In 2017, France enacted a new labor law giving anyone working at a company with 50 or more employees the “right to disconnect from email.” This means that employers actually have to have policies in place that prevent people from sending or replying to messages outside of normal working hours. In February 2022, Belgium granted the same rights to its *** staff.

While the ruling may sound like a utopian daydream to many Americans, for whom work communication spills into early mornings, late nights and even weekends—especially during With more and more people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic — but that’s not the case. It’s a big leap for the French, who have long valued work-life balance.

In general, email culture varies greatly around the world, from the response time you can expect to the wording and tone used. So if you're planning on chatting with a colleague, a new client, or a source from another country, read these examples of email etiquette and other quirks to smooth communication.

1. In other "high context" cultures like India or Japan or China, people are less likely to say "no."

You won’t find many direct rejections of emails from Indians. People will throw out a "maybe" or "yes, but" to imply a "no" without actually saying it. This allows both parties to "save face," an important cultural concept that allows both parties to avoid the embarrassment of rejection. For example, if you ask an Indian colleague to Skype at 7pm on their time, they might answer "yes" but then mention that they will postpone their dinner plans to indicate that the time has come. t is actually quite convenient - this is your tip for suggesting an earlier time.

2. If Indian writers have some "doubts", don't be afraid.

When you send a proposal or business plan and an Indian colleague responds that they have some "doubts" about the issue, they are most likely just saying they have a problem. The Hindi and Tamil words actually mean both, so someone might unintentionally write the former, making it appear more negative when they really meant the latter.

3. Be careful with people who email from China.

In China, people use their surname first and then their given name. It's impolite to address someone by just their last name, so Westerners must make sure to switch the order before adding titles (Mr., Ms., etc.). However, Chinese people sometimes preemptively use Western formatting when emailing Western companies, causing confusion if the recipient tries to swap names. When in doubt about someone's name, ask.

4. In China, even business emails can be "cute".

While many Americans view emojis as unprofessional, the Chinese generally do not. Porter Erisman, who worked for Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba for many years and wrote the book "Alibaba's World" about his experiences, said even senior managers will Their emails include "a variety of cute smiley faces and animations." "I thought it was a little weird at first, but when I left the company, even I had little emojis all over my internal emails," he told Mental Floss in 2017. Colleagues would come into the company and I would encourage them to ‘tailor’ their emails a little to make them more human and friendly. ”

5. Koreans often begin an email with a general observation as a form of politeness.

An email from a Korean colleague may begin with something that seems completely unrelated. Message or polite words to start. For example, a Korean email might go something like this, “Dear Ms. Smith. I'm Joe Schmo. The rainy season in Korea is coming. I hope you have a good umbrella.

I'm contacting you because..." one Reddit user explained.

6. Koreans sometimes end emails with "end".

Steven Bammel, a consultant on Korean business practices, said Koreans often end an email with "end," but that doesn't mean the communication should stop. Koreans can also use "end." "Work hard" or "suffer a lot" to close an email is as standard as Americans' "take it easy" and the conversation is closer (but this goes to show that Koreans emphasize the importance of hard work and competitiveness).

7. Germans keep their emails formal.

In Germany, it is customary to start emails with a greeting equivalent to "Dear Sir/Ms." Others. Little quirks: Germans start sentences with lowercase letters after greetings, and generally don't use commas between their signatures and signatures

8. You shouldn't just address Russians by their first name, unless it's clear. Invitation to do so.

Formality is seen as a necessary sign of respect. You should also expect slow progress in any business negotiations, especially since many Russians view compromise as a sign of weakness.

9. The Japanese tend to apologize when making requests

If you ask a Japanese collaborator for help, you should make sure to fully acknowledge their efforts to help you and apologize accordingly. For example, use phrases like "Sorry to bother you while you're busy" or "Sorry for the inconvenience, but thank you..." 10. The way most countries write dates makes it so. Americans are confused

In most European and South American countries, as well as Australia and various African and Asian countries, people use the "day/month/year" format instead of the "month/year" that Americans are used to. Day/Year" format. If someone asks for a deadline of "14/4/17" it's easy to spot the difference, but an email referencing "9/4/17" might make you think you have to wait a few Months to make a decision or deliver. When in doubt, always clarify!

11. Italians may call you a "DOTTORE" regardless of whether you have a medical degree or not.

The word dottore or medico can be used to refer to a doctor in Italian, but the former has a different meaning when used in communication. Italians will use Dottore or Dottoressa as a respectful way of talking to people engaged in global training and human resource development. Working Italian businesswoman Daniela Roggero explained to Mental Floss in 2017: “To be worthy of the title ‘Dottore,’ you only need a university education — nothing to do with a medical degree. ”

She also suggests that you should be open to including details about your life in emails with Italian colleagues.

“Even in work communications, we like to share personal situations , feelings, references to family, etc.," Rogero said. "We also like to start (mostly informal) emails with something fun, like 'You thought I was gone, but here I am again ! ' or something like that. ”

12. When emailing colleagues in the Philippines, be aware of whether you are using the active or passive voice.

Filipinos often respond by speaking in the passive voice Or writing to express respect for people of the same or higher business level, such as "The rest of the information will be sent tomorrow" vs. "I will send the rest of the information to you tomorrow". Usually, people only use it when communicating with people of lower levels. Active voice. You can score points by adhering to proper structure

13. Do your research and know when to expect a response

While Americans are doing it via email. Quick turnaround times are often expected when communicating, but other cultures have longer acceptable response windows.

For example, when you operate on Brazilian time, get used to a few days or a week between messages.

Likewise, people in most countries don’t use the “out of office” auto-response like Americans do because an immediate response is not required. If you do a lot of international communication and have holiday autoresponders set up for Mondays and Fridays when you take a long weekend off, you're likely to be considered a workaholic.