미국에 '회식'이 없는 진짜 이유 (문화차이 아님) | 한미비교 해피아워 이직문화

0:00 Hello everyone. This is Tyler. Hey, have you guys had a company dinner recently ? People say that these days, it's becoming less common, but in reality, as a foreigner living in Korea, the most shocking experience you have to go through in order to adapt to social life is company dinners. I do n't really have company dinners overseas. In America, there is Happy Hour. In fact, these two activities are natural social activities, but they are so very different. So, if you ask people around you why it's so different, most of them tend to just jump to reductionistic conclusions like, "Oh, it's just the culture, collectivism, individualism." But in fact, these company dinners and happy hours

0:52 are, in a way, the same strategy for social life. However, the structure of the society we live in, our economic environment itself, is different, so the culture cannot help but be different. Today, we will be talking about company dinners and Happy Hawaii’s cultural events . This isn't my first company dinner experience since coming to Korea . Actually, I had my first company dinner when I was in the US, and Zoom was originally working at the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. So I said I didn't know what a company dinner was, and I just went along . But those are diplomats overseas. So rather than calling it a full-fledged Korean erosion site, I think it was more of an opportunity to get a taste of it, as the English expression goes, "get your feet wet

1:38 ." At that time, I followed the secretary and sat down with some other secretaries and had a drink. Since there were so many people there who didn't know much, there was a local staff member who explained things here and there . Oh, you have to eat it all now. You have to empty your glass . I'm just doing this, why do I have to empty it ? Why do you tell me to drink this stuff ? He said that if you don't empty it, it will be similar to the wine glasses on the ancestral rite table, so you shouldn't do that, so you have to empty it . I'm not sure if that's right, but that's the explanation he gave. So, it was a good opportunity for me to experience Korean culture, but it was when I came to Korea and started working in graduate school and broadcasting that I really started experiencing company dinners . In the case of graduate school, if you think back to your college days, you

2:25 may remember that it was a place where you met professors. Actually, I went with my seniors in the lab and served the professor, and we drank whatever the professor wanted to drink. So what did our professor like at that time? That sammaira, right? There's this thing called fermented skate with kimchi . Oh, it was a little difficult. But yes, there was a time when we became close with each other and created an atmosphere in our lab, like through something like a love shop . When I saw that, I actually thought it was really comfortable. Just do as the template provides. It seems like you just have to do whatever the person next to you tells you to do, and if everyone just goes with the flow, you 'll end up becoming friends without any problems. So, I felt like it was very comfortable . Then, in the broadcasting industry, we

3:12 started going to company dinners together, and the social life there was aggressive. Then the story unfolds with a slightly different feel . People, of course, from our team, our broadcast, our company, get together for a meal, and there are people who move around like this. I think it was a completely new environment because we had to talk like this. But this is so different from America. In countries like America, we say happy hour. Happy Hour is n't something you go to with an excuse. It's not like our team has achieved anything and now we're going to have a company dinner. It 's just about time to get off work. Then, from right after work until dinner time, we have a happy hour at the bar.

4:00 Then, you can buy drinks at a special discount, or you can buy things like chicken wings at a really cheap price, and you can say, “ Oh, the prices here are good,” or, “Oh, margaritas are really cheap here today, let’s go drink margaritas,” and so on, and so on, there are a lot of people who come from all sorts of different workplaces . Let's talk about mixing things up here. Then, this kind of place would be really fun. Because you get to meet a lot of people you don't know . But, unlike the Korean system, you ca n't just go to the rescue team and do it later. You have to stand up and talk to strangers and call them "hair so-and-so" even though you've never met them before. So, I need to get used to it quickly and become comfortable, but this is so different . It's so different that you

4:46 could say it's just a cultural difference, but in reality, these dinners and Happyia have a clear social role . And if we look at what we do there, how we gather, and what we do, we can get a glimpse of it . In places like company dinners, you can find the answer by looking at who pays, who attends and who doesn't, and what kind of relationships are formed. We go to company dinners alone. We really go among our own team. Seriously, only our marketing team is going. The sales team isn't here. The sales team is having a separate dinner. And when we talk about it, we can vent to each other about how the sales team has been a real pain in the ass lately. This is our place where we can come together more and

5:33 make payments. You don't do it separately. They don't do it separately, but the company does it, or the team leader does it, or someone higher up does it, and they say that these days, the rules on whether or not you attend are becoming a bit looser. But still, you have some sense. I think I have to go, but if I don't go, the atmosphere will be a bit odd when I go to work the next day, so we go to a company dinner to maintain our relationship. It's some kind of cerebral seat, and Happy How is the complete opposite. It has to be mixed. I have to go with people I don't know . What payment is made here? You have to figure it out yourself. Who the hell is paying the bill? And it doesn't matter if you don't go . If you don't go, it's your

6:20 loss. So, what does it mean that these are completely different concepts, but they are performing the same social role ? In fact, this is very closely linked to the work environment in our social structure . Subscribe, like, and set notifications. Then, what is it about the work environment, labor environment, and economic activity environment in Korea that allows for such frequent company dinners to occur? If you look closely, Korea is a country that tries to guarantee considerable job security . That's why the working environment here is such that it 's not easy to get fired. So there is rigidity in employment . When you join a company, you can get fired for no reason.

7:05 Of course, that can happen a little during the training period, but it won't happen after the training period is over. So, in a country like Korea, you have to have a legitimate reason to get fired . In other words, dismissal without reason is strictly prohibited. So here, the way HR operates, the way the company operates, and the way I succeed in this company, get promoted, and build my career path all move according to these rules. So, when you look at how HR is managed, most Korean companies have to be very strict and rigid in their hiring process because of the rigid labor market . So, we're going to form a public body

7:51 . Provide equal access to everyone at once. We put them in the same column and manage them in the same way . So, a rigid interview environment is created, and there must be certain specifications that must be met, and the same cross-analysis must be conducted, and this structure inevitably comes into being, and when it comes to promotions, there needs to be some sort of systematization and numerical evaluation . Because there has to be a good reason. So this structure is formed. So, in the end, if we want to secure our own livelihood and ensure our own survival, the

8:37 point here is not to just get cut off like in the US, but to work together in harmony. The way to survive in a Korean company is to not create issues, not to scratch and create softness, but to create harmony and slowly emerge from within . And the secret to success is the same. In order to succeed, you have to compete with your teammates to secure a position, but since there is a position anyway, the point is to build it up by following the set course, the set specifications, and the set procedures. So, protecting your position and following the procedures are ultimately the secrets to success . So

9:23 when we think about our solution here, this is very suitable. It has to be a place where we can focus on strengthening the existing relationships within our team and on internal relationships so that we can now move forward in harmony . That's because it allows us to continue on a path that will ensure the survival and success of this company . So, that's actually why I think people rotate seats at company dinners . That was actually really shocking when I first saw it. The seabed is somewhat hard and needs to be moved. When I first saw that manners meant that you have to move, talk to someone like this, take shots like this, and do things like this, I thought, " Ah, this is work that needs to be done within a group." If we

10:08 all spread the word here evenly, this dinner party will become an opportunity to solidify my relationship . Korean company dinners are clearly closely related to the work environment and are clearly connected to the secrets of success and certain methods of survival. But even though America looks different from Happyia, in fact it is similar. Some secrets of survival, some secrets of success are connected. In stark contrast to Korea, the United States has a truly free labor market in which layoffs occur . You can just say fire at will, but it is often expressed as employment at will. This means there is flexibility in layoffs . So when the employer looks at the employee, it doesn't really matter what aspect of the employee he is

10:55 . As long as it's not discriminatory, that's fine. If it is determined that you are not a good fit for this job in any way, you can be fired . So, if you don't achieve any results, you can be fired. If you have a strained relationship with the people you work for, you may be fired due to constant trouble. And now you feel like something is just not right with the attitude within the company . So, why is it necessary to fire someone like that? All of these things can be fired. Look at it that way, and give some kind of legitimate reason. Let's do this because there are these numbers. So, because this is unnecessary, layoffs are very free in the American labor market . You're probably already familiar with this, because there was a

11:40 reality TV show called Prentice, which starred the current President of the United States, Trump . There was a program that ran on American television for 13 years, and it made people compete with each other for some kind of work, and if you weren't good at it, you were just like, "You are fired, you fired, you fired." You probably saw it a lot . So it's an environment where you can get fired immediately. But I just want to let you know here that discrimination is strictly prohibited here . So in the United States, there's now a section called Title VII under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and there 's a federal agency called the EEOC, which is like the Employment Opportunity and Compensation Commission, and they

12:28 investigate all cases of discrimination-related terminations nationwide and they file complaints on your behalf and they file lawsuits and things like that. So, because it is managed very, very strictly, when you get fired in the US, if you say something like, "I'm a woman," or "I'm a different race and I don't shave all the time," you can sue for discrimination. This is the environment. So it's a very different part. Anyway, usually, as long as there is no discrimination, it is a place where you can fire completely freely. But then, if we're working in the United States, do we have to follow the rules to be guaranteed success and survive at work? Is loyalty all that matters? No, that's

13:15 not true. Loyalty doesn't have any such effect . yes. The only way to survive is to be helpful at work. Then, in the workplace, I have to prioritize my market value . This is something I have to be a bit obsessed with, given how much I contribute . That way, you can survive well at work and even change jobs. So, in fact, there is no way to have a company dinner in America. yes. Of course, there are times when the company holds events, but in reality, this is a place where we don't need to fix internal relationships through company dinners, and instead focus on having a happy hour . So, as I said before, in the US, Happy Hour is sometimes written as 8 o'clock, from the latest hour until dinner time, until about 7 o'clock, or 7:30

14:01 . But, from the time work ends until then, it's a place where people gather to exchange money for drinks and communicate with people they don't know . Actually, you can just think of it as networking. Here, we build relationships with people outside the company and find out not just who we are and how we can contribute to the company, but also what opportunities there are in the overall market. It is an opportunity for the country to identify and discover what market value its human capital has within this market . So, Happy has a lot of parts that he just finds fun. There are a lot. But the truth is, the people who are really good at their jobs and are really successful are the ones who

14:48 are strategically networking here. I remember it vividly, when I was working in Washington, D.C., it was like caffè . Then, make sure to go to a place where there are other people. I do a lot of networking there, and since the city is now home to so many powerful organizations, when I go there, they actually do a happy hour, and then all of a sudden, someone from the NSA shows up. I'm drinking with someone who serves as an advisor to the National Security Council of the United States, and next to him is someone who works for a weapons manufacturing company, and next to him is someone who writes new legislation in the US Congress, and you're drinking with these people . So, when people are talking about this, what are they all doing? They're like, "Oh, something happened there."

15:35 Or, some new business opens here and there. Then it's about finding out where the employment opportunities are. I can always and endlessly show my love for my company, but I manage the fish tank through positions like this. So, if you can continue to develop new relationships here without having to wait for any postings from the market, you can create an environment where people think, “Hey, I wonder if I should change jobs. What should I do? Just send me my resume .” So, since there is no guarantee of employment at the company, they focus more on what flows freely within the market, and so rather than tying people down through company dinners, they

16:21 emphasize more on social activities that allow for smooth flow within the market . But you might be thinking, “Do we really have to go this deep?” So what, no, what Tyler is a little bit too much, actually, you might think, why are you doing that when you're just being annoying? What is it? That makes sense too. But many people here say, “Oh, it’s just that Korean culture is a collectivist culture and America is an individualistic culture.” Oh, so that's how it works, and there are many cases where it is explained in an easy way like this. But here's something I'd like to correct a little bit . So we use that expression a lot in our daily lives. I have a lot of experience. These are things that come up a lot, especially when comparing American culture and Korean culture . But when people use this expression, it almost seems to have a colloquial meaning

17:07 . I like collectivism and people gathering together and doing things together, so I always end up coming together in something. There is the collectivist way of thinking, and there is the individualist way of thinking, where each person has their own tastes and is separate from others, and people with their own tastes like that. But these expressions originally didn't mean that. Originally, collectivism and individualism were very clear anthropological terms. There is a Dutch anthropologist named Gerrit Hosted. But this person created something called cultural dimensions theory . So, when comparing cultures, I think about what dimensions should be compared.

17:53 How is power expressed in each culture? And in some cultures, they started to analyze and compare how they communicate by dividing it into several dimensions . So there are several dimensions within it. There are many things like power distance, and one of them is the resource of individualism and collectivism. What collectivism and individualism mean is that, after all, society is a group. And every society is a group and every individual is alone. So everyone seeks their own benefit . It's a prerequisite. Collectivism. The individual who does it does not give his own success. It's not like that, but both of them have the existence of very selfish people as a prerequisite. Then, depending on how this person

18:41 pursues his own interests and what strategies he uses, he is classified. Collectivism is the idea that in a society, people must act collectively in order to achieve their own interests. If you don't fit in with the group, you lose out. The point of collectivism is not that you like groups, but that you go to groups because you will suffer if you don't join the group . The point of individualism is that you have to go it alone because you will suffer if you join the group. The theory was that the structure of society was made that way not because people liked it, but because of the way they acquired those benefits . But we find it so weird. It's just that these people's cultural tastes are coming together now, and these people are not that guy

19:26 . This is not it. In reality, it is a story about what each person needs to do to live well for their own benefit . We've been talking about the cultural differences between American and Korean company dinners, but when I think about it, Korea has changed a lot. These days, there are some cases where there is less of a break, some industries barely do it, and some industries do it until the morning . In fact, as I've been doing that kind of cultural exchange, I've started to think that these days, some industries in Korea have changed a lot because of technology and such, and because they use a lot of freelancers or AI, and these kinds of fields have emerged, so the value of company dinners has disappeared, and so we're

20:14 starting to think that we don't have them anymore. It seems like there are areas where gray is increasingly less and less of a guarantee for us a job. So yes, we've been talking about that today, and there are definitely cultural differences . But let's not just say, "Oh, it's just because the culture is superficially different," but rather, all the cultures we have are similar to software in some ways . It is closely related to how to succeed in our society, and to understand the software, you need to look at the hardware as well as the software. Just as Shiik and Happy Hower are related to the work environment and the legal basis, I think our other cultures and our other

20:59 software are also related to some structural hardware . Going forward, I think it would be fun to look at these structural aspects together, even if it's a bit macroscopic, when we talk about cultural differences, like Tyler . Hey, have you guys been having a lot of company dinners lately ? Or are you not doing it much ? What is something that you absolutely must do to survive in your job these days ? If you have any thoughts, please share them in the comments and join us as we continue to compare cultures. Bye.