I’ve been living here for a few years now and it strikes me as so bizarre not to acknowledge someone’s presence as they come into the office. Is it the norm here? I am a Northerner so this could be a reason it is so jarring to me.
This is an interesting one. I worked for a digital marketing agency several years ago who had an office in Leeds and London. In Leeds everyone would say hi, have the occasional chat over a coffee and say bye at the end of the day.
Working in the London office was so different, only greeted by the receptionist, no real pleasantries, no chats over coffee and a deadpan look when you get up to leave.
I found it a strange vibe. To be fair, in the same way I realised quickly it is every man for themselves on the tube. Leave the Yorkshire charm on the platform when heading to London.
Morning!
Was about to guess that you were talking about London, until I worked out which community you’d posted to.
I think it strongly depends on the industry you’re in, as well as the general culture within it. Some industries (I’ve worked in live events, for example) have a “work hard, play hard” culture, in which you might form strong friendships at work, whereas some places may just be “a job” for most people, and they do their time every day and leave.
Obviously jobs don’t fall only into one of these two categories, but London in particular can be a bit of a meat-grinder (rat race?) when it comes to staff turnover and impersonal workplaces.
I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but it’s a phenomenon I’ve definitely encountered, having worked in London, and worked in not-London. Hopefully with the move toward remote working, the London fixation in the UK will begin to dissipate, and we won’t need to suffer it in order to do well paid, gratifying and meaningful work.
Think it depends where you work
When I worked in a company big enough that I didn’t know anyone around me at the office, I only said hello to the receptionist
Whereas at companies where I know and work with the people in the office, of course we say hello to each other - we even hang out at each others houses sometimes
I think it’s entirely down to the person. At my office, it’s generally a “morning” as you walk in, then any other interactions are just when you meet someone at the kettle.
