One of the main reasons I'm on this Fulbright Grant in Mexico City is to learn about Mexican work culture. There are some similarities between the work cultures in the United States and Mexico. For example, in both countries, people are hard workers. However, in Mexico, the average work week is 48 hours long, six days a week. In the U.S., it's 40 hours a week, five days a week. Vacations and holidays are also not as common in Mexico, with only eight federal holidays versus 13 in the U.S. Also, as a Mexican worker, you are not entitled to any vacation days until you complete your first year at the company!
You'll also find that a lot of well-known companies, such as Disney, Google and Microsoft, have offices in Mexico City, as a sort of "gateway" to Latin America. Mexican companies, like Grupo Bimbo, the makers of the beloved Takis chips, also have offices in the U.S. All of this suggests that there is a lot of collaboration between the two countries! In my job, almost all of our marketing conversations happen in English, which is the language of business, even in Mexico.
There are also many cultural differences, which I have had to get used to. For example, in Mexico, people are more collaborative and friendly.
