Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
(OP)
Hi everyone:
I will be travelling to US next week to stay around 6 days working in a project.
It will be my first time in US so I am a little worried with the working practices there. I've read something about this subject in the internet but either way I would like to hear your real life oppinion.
I will be staying a couple of days in Dallas and around 4 days in Pittsburgh.
What is the common working practices in these 2 places?
I work in a pretty "informal" company environment, usually I wear jeans and a shirt to work, despite being part of the management team. My working time is 9-13h,14.30-18.30 but if I arrive at 9.15h nobody will tell me nothing.
I'm expecting a different working environment in US, but how much different? Do I need to wear suit everyday? What is the usual lunch break time and working time?
Which are "off-limits" subjects talk?
Please don't take me wrong in these questions, I will certainly adapt to local conditions, but I just wanted to be prepared as much as possible in order to not make any mistake that will embarass my hosts.
Another thing, is it customary to offer gifts or presents to your hosts? I am not referring to anything expensive, just some traditional cookies or artifacts from our place.
Thanks in advance for your help.
I will be travelling to US next week to stay around 6 days working in a project.
It will be my first time in US so I am a little worried with the working practices there. I've read something about this subject in the internet but either way I would like to hear your real life oppinion.
I will be staying a couple of days in Dallas and around 4 days in Pittsburgh.
What is the common working practices in these 2 places?
I work in a pretty "informal" company environment, usually I wear jeans and a shirt to work, despite being part of the management team. My working time is 9-13h,14.30-18.30 but if I arrive at 9.15h nobody will tell me nothing.
I'm expecting a different working environment in US, but how much different? Do I need to wear suit everyday? What is the usual lunch break time and working time?
Which are "off-limits" subjects talk?
Please don't take me wrong in these questions, I will certainly adapt to local conditions, but I just wanted to be prepared as much as possible in order to not make any mistake that will embarass my hosts.
Another thing, is it customary to offer gifts or presents to your hosts? I am not referring to anything expensive, just some traditional cookies or artifacts from our place.
Thanks in advance for your help.





RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
<1> leave the jeans at home, except for casual after hours unless your job will be to crawl on the floor working on dirty machinery. When Euro Guy show up wearing a dress shirt+tie+jeans+dress shoes, Americans chuckle behind their backs. Even though this is completely acceptable in many parts of Europe. Casual slacks (like "Dockers" brand cotton slacks) may be suitable. More dressy slacks may be required, depends on the office culture. "Polo" -type shirts may be suitable, culture may require a collared dress shirt.
<2> office working hours here in US are generally assumed to be 800h-1200h, lunch 1200h-1300h, 1300h-1700h. Arrive early if necessary, stay late if necessary. You're "Managaement" and you have to do what is necessary to get the job done. You are travelling from somewhere else and your time is very limited: you can sleep on the plane ride home.
<3> I would hazard a position that dress shirts + ties are not necessary....for MOST office situations for engineeers these days. Typically this is reserved for meeting with clients, or very important high level meetings. Many times I've hosted Manufacturing Engineers and it was very casual. I've gone to Europe wearing what I thought was essential shirt+tie clothing, then had to "dress-down" to fit into the existing culture.
<4> It is very rare for engineers to wear suits to an office, but it does happen. I have seen this done by Director-level engineers arriving and having high-level meetings.
<5> Call the people at the respective offices, claim your ignorance of American Culture, and ASK THEM what is the appropriate dress and hours expectations. You may be pleasantly suprised when they say "don't worry about it, we're very casual here, just wear jeans."
<6> You gain more respect when you overdress than underdress.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Be prepared to eat out for lunch every day. It's amazing how much weight you can put on in just 6 days. Your suit may start to strain.
Don't get into politics, gun control or racism. Just smile and look dumb.
- Steve
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Even so, wear a nice pair of pants, dress shirt and tie on the first day. You can always take the tie off if no one is wearing one.
It's not necessary or customary, but if you bring some traditional cookies and leave them by the coffee pot they'll be appreciated. If nothing else they're an ice breaker; "hi, did you try a cookie?"
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
We do not know where you are coming from so I am trying to cover all the bases.
Both of these cities can be very cold at this time of the year. You should get on the internet and checkout the seven day forecast for both and then pack accordingly
Dallas will be windy and cold whereas Pittsburgh will be a wet cold with a strong possibility of snow.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Shower every day.
No one wants to hear how rugby or soccer ("futbol") is better/superior/tougher/more popular than American football, especially in Steelers and Cowboys strongholds.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
TTFN
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RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
1. The dress sense of casual is indeed different depending on your location. While the South may be more "casual" than the North, I would definitely arrive in a pants and button down (oxford) shirt. If you are upper management, you might even consider the suit. This can change over the course of the first day and that's fine. At least you didn't disrespect by showing up in jeans and a tanktop.
2. Dining out isn't a gimme, there may be some order in/working lunches, especially when you are on a limited timeframe for your trip. During the lunch hour avoid all the standard stuff you'd avoid down the boozer. It's OK to answer questions about your customs, traditions but not too cute to ask questions of your hosts, no matter how ridiculous they look, act, talk etc. You are the guest here.
3. While showering and shaving every day is a gimme here in the US I know for a fact it isn't common practice elsewhere...I am Irish and have worked in Europe before coming here. I also have worked in the Caribbean and South America coming from the US.
4. Gifts aren't typically expected but in the past we have gotten some tea from our Asian counterparts and have given some Irish food to compatriots in other companies. In general, it's business and not Aunt Ida you are visiting. A box of candy never goes astray nor does the proverbial cookies.
Above all, remember you are working with these people on their turf and some of them do have homes and families to go to so be prepared to have some nights where you will possibly do some work in your hotel room. If you are coming from Europe, you could call your home office BEFORE your arrival at the company so you aren't wasting valuable time onsite. Remember the time zones because you body won't let you forget. Good luck and safe travels.
drawn to design, designed to draw
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
As others have indicated, bring warm clothes for Pittsburg and Dallas. The weather in Dallas can vary from cold to quite warm even in Winter. I've been there on business, arriving with snow and below freezing; three days later 90F and humid.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Just some more information about this:
I'm Mediterranean European but I've been working in Southeast Asia for the past 7 years.
We are going to have meetings to discuss a major construction project in our city (around 500-700mUSD). I am expecting to have some high level meetings to discuss the details of the JV, scope of work of each party, approach to prepare the tender, costing, etc. Also, I am expecting to visit some sites to get a deeper insight of the technical solution proposed by our American partner.
We've already had a couple of meetings here and by that time the attire was quite casual (no ties, no suit, just pants and shirt) but I'm afraid that back in US the attire changes and I must be prepared for this.
I am expecting my calories intake to jump during my stay in US, so I am taking my snickers to make some exercise, if I have time.
Regarding the cookies, should I be carefull with this? I am not speaking about some strange, smelly (in western terms)southeast asian cookies. These cookies are quite neutral, peanus or cashew nuts based, perfect for tea or coffee breaks. Nevertheless, I've read that in US there are a significant number of persons that are allergic to nuts. I hope I don't get sued by someone that had a cookie and got some allergic reaction to it...
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
The US media tends to blow the food allergies way out of proportion when some kid accidentally eats something they are allergic to and has a reaction.
In a business setting with only adults rest assured that anyone with a peanut allergy will know that they have a peanut allergy and will be smart enough to ask "are there peanuts in these?"
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Most hotels in the US have fitness rooms you can work out in if the weather outside is too cold.
This time of year (Christmas, Hanukkah) treats in the office are quite common.
I am alergic to cookies and sweets, everytime is eat them I blow-up in my belly and butt.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
1. I say wear a simple suit, these are meetings for large budget projects.
2. This is Dallas, which is a pretty conservative city, so please no comments about George W. Bush (who lives here and is liked by many here), or negative comments about the war. Let me emphasize, no one here will say anything to you if you discuss these negatively, (we're all very nice!) but they probably will be annoyed in private.
3. If possible, and this is only if you have some real off time or really want to make a good impression, get to know our local football (American style) team the Dallas Cowboys. I'm sure if they saw you made an effort here to get to know the team, it would go a long way. ALL meetings here begin with a little Cowboys small talk. Seriously.
4. Do ask to go out for steak or barbecue if they want to take you out, its great here.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Don't bother learning football. I haven't, and I live in Texas. If you're honestly curious about what they're talking about, about football culture or the rules of the game, go ahead and ask them; it'll give them something to say to you. But don't bother faking an interest. (Though, as the saying goes, if you can fake sincerity you've got it made.)
If they get into political discussions, and they very well might, STAY OUT OF IT. Paste a semi-engaged expression on your face and fill your mouth with food. Americans on average are more conservative than people from many other parts of the world, Dallas people are conservative as Americans go, engineers are conservative as Americans go, draw your own conclusion about Dallas engineers. Pittsburgh won't be much better because they're still engineers even if they aren't Texans. If anyone is so uncouth as to ask you your political opinion, be as vague as possible. Unless you happen to agree with what they're all saying, in which case you're fine.
Pittsburgh people will leave you alone about religion. Dallas, they'll probably leave you alone but you never know, especially if you end up at a dinner with spouses. Many Texans have only met one or two non-Christians in their life.
If you don't want to pack double (enough suits for the trip plus enough backup "business casual" in case it's not so suity), the packing is enough of an excuse for you to do what someone else suggested and call your hosts to ask. Another option might be to pack the suits & buy the business casual in the US if it turns out you need it, but you might very likely not have time for a shopping trip, especially if you won't have your own rental car.
Don't forget to check the weather. Weather.com is pretty easy to use. Pittsburgh will be damn cold. Dallas will be moderately cold, though Dallas always runs the risk of being rather warm instead.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
I use suit maybe once a year or less so I don't even know how to do a knot tie...
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Speaking of which, if they're ordering in lunch in Pgh you may need to watch the location/cuisine. If they're bringing in dogs/burgers/fries from "The O" in Oakland, go easy on them because it's REALLY greasy. Same goes for some of the Primanti Bros sandwiches. If you have a pretty good diet normally, Pittsburgh based cuisine can be "heavy"...a side pack of Pepto Bismol might be in order. =)
In general, Pittsburghers are fairly nice. If you're renting a car and plan on driving yourselves, GET A GPS with the rental! The one-way streets that converge, the on-off ramps, bridges & tunnels, etc. take some getting used to for the locals. Also be cautious of the street signs during the day. A one-way street in the morning can go the opposite direction in the evening in the "dahntahn" area. Pittsburghers are often very nice people in person. In the car, well, my Midwest-born girlfriend describes us as "insane". I tend to prefer the phrase "aggressive driving".
And yes, prepare the the Pittsburgh-ese accents and phrases. They can be humorous. Which company are you working with? Just curious.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
I don't know what things are like where you grew up or now live but compared to the UK a lot of Americans are a bit insular. They most likely will know very little about either of the countries you're from. I had my boss ask me if the UK was a democracy on my first day here and he asked German interns similar questions.
When someone above mentioned about learning something about the Cowboys etc. they didn't mean learning about the rap sheet of current or recent players etc.
The American sense of humor may be quite different from what you're used to, for instance some are easily offended by UK (and common wealth) humor (it's happened on this site more than once), I don't know how it would compare to your culture.
Even if they aren't trying to convert you they may tend to be more open about their religious beliefs than is typical in the UK at least, which I've know people to get upset over.
All in all I never had any trouble doing business in the States when I was still a Brit (except the time I got separated from my sponsor at a defense contractor and trying to understand the ticket counter staff in Atlanta) the people are mostly pretty friendly (perhaps more so on average than in the UK) and if they are wooing you will probably be on their best behaviour.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
-The water is good to drink.
-If you help it, as mentioned above, don't talk sports, politics, racism, and religion.
Chris
SolidWorks 09 SP4.1
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
tripleZ:
At this stage, as you can udnerstand I will not be able to tell which company am I visiting. The JV details are not yet sorted out, there are confidentiality agreementes going on, so I don't want to put my foot in the mud, sort of speak. One we win the project (fingers crossed), I will let you know.
The food is a good point though. I am not very fond of fast food (sorry guys) but I eat pretty much everything ( I'm leaving in Southeast Asia for more than 7 years, so I already tasted some "exotic" things). The antacid suggestion is a good one, as I 'm afraid in the first couple of days I will be pretty dizzy, after a 14 hours flight and a time zone of -13 hours from my hometown.
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Now, I have to prepare myself for the cold weather...
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
- Steve
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
A wise guy once told me that it doesn't matter what the situation is, don't be the worst dressed guy there.
As a guy who has travelling a lot, I like to bring some candy bars with me as the people I have met with in the past are never ready to eat when I am.
Zuccus
RE: Working practices in Pittsburgh and Dallas
Find out NOW - before you leave in any case - whether you need PPE (personal protection equipment) or rough field clothes: Probably, the local outfit can provide (will be expected to provide!) hardhats, gloves, hearing protection, harnesses or fall protection, and eyeshields.
If you have your own PPE - or even have your own hard hat with your company logo - you will be proving your preparedness and adaptability to OSHA and knowledge of the local work rules. If you prefer your own PPE - I hate the foam ear protection plugs for example, and so have attached hearing covers and a light on my hardhat, bring those along.
Shoes? Bring your own steel-toed work boots - if you will will need them for your tour. ASK! Dirt or mud probable at the site? ASK! Flashlights, meter/inch tape measures appropriate? You (should) know what info you will need to take back.
Will your your company camera be allowed in their plant? Don't assume your personal camera will be permitted, but some sales people encourage company cameras. (Some do, some prohibit them.)
Bring enough business cards.
Do NOT expect people to be able to readily copy or print in A3 or A4 size papers.
Expect to bring back 8-1/2 x 11 sized paper, and the electronic documents based on 8-1/2x11 paper.