Contrasting work cultures in the U.S. and U.K.

Contrasting work cultures in the U.S. and U.K.

Even though we speak the same language as our friends across the Atlantic, cultural differences make each region unique and special, from social etiquette to humor and even food preferences. These subtle and not-so-subtle differences can even extend into the workplace, influencing document management, communication styles, and overall workplace culture.

To explore this deeper, Adobe Acrobat surveyed 2,010 full-time employees, based in both the U.S. and the U.K, to uncover how workplace practices truly differ across the pond. Understanding this can help to create cohesive and productive global workplaces on both sides of the Atlantic.

Key findings

• Over one in four (26 percent) of U.S. and U.K. employees say they use slang in their work emails.
• U.K. employees are willing to commute an additional 95 minutes per week for their dream job, while U.S. employees would add 65 minutes to their weekly commute.
• Gen Z U.K. employees (62 percent) were more likely than Gen Z U.S. employees (55 percent) to take social media breaks during their day.
• 93 percent of U.K. employees say they have thought about work while taking vacation time compared to 89 percent of U.S. employees.
• The U.K. leads the U.S. in cybersecurity training, with 59 percent of employees having received instruction on protecting digital documents compared to 54 percent in America.

How PDFs power today's workflows in the U.S. and U.K.

To start, we explored the differences in employee document management practices, from how employees sign specific onboarding documents to how they use PDFs at work.

Our survey highlights differences between U.S. and U.K. employees in document management practices. Over half of Americans report e-signing their confidentiality agreements, outpacing their U.K. counterparts (42 percent). Additionally, we discovered noncompete agreements are more common among U.S. workers, with 50 percent having signed such forms - though this may change under the new 2024 FTC ban that now bans noncompete agreements nationwide. Only 37 percent of U.K. employees have signed similar forms.

When it comes to using PDFs at work, U.K. employees top uses for PDFs are:

• Sharing (68 percent)
• Signing (59 percent)
• Printing (48 percent)

In comparison, U.S. employees most common usage for PDFs are:

• Sharing (65 percent)
• Signing (64 percent)
• Filling out forms (55 percent).

Notably, U.S. employees are 22 percent more likely than their U.K. peers to use PDF for collaboration, highlighting a tactic to utilize technology for teamwork. Whether you need to sign PDF documents or use a PDF converter for various file formats to share to other teams, understanding these regional behaviors can help streamline digital workflows and enhance productivity in a global workplace.

How the U.S. and U.K. enhance document security and integrate AI

Our next stop in this global discovery is to explore technology integration by uncovering the top security measures used to protect digital documents and uncovering how employees use AI for document management.

U.K. employees exhibit a stronger focus on the security of digital documents, being 30 percent more likely than their American counterparts to believe that digitization enhances security.

The U.K.'s top security measures to protect digital documents include:

• Security software (64 percent)
• Employee training on security best practices (59 percent)
• Encryption (59 percent).

Meanwhile, U.S. employees prioritize:

• Security software (63 percent)
• Multi-factor authentication (57 percent)
• Encryption (57 percent).

When looking at security overall, 65 percent of tech employees in the U.K. have received training to protect digital documents, compared to 55 percent in the U.S. This highlights the importance of safeguarding digital documents utilizing tools such as Adobe Acrobat's password-protect PDF function to ensure document security when sharing documents.

When it comes to utilizing AI, both locations are innovating, with three in ten employees from the U.S. and the U.K. using AI to summarize or extract data from digital documents. Notably, over one in four U.K. tech employees say they utilize AI to prepare for client meetings, compared to just 17 percent of U.S. tech employees. As technology continues to evolve, integrating AI into document management processes can empower employees to work smarter and more efficiently.

From "dodgy" to "slay": How Americans and Brits communicate at work

Workplace culture is more than just document management and technology usage, it's also about communication and the words we use at work.

Small talk in the workplace plays a huge role in creating a collaborative atmosphere, with 90 percent of U.S. employees and 88 percent of U.K. employees recognizing its value in meetings. Both groups agree that the ideal amount of small talk is around 5 minutes in a 30-minute meeting.

In the U.S., these chats usually are centered around weather (57 percent), news/current events (47 percent), and food (45 percent). In the U.K., employees prefer discussing the weather (62 percent), news/current events (59 percent), and travel (47 percent). American employees are 45 percent more likely to engage in conversations about food than their U.K. counterparts. These quick small talk moments help bring co-workers together to create collaborative environments.

When it comes to slang in the workplace, each generation has its preferences. In the U.K., "dodgy" is popular among Baby Boomers (44 percent), while "knackered" is favored across Gen X (31 percent), Millennials (27 percent), and Gen Z (22 percent).

Conversely, in the U.S., Baby Boomers commonly use "low-hanging fruit" (31 percent), with Gen X and Millennials both inclined to say "circle back" (28 percent and 29 percent, respectively), and Gen Z preferring "ping you" (28 percent). U.S. employees are 108 percent more likely than U.K. employees to use the slang "circle back" at work.

Gen Z in the U.S. (30 percent) also shows a higher tendency to use slang in their emails compared to their U.K. peers (23 percent). Interestingly, about one in sixteen Gen Z employees in the U.S. say "brat" is their favorite work slang term. And both U.S. (14 percent) and U.K. (13 percent) Gen Z employees love saying "slay" at work.

Nine to five... or not?

We also revealed cultural trends in commuting patterns, lunch habits, and the structure of a typical workday - from its early start to its sometimes extended hours.

Americans have a rise and grind mentality, with 65 percent starting their workday at 8 a.m. or earlier. This early start is mirrored by longer working hours, with Americans clocking in an average of three more hours per week than their U.K. counterparts, amounting to an extra thirteen hours each month. Additionally, Americans show a stronger tendency to eat lunch at their desks, with 41 percent doing so all five days of the workweek, compared to 31 percent of U.K. employees. Meanwhile, nearly three in ten U.K. workers report eating at their desks only once a week compared to 22 percent of U.S. workers. Despite these intense work habits, U.S. employees are less inclined to extend their commute for their dream job, willing to add just 65 minutes per week to their current 23 minute average commute, in contrast to the 95 minutes U.K. employees are prepared to add to their current 28 minute trek to the office.

The struggle to disconnect: Work-life balance of Americans vs. Brit s

Work culture is just as important offline as it is when you're on the clock. With that, we also explored how Americans and Brits strive to achieve work-life balance. Here's what we found:

U.S. employees are 23 percent more likely than their U.K. counterparts to take snack breaks, while U.K. workers are 25 percent more inclined to take breaks to chat with colleagues. Both groups, however, equally enjoy taking social media breaks during their work day (40 percent). This behavior does, however, vary by generation, with 62 percent of Gen Z U.K. employees taking social media breaks, compared to 55 percent of their U.S. peers. Additionally, U.S. Gen Z employees are 23 percent more likely to take walks outside, embracing moments to log off and touch grass.

Regarding vacation time, it's a well-known fact that U.K. employees tend to have more time-off than U.S. employees. Even with more limited vacation time, nearly nine in 10 U.S. employees find it hard to disconnect from work during their time off and are more likely to check emails, respond to work-related communications, take calls, and even complete tasks while on vacation. This disparity is also reflected generationally, with Baby Boomers the most likely to respond to emails during PTO, while Gen Z is the least likely.

Empowering businesses on both sides of the Atlantic

By understanding the cultural nuances between the U.K. and the U.S., Adobe Acrobat empowers businesses to streamline workflows, foster effective collaboration, and create a cohesive work environment. Our findings revealed that there is still room to bridge cultural gaps and enhance global productivity in the workplace. By implementing tools like Adobe Acrobat's PDF converter and AI tools such as AI Assistant, companies can improve document management practices, driving innovation and creating seamless, fulfilling experiences for employees worldwide.

Methodology

To uncover how workplace practices vary between the U.S. and the U.K., we surveyed 2,010 full-time employees. This sample was split evenly with 50 percent based in the U.S. and 50 percent in the U.K. Our survey sample included representation across generations: 14 percent Gen Z, 53 percent Millennials, 28 percent Gen X, and 4 percent Baby boomers. Gender breakdown was 49 percent female, 50 percent male and 1 percent non-binary. This study has a 2 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.