There are some differences that exist between professional cultures that you should be aware of in order to avoid misunderstandings in American workplaces. Listed below are a few characteristics of American professionals that you will probably notice during your stay.

TIME

Time is incredibly important to Americans. There are many sayings demonstrating Americans' obsession with time: "Time is money," "Don't waste time," "Maybe I can find some time," "I'll make time." Time and promptness are extremely important, both in professional and personal settings. You may notice that Americans will cut interesting conversations short, just so that they can be "on time" for their next engagement.

Being just five minutes late to a meeting is considered rude. Being 15 minutes late is completely unacceptable. You will notice this from the very beginning of your program, during orientation. You should be ready at exactly the time when you are expected to be ready. One strategy that sometimes helps people who are chronically late is to plan on being ready 15 minutes before you are expected.

HONESTY AND OPENNESS

Americans consider openness and straightforwardness to be good qualities. You will find that Americans often answer questions with simple, honest answers. They consider this to be the best and least offensive way to answer any question. This is true of every kind of question, both personal and professional. If you ever feel like someone is asking questions that are too personal for you to comfortably answer, you should simply tell this to your questioner directly, instead of skirting the answer.

PHONE CALLS

For participants who will have business internships, it is important to not make personal phone calls during your time at work. If you do need to call home for business purposes, remember to use a phone card to make the phone call.

DURING MEETINGS

Because almost all of the presenters you will meet know only English, it is sometimes easy to think that they will not notice you talking in your native language. It is very important to remain as quiet as possible during meetings. Carrying on a private conversation, as you can probably imagine, is an insult to the presenter.

Project Harmony is aware that sometimes the pace of the program can be strenuous for participants. This does not mean, however, that falling asleep during a meeting is acceptable. If you are struggling to stay awake, it would be better to quietly get up and step outside for a few minutes to wake yourself up and then return to the meeting.