EMPLOYMENT - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 267

For foreigners in Beijing, there are also five basic rules: You must be 18 years or older
and in good health; you must have the professional skills and job experience required for the
work of your intended job; you must have a clear criminal record; you must have a clearly
defined employer; and you must have a valid passport or other relevant international travel
document.
Technically, when you are here to work for a given company, it's illegal for you to be
doing work on the side. Cash-in-hand jobs are, however, exceedingly common. It's just not
recommended that you start getting regular sizable donations into your bank account.
Many local people don't even know their own labor laws, and it's highly recommended
that you clue yourself in on your rights. If your own company doesn't give you a copy of
the labor laws, you can access free online information from the many law firms specializing
in this area, such as Wang & Wang and Broad & Bright Law Firm, as well as sites such as
www.chinalawandpractice.com (subscription fee), www.chinalawblog.com , and the official
government site, www.ebeijing.gov.cn (click on Working in Beijing).
Workplace Culture
To the uninitiated foreigner, the Beijing office can be a place of bafflement and frustration.
The culture and expectations are often extremely different, and unfortunately, there isn't al-
ways the highest level of trust between the insiders and the outsiders.
When you first arrive in a Chinese office or begin to do business with a Chinese com-
pany, you may be deceived into thinking that communication—language barriers aside—is
roughly the same. There are some subtleties to communication styles here, however, that
may catch you unsuspecting. First, a Chinese person using English, particularly via text or
email, can often come across as abrupt and impolite. This isn't intentional, and in business
Chinese people are generally very polite. It's just that the Chinese language uses different
ways to express politeness. They don't translate well into English, and so just get left out.
English classes don't always teach phrases like “would you mind” or “could you please,”
so try not to be offended when they directly tell you “I want you to...” even if they're in a
junior position to you.
Next, Chinese people don't like confrontation in the workplace, and this includes saying
“no” or “I don't know,” or “I can't do that.” If your question comes via email, it's extremely
likely that it will just be ignored outright, and if it's face to face, then you'll possibly get a
meandering or inconclusive response, possibly even a yes, but then with no follow-through.