Cultural differences

So, have you ever wondered why you find something funny and the person next to you just doesnt? Well that could be one of two reasons.... Maybe they are simply from a different culture and therefore see things differently and find other things funny. The other explanation would be that they were German. (That was a joke..... oh dear swiftly moving on)

Culture can be defined as many things. Clifford Geertz defines it as simply 'The total way of life of a people'. This can be taken and explained in many real life situations and personally I have experianced different culture in the workplace as I have worked for the high street store Next since 2008. This was in a large store in Essex in a large shopping Centre. Since coming to University I have transferred to the High Wycombe branch and the culture is certainly different. Although it is based in a shopping centre it is nowhere near as busy and therefore the way things are done reflect that. The attitude is far more laid back and staff are well...... lazy. This would simply not be tolerated at the previous store and it did take a while for me to adjust to this new culture and new way of working, I still find myself doing things quicker than other people - and thats not me saying i'm better because i'm not its just the way I have been use to working and therefore the attitude and culture that I have difffers slightly to the other workers.

Men and Women often have different cultures and beliefs. The woman for example believes she's right and the man lets her believe it to get an easy life. I have touched on this previously in my blog about men and women's differences and there has been extensive resarch done on these differences which is extremely interesting.

Culture could also be defined as someones religion and belief system. Different religions believe in different things are have different values. For example certain religions don't eat pork as this is their belief. Certain religions don't believe men and women are equal and if my nan were still around and she knew that I was planning to eat meat on the upcoming good Friday there would be some serious issues! (Sorry Nan) This is all fine though as long as there is an acceptance between these religions and they at least acknowledge and respect other religious views. There is an on-going debate in the UK currently that the different cultures in this country are segregated from one another and it leads to an un-healthy atmosphere in communities or in the workplace. Although there are different cultures these days in communities this has always been an issue as the North of the country often have issues with the South of the country and vice versa. For example when my flatmate who heralds from the dark and mysterious Sunderland first ordered Chips with cheese and Gravy I did not believe my ears. 'That's just ridiculous' I believe were my words... I'd like to tell you her words but I wont go there. In my head that was just wrong however i'm sure that if I go to Sunderland with the Essex accent I pocess i'm sure there will be questions such as 'is everyone like that TV program' which I get on a regular basis anyway thanks to the unfortunately brilliant Only Way Is Essex. In my opinion therefore as long as their is an understanding between different cultures whether it is religious or otherwise I don't see it being a problem in either communities or the workplace.