarding office temperature: Several years ago I needed to go pick up a package at the (now closed?) FedEx office at the Prague airport. As soon as I entered, the heat of the place was stifling. I happened to notice that the office workers were all women except a couple of guys. All the women seemed to be working comfortably, but the poor guys had shirts drenched in sweat and looked very depressed. It was clear who had the power in the office. After picking up the package, stepping outside into the cool air felt really, really good.
Keep in mind that the things you saw at the video are quite “Pragocentric”, work conditions are VERY different in other parts of the country. By different I mean a whole lot worse lmao
there are offices outside of Prague? Had no idea :D lol
I am in sudety and my work conditions in corporate are better.. :)
For example people don't often go to restaurants for lunch, what they have available is either a canteen, or to eat a box from home at their desks, which is preferable when the cantine food is crap. Oh and whichever you choose, you mustn't forget to complain about how crappy the canteen is, that's compulsory..
But.. but AC irritates your throat and dries your mucous membranes which causes you pain in throat, nose, might cause you a weird headache and makes you weak against viruses and bacteria. You're resistant to it only if you're exposed to AC regularly. I'm pretty sure it's a common thing, you're just used to a big city and office life I think! I'm from a small village and I always suffer when I spend more than 2 hours in a shopping centre. I can barely stand a hour and half in a cinema!
So funny the way you describe Czech men dressing up ahahaha!
And I looooove how Czech girls and ladies dress! 🥴🤤😍
If AC caused illness, the entire U.S. would be sick the first warm week at the end of spring.
@@adriannaconnor6471 That's not what I said and I'm pretty sure I explained myself well. Also there's Google, LLMs n stuff sigh
@@adriannaconnor6471 With long-term use, you will develop antibodies and tolerance, Czechs use AC far less than Americans, so thats it.
@@adriannaconnor6471majority of czech households does not own AC at their homes. If you have AC only in work, you are not adapted to it and it really makes you sick. My own experience.
Yep. I got so fcking sick after 8hour long flight, where i fell asleep with blanket on me (I was so cold) and open mouth. 🙃
Firma/zamestnavatel musi za zakona udrzovat v kanclech teplotu od 17 do 27, takze kdyz direktivne naridi ze teplota bude celorocne 22, tak muzou vsichni leda drzet pysk a ne si stezovat. Pivo k obedu je samozrejme nelegalni, pokud to neni nealko, protoze pak je zamestnanec pod vlivem, coz byt nesmi a potencielne za to muzou byt vykopnuti. Prescasy jsou take omezene zakonem, a bez zduvodneni ze strany zamestnavatele zadne byt nesmi. Firma za to jinak muze dostat peknou pokuticku...
“Líná Huba holé neštěstí.”
Could be equivalent to “Squeaky Wheel gets the grease”. 🙂
That’s not bad, I never thought of that.👍
Kto sa veľa pýta, ten sa veľa dozvie.
As the ball season has started, you should do a video on Czech dance culture. That's one of my favourite things about this country, and nearly every week me and my GF go dancing. I'm not thinking so much of clubs, but balls with a live band, especially the small-town ones, which are great.
Could it be that Czechs have something called a freedom of speech ?
My wife lives by this, "kdo si stěžuje, dostane odměnu"
Na Slovensku sa hovorí, že:
Žiadny dobrý skutok nezostane nepotrestaný.
One of my former colleague was overly sensitive to draft, so the rest of the team dying of hot because we cannot open the window for longer than 5 minutes, ac was forbidden. I think slippers is common here because nobody want sweaty legs after 8,5 hours in shoes. But bare legs are over the line, even from my view.
When I lived in US, I was shocked they had those thick warm carpets but still wore sneakers they came in from outside. Real piggies in this sense, not only making sure their carpets were full of shit from the streets but the smell when they finally took them off before going to bed must have been unimaginable after the 16+ hours of having them on.
This must be your funniest video so far, I have enjoyed it a lot!
I lost my voice for a few days because of the air conditioning in the long-distance bus, and then I had problems with nosebleeds (dry mucous membranes). My mom sits in her office all summer with a scarf around her neck to prevent her neck spine to get blocked and to get migraines. A friend turned on the air conditioner in her car to cool down and got a terrible sinus infection - her fault for turning on such a strong and cold stream right in her face.
Air conditioning is a good thing, but it has to work properly and people have to know how to adjust it properly. Mostly people only switch between two levels - 1. it does nothing, 2. ice hurricane. And if it doesn't do anything (because the device is misconfigured or the device sucks by itself), then you turn on the second option and everyone can go crazy that you want to kill them.
Interesting about the blowing noses, I couldn't get over constant loud sniffling of my colleagues, imagining the sinusitis it must cause! 😂
I'm Polish, born and bred, I have an AC in my work study it makes me sick whenever I use it. Greetings from Warsaw!
Jen, this is another amazing masterpiece. :) i used to live in Prague for 6,5 years and tomorrow im travelling there for the weekend, so was looking forward to your video :)
Men´s clothing in the office: I personally (a man) mostly have a shirt , nice leather shoes or sweater if it is colder, but some my colleagues just wear a hoodie, jeans and sneakers.
We don´t meet any customers so it is just like meeting with friends basically. It is 50/50 mine or the other dress-code, nobody cares, and the age doesn´t matter either in clothing choice. Probably better to dress nicer but nobody (including bosses) care or gets you any positive/negative points.
Mostly more "showing bodies" clothing is in case the receptionists (99,9% female) or women who work in sales (exactly because they are looked at by customers - good for sales probably :D , this includes men too, mostly those meeting customers have a tie, full suit or at least a shirt in suit pants, nice watch) ....
....but in our office (back-end of the company) they (women/men) dress casually like at home - jeans and sweaters or T-shirts. It is like your friends at home basically.
Main difference: Meeting customers? Dress nice (doesn´t have to be provocative but nobody will say anything if it is :D ) , working in back-end office (like me) with your work-buddies where nobody else will see you? Feel like you are at home, maybe no sweatpants , but jeans, sneakers and hoodie are ok. Take your favourite mug there, put some pictures of family in your office (I personally dont do it , but most people do) and enjoy your second "home" with buddies
... if you are not at home office as said in video which most people most of the time are in (home office) anyway :D
I've lived most of my adult life in London so I don't know what it's like in corporate offices in Prague but your videos are hilarious. They always make me laugh and also miss the Czech grounded unpretentious approach to everything. You rock, Jen. 🎸
i love your little microphone puff!
Probably is not office as office.
AC in itself does not make people sick, unless it cools offices to freezing point. However, rapid changes in temperature bring diseases, so for example, on a hot day, a trip for lunch from a cold office to a hot restaurant and back can really cause illness.
As for squeaking wheel gets the grease I think it has the same meaning in Czech as "Líná huba, holé neštěstí".
I have always worked from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and never ever had AC anywhere, but in bus and I used to work at very hot space at porcelain factory. And majority people works like me, not at the office. But AC is not standart thing even in Office, maybe it is in Prague in rich firms, but that´s about it. Also we simply have the nature of - The louder you scream, the louder you´re heard in many cases also hurt. It´s, I believe learned behavior since we are such a small nation right in the middle of Europe. We had to learn to be heard.
One of the best Episodes, love it ad looking forward to welcome you in my office during your next trip to Plzen
Very interesting, but Jane Prague lives in a corporate bubble. Hundreds of thousands of Czech employees start to work at 6 a.m., no question of lunch in a restaurant, but in company canteens, which are in majority very good - real cooked food, with selection from 5 - 9 foods including salad buffet. In many U.S. companies, the cantine was microwave and Coke machine.
That was fun. I've seen a few people changing to slippers at our workplace. Crop tops are definitely not common, at least where I work, while it was a common thing when I worked in the UK. AC does make you sick though😆 The AC is almost always set up at a temperature which is too low. You can definitely get a runny nose or a sore throat.
"Squeaky wheel gets the grease" could be an equivalent of "Kdo nepláče, nic si nevypláče". Basically means: Who doesnt cry about their issues wont get anyone to take notice and fix it. My coleague sometimes uses it, i dont know how widespread that is. Also great video, love your channel.
the dressing thing reminds me one of my colleagues in our open space office who came to work literally just in a white long shirt (everybody was like hmmm you look good today...) and yes it was great she is really super pretty and always very fashionable, but for me it was a little bit too much already, she really looked like she just came rigt after a fun time with a guy and the only thing she could put on herself was her boyfriend's office shirt. (yes she had some miniskirt under that shirt as well, but no one could see that actually :D ), also yes airconditioning makes you sick especially when you wear just a shirt :D :D :D
This is gold. Thank you. I'm going to use it with my students at some point. I sometimes wonder how long I would last in a corporate environment in the U.S. It would certainly be a challenge. Good Czech skills, btw!
Me, who is on sunday at work, at my desk, sipping instant ramen, grinning. Did I mentioned, that I´m sick? But the truth is, no one else is around. Please, continue with your amazing videos. :)
I am Czech who used to work in an office with foreign female colleagues. We were constantly fighting ovec AC because I was setting it too low as they said.:) Really from what I remember it is a conflict between men and women rather than Czechs and foreigners.
This is GOLD as always! 😀 I am Czech, have been working with the US folks for quite a while now...and having lived in the US myself does give me a great advantage over the Czech who has never even been to the US. But still the political corectness and office environment is VERY different between US and CZE. I laughed the hardest over the quiet quitting and how the Czechs really do consider you mentally ill if you like what you do and you want to strive. I know this from my own experience :D being a Czech. And of course the AC makes you sick, summer is the time when I am sick most often....BECAUSE OF THE AC :D :D
I have been working in a corporate environment for 30 years. Overtime was always common if something needed to be done. In one job I could dress however I wanted, in the other two a suit was required (totally unnecessary); I had it at work and changed into it there. However, it has been loosening up in recent years. Even ten years ago, it was unthinkable to come to court in anything other than a suit, today even the judges (especially the younger ones) don't wear them. As regards morbidity, twenty years ago it was the same as in America; this began to change with the expansion of open space, where diseases easily spread among colleagues. Today's situation was reached after covid.
So I definitely cannot agree with some observations, but that's probably because I don't work in Prague. For example, working overtime, eating at the table (I'm watching Dream Prague ). But I definitely want a sequel.
No a preto nemožno v kanceláriách fučať klimou, lebo kočky majú holé brušká a kríže a krátke sukne nachladli by im vaječniky😂
actually we czechs sometimes say to offended people: "are you stoopid or american? oh, you are american! sorry though. but anyway..."
Lovely video- I am Czech and think, yep the AC makes you sick, unless there is heatwave in the summer 😂🤣
AC makes you sick - especially eternal argues about it 😂
Yes, overtime hours are against basic laws of humanity! ❤
And one big NO - NO, WE DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL DURING WORKING HOURS!!!
May be some alcoholic addict, but usually no!!!
Well, I used to have my desk right below an AC that was constantly having problems and leaking condensation right on my desk. I could not move my desk, because it was crammed into a space so that various cabinets could be opened and the room was rather small for 5 people to sit in. And as long as I can remember, the AC was always running at the max. power, making it really chilly inside (when it worked). Many visitors of our office complained that it is too cold there. And this was in three different companies in Bratislava and Vienna. So at least in IT, we love our AC and make full use of it. I remember on days when the AC wet my desk and had to be turned off, I could not stand the hot office and escaped to the server room, which was so nice, coold, yet noisy as hell.
Thank you for explaining to me the reasons behind my personality traits!
I always thought the AC sickness had nothing to do with flu and is just that it gives you cold 🤷
AC gives you cold and dry air... czcams.com/video/iVhDe2hCB8s/video.htmlsi=emwMNu7dyOr7_tE4
This one is truly great ;-) Keep up the excellent work :-)
I never consumed alcohol in any form (beer, wine) during lunch, whether I was working in the office or from home. As far as I know, my colleagues don't drink it either. However, social gatherings after work are a different story! Small teams like ours naturally spend a lot of time together both in and out of work. We enjoy it and try to get together often because we value the importance of camaraderie when working on projects together
Bezalkoholové pivo si dám po těžkém českém obědě běžně
As a software developer, casual outdoor clothing is a kind of work uniform for me. I simply can under no circumstances show up at the office in a suit. Others would despise me. There is a direct relation between how good a software developer is and how bad clothes he is wearing. Only bad engineers wear good clothes... that is their way they try to compensate for their work incompetency. :)
Apart from the sheer beauty and interesting history of Prague one of the things which struck my wife and I when there was how at about 1700hrs the whole city just seemed to empty out to the banks of the river which half an hour earlier had only a few tourists ooooh and aaahing as they walked alongside it. Then like somebody set an alarm clock there are suddenly minibars, floating restaurants etc etc etc opening up and the city starts to party - what a fantastic attitude toward life they've got. I'm retired now but language apart I could slide into their lifestyle very easily. I lived in Germany for 7 years and the though I also appreciated the Germans for their work hard, play hard outlook they were a little uptight when compared to the Czechs. Just as bluntly honest though and best not take it too much to heart. They tend not to, the filter between mouth and brain is off and the statement comes out. Ten minutes later the same person will be asking you to go bowling or swimming of to a game of football and they won't even remember what they said let alone whether it upset anyone or not.
As a Pole living in Czechia I must say I was in DEEP SHOCK one day in the office, when a perfectly elegant female manager in her smart outfit came to the office kitchen in... house slippers with some fur on it, you know, the kind you wear on your way from the shower to your bed. I was probably rude but I just couldn't stop staring :D
On another note, Czech works ethic is one of the things I adore in this country. Poles are much more like Americans in this way, we live to make money and, sadly, sometimes forget to actually live (with one small but significant exception - Czech work law is substantially worse than back home which came to me as a big surprise, I was having especially hard time accepting I only had 20 days off a year and 60% paid sick leave).
AC does make you sick, especially when filters are not cleared properly or you are exposed to constant cold air flow, like for real! :)
This is hillarious. I moved the opposite way (Slovakia to Canada, I know not exactly the same but very close in terms of culture) and have been told multiple times that I am "brutally honest". I tell new people that they cannot ofend me, and that I hate beating aroud the bush. It is not polite or nice to waste both my and your time, nor to expect me to read betwen the lines.
AC CAN make you sick, if you have a big difference betwen the outside and inside temperature. I am freezing here, when it is nearly 40 C outside, yet they still set the AC on 20 C inside! They would tell me "Well, that's ROOM temperature". It is not really a Czech thing, it is rather a North American things to just set the AC at 20 C, no matter what. Also, having coold air being blown directly at you is definitely not good for you, it is like sitting in draft. They even have a word for a cold caused by that in Israel (and they use AC a LOT) - mazganitis. (Mazgan = AC). So, it is not Czechs who are the weird ones... And when it comes to dress code, totally agree with you. Often unproffessional.
@7:26 Outrageous! I paused the video to provide a detailed explanation on how incorrectly used AC unit actually makes you sick only to find out that you mock me for pausing the video in an effort to provide a public service!? Like i said, outrageous :D
As a Czech man, I approve to your message…
Look for the best way to Havel Airport… and take your attitude with you
V češtině máme pro tyto situace například tato přísloví: "Líná huba holé neštěstí", nebo také "Drzé čelo je lepší než poplužní dvůr". Kdybyste nevěděla, co to býval poplužní dvůr, dovysvětlím :)
To nevím ani já jako Čech :D :D a to přísloví slyším poprvé:)
@@matejpolak6638 Fakt? No, ono je už postarší - poplužní dvory zanikly v r. 1918 s pádem feudalismu :) Poplužní dvůr byl svobodný statek, tzn. v držení toho sedláka a nikoli panský, který měl právo pronajímat pluh s potahem a obsluhou. Pluh samozřejmě mohl držet a používat kdekdo, ale pronájem... za peníze... to byla výsada udělovaná vrchností. :)
@@matejpolak6638 To se divím, toto přísloví je frekventováno velice často. Vaše neznalost je asi zapřičíněna tím, že jste ze zapadlého koutu Česka, zatím co ostatní jsou z Moravy.
@frantiliberty2669
Takže existuje len Morava a všetko ostatne je zapadly kút XD Takova drzosť XD
Člověk až čumí, jaký malichernosti, dokonce až píčoviny kancelářský krysy řeší :D.
Make a sequel, please, please, pretty please 😁 This video is hilarious and totally awesome 🤣
What may surprise some Americans at the Czech workplace is the situation the day after any "after work socializing" involving heavy drinking. Americans may be aware that Czechs have quite high tolerance for alcohol, but even if the Czechs themselves get really drunk, it is pretty much the rule that the next morning they show up at work normally and though they may be slightly "delicate" in the morning, they function pretty much as usual. Whereas the American would probably need a day or two to recuperate if he ended up at the same level of drunkenness the previous night.
I guess the feet fenomena works both ways: We don't find it disgusting to take shoes off here and there BECAUSE our feet don't spend 14 hours a day enclosed in shoes. In other words, if I'd put my shoes on in the morning and took them off before I go to bed or shower, I'd hesitate to take them off at a workplace too :-D
Plus, it is something we are used to since pre-school (not only from home) - basicaly in all schools roughly up to age of 18, it is mandatory to be at school in some kind of slippers - if it does not look like slippers, you might be accused of using the same shoes outside and inside :-D ... and it is just considered a little bit unhygienic to have shoes on whole day every day.
me mumbling to myself "but the AC DOES make you sick 😒" right before that pause
Compaining is the most important part of polish culture - and we will never allow you to have the upper hand in complaining ...
Czechs are proud to be like this. Sick Woke has no chance in our great culture! ❤🎉
What culture?
@@jojova3776 czech culture
My dad actually got sick after leaving a car with air conditioning. He and his college went on a ride for supplies (for work) and the car was 5-7 degrees (Celsius) lower than the outside. It was a hot day around 30 degrees outside in the shade in summer. When they got out of the car my dad fainted because he went into a "temperature shock" from switching from the cool air in the car to the hot outside air. So yes most of us Czechs are paranoid about using air conditioning.
Oh, how spot on, just came from mushroom hunting and on the way to fix the toilet, exactly me! 😀👍
7:20 jokes on you, Jen 😆 I paused the video to tell you that we don't believe that "the AC will make you sick". We believe that a significant temperature change can make you sick (for example, if it's a tropical day outside and the AC makes your office/room/car somewhat cold. Or vice versa - when it's freezing outside and you board a bus or a train with the heating blowing at full power).
Depends...If you are full day at the office, it's not a change, in the morning there is no big difference and in the evening it's only one temperature gap per day. Problem is if you have to run away every 10 minutes and every room has different temperature.
Same with car, if you are in your truck for whole day, it's OK, if you are delivering mail and you get out of car every 5 minutes, it's dangerous.
@@johnsean100 you always get this "slap" when going between areas with high difference in temperature. And thats not healthy at all. Also AC should be set like +/-5C to current temperature, so when there is 30C outside and AC is set to 25C there isnt any issue, but most of the ppl just set AC to 18C and there comes problem. Someone like me is less protected against this. I dont mind being outside in -20C or 35C. But I do mind AC set to 20C when there is 35C.
Jako pro me bylo sokujici uz to, ze vy vetsinou v panelakach nemate klimatizaci. A kdyz mi rekli, ze klimatizujete takovym zpusobem, ze otevrete okno v noci, a rano ho zavrete, myslel jsem ze to je nejaky prank, takova blbost 😅😅😅 Ale rikali mi tu stejnou blbost dalsi a dalsi Cechy, a to pro me je neuveritelny. Nakonec jsem si do bytu sehnal mobilni klimatizacni jednotku.
That Czech idiom for "squeaky wheel gets the grease": "silnější pes mr*á".
Its not precisely the same, but the basic meaning is there 🙂
It is truth that you can get sick from AC. I was working for Citibank in Prague (year 2002-2003) and there was openspace office with AC. I stayed there for 2 months only because nobody cared of AC cleaning - so I worked 1 week in office and next week i had to stay home with fevers.
Next example - Me and my hb were paying membership in a fitness club (quite expensive) and there was problem with AC cleaning. Result? We visited this club only 5 times because then we had to stay(both) home with strong flu (1 visit = 1 week with flu). So we cancelled our membership there and then we have flue only sometimes.
not just AC settings, you could make whole episode on annoying stuff in open space offices - selection of music, weird human noises, weird furniture noises, not cleaning desks, forgotten stuff in shared fridge aaaand sweaty runners :D
I relate to most of the stuff you mention in this video, especially the "No Filter" subject. I grew up in an edgier generation (Gen X and Y) so I am glad my bad humor is okay around here. As for the shoes off and flip-flips on, I am Asian. I am used to it.
I've been told that overtime is not paid so if you are expected to work overtime don't expect more earnings. Just possibly a bonus at the end of the year or some time off early it's not busy...personally I prefer to be paid for my time but whatever
Full blast air conditioning in the summer is the worst. Every time I have a cold and itches in my throat.
The translation of idioms is hard, of course, and you rarely achieve an exakt match. Regarding "squeaky wheel gets the grease" I've got two proposals: "Líná huba, holý neštěstí" (for foreigners, that means literally: "a lazy puss - pure disaster"). The other one is: "drzé čelo je lepší než poplužní dvůr" - literally: "a bold forehead is better than a farm of one hide". 😉
"Lazy puss" means a completely different bodypart. A hole, for sure, but not quite the right one. 😁😁
The thing about not sugarcoating anything is pure czech... But czech don´t have problem working overtime... but we are asked about it quite a lot, so... people are a bit ... jumpy about it. Also with the salaries... meh.
The dressing part is... absolutely spot on 😀
About the shoes thing... Going barefoot is seen in similar way as wearing shoes in an office. First is often seen as unhygienic, second as bringing mud on the company carpets. So either squeaky clean shoes or slippers.
As the alcohol goes, it's like drinking then driving. Officially there's zero tolerance, unless you work with glass. Unofficially it's common to have 1 light beer at lunch, typically after heavy food to help the digestion. Most Czechs won't feel even little tipsy half an hour later. Of course cola or (relatively) non-alcoholic beer would do the trick, too.
In the end it depends on company culture and nobody wants workers who are constantly drunk.
There are two sure ways for me catching some bug: 1. Commute by public transportation during colder part of the year. 2. AC in an office.
Thank you. I can't compare to the US, as I come from Ukraine, and our culture is probably much closer to Czech. Still, I laughed throughout the video, it's all so very true.
There may be a few reasons why people think ACs make you sick.
1) people haven't adjusted for ACs yet, so they blast AC temperatures that are way off from what's outside temperature - meaning they are super cold.
2) companies develping AC recommend to change filters and clean the AC pipes (if there are any). Considering the fact czechia was occupied by the soviet union, where the "maintenance" was a rude word, there is still very few people who actually take a good care of ACs and change filters. You can probably imagine how does those filters looks like a feter a few years ...
"the fact czechia was part of the soviet union" - where did you find this nonsense? Being occupied is a hell of a long way from being a member/part.
@@kmartyCZ Fair point, I fixed it.
@@NgryMosquito In your defense, I must add that it applies to Czechoslvakia occupied by USSR - not to Eastern Ukraine occupied by Russian federation... 😏
Always so right about both sides of the Atlantic, always to an interesting point and always willing to insert a bit of well fitting humour to your presentations. Love it all... By the way, how is your Czech citizenship thingy going?👋
8 months of waiting to hear back from the ministry 🤨
Before few years I was truly impressed by her Czech language ability, but now I can feel she didn't make too big progress from that time. Especially regarding her strong accent.
Although those bus conductor inspectors work quite fervently. As I found out on my last bus to the airport a few weeks ago, after forgetting to 'validate' my ticket.
A Forty euro fine!!!
It started at the end of the covid era - they swarmed in like the last survivors and started to fag on the other survivors... Probably some side effect of the vaccination. Before that I used to see the inspectors about twice every six months - now I see them twice a week - I guess they started paying them with the fines!
I love your videos :o) . After watching this I feel like I'm not Czech. Or at least not a typical Czech :o))))
Don't you know, AC can even kill you (when it falls of the wall or ceiling). It happened they said. In winter and in Brno.
Not all people go to work at 9:00. Part of them goes to work at 6:00 like me. And of course we also do overtime but only if it is needed. And several big corporates have dress code. Normal trousers, not sport pants, shirt etc. It is very complex various thing at work in CZ. And yes, you can be sick from air conditioning especially with set very low temperature indoor in rate with high temperature outdoor. 😁
I’d correct the claim about AC making you sick. It’s not the AC as such but rather the temperature shock you put your body through when you go from a chilled office outside where it’s boiling and back. Your body just doesn’t like it. 🤷🏻♂️
Check how much moist fits in air of different temperatures. Sudden change of the moist is what makes you sick.
I have been working here in prague for 12 years , most what you say is correct, but you forgot to mention, that it also takes czechs sometime to talk to you informally as well. They are not directly "HI How are you"with a big smile , its more "what does this guy want
hi Jen, the closest thing to "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" I can think of would be "Líná huba - holé neštěstí"... like if You have a problem, open Your mouth... say it... if You don't say anything, nobody may notice there is a problem, so it won't get fixed... so don't let You mouth be lazy 🙂