It is not too often that I visit a different location of my employer. Yes, there are several locations, even within the same city. And once I did visit another location in a different part of the country. But this time, I went to a different country altogether to meet with colleagues, and that was more or less a culture shock. It was absolutely positive, but it was a shock nonetheless.
I understand that there are definitely variations when it comes to corporate culture. Heck, even when you just go in between teams, there is a difference. If you go from one building to another, I would be surprised if there is no difference. When I visited one of our warehouses back in 2019, I felt a difference. But when I visited our location in Dublin, that was eye-opening.
Everyone was friendly. As in super friendly. I suppose since it is a small unit, everyone knows everyone. So when someone who is a different face walks in, everyone notices. And everyone greets you like you've been there since forever. And they are helpful too. Obviously I didn't know the workings of the kitchen. They were showing me how things worked, even without being asked. I definitely didn't have an anonymous experience when I was there. In the headquarters, where I am, I suppose things are just too big, that one can definitely feel and act anonymously. But in other locations, this is not the case.
There's also social differences. I was in Ireland, so of course the colleagues drink a lot. People can drown 3 Guinness glasses within an hour while in the pub before dinner, and drink a lot more alcohol during dinner, and even go to another pub after dinner. I was definitely wondering where all those calories go. And yes, I didn't even try to keep up.
Overall, I had a fantastic visit. And an eye-opening experience. We might be working for the same organisation, but sometimes there are just strikingly different experiences depending on where you are.
