The Differences of “Proper” Etiquette Between the United States and the United Kingdom
by: Angela Altieri
When thinking of having “proper” etiquette, the entire ordeal can be overwhelming. It can feel like you have to hit all of the criteria and check every single box to be seen as having made it to the point of being the classy person associated with having good etiquette. That being said, most people also think of what is “proper” in their own culture.
While in the United States, proper etiquette is to have a firm handshake and make direct eye contact when introducing yourself, in Japan it is seen as rude to touch a person whom you have just met leading to a bow with minimal eye contact as proper etiquette. The tricky part then it figuring out what is proper between countries that have many more similarities than the United States and Japan, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
One of the biggest differences between the United States and the United Kingdom comes in what is proper in terms of time-off in the workforce. While many people will share articles or videos on social media about how much “better” working in the United Kingdom is, a lot of people do not even realize how true that is. According to a 2013 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Americans average a measly 10 paid days off out of 365 in a year. In comparison to this, the United Kingdom generally offers 28 paid days off per year, over two full weeks more each year than the United States (Ray et al.).
This can lead to any Brit moving across the pond to the United States to feel very out of place in the workforce as it certainly is not “proper” for them to receive only two work-weeks off in a whole year. On the flip side, an American would be ecstatic with this workplace etiquette showing just how different what is proper can really be.
Also within the workplace culture is the fact that there is less staunch competition between co-workers. This is said to come from a better work-life balance in the United Kingdom which includes the aforementioned paid time off. It also stems from the notion of the “American Dream” wherein you can do whatever you want if you work hard enough. This leads to more hostility in the workplace in the United States and it is seen as less proper to hang out after work very often. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it is odd and improper to not go out with coworkers almost every night in the United Kingdom. It is typical to often spend time “grabbing a pint” after work most nights across the pond (“Differences Between US & UK Business Culture”).
Outside of the workplace, things are pretty different in terms of being proper between the United States and the United Kingdom. Take driving for instance; of course, there is the big difference of it being proper to drive on opposing sides of the road, but there is more than just that. In the United States it is proper etiquette to arrive at your destination early to be able to find parking. This is not the case in the United Kingdom where most people show up almost exactly on time due to there being less cars than in the United States.
On top of this, in the United States it is okay to turn right during a red light if it is safe and no sign designates not to. This is not the case in the United Kingdom where no one is allowed to turn right on red no matter how safe the turn may be (Bartlett).
When it comes to physically interacting with other people, there is a distinct difference in what is proper in the United States versus the United Kingdom. In both, empty space and seats are often left on transportation because no one wants to sit next to a stranger. With that being said, an American would be more likely sit down first.
On top of this, it is not proper to talk to the person you are sitting next to on said public transportation. In the United Kingdom, small talk is much less proper and instead silence reigns supreme. Even if an American had a British accent, they would immediately be recognized for being loud and obnoxious because in the United States small talk is the proper way to go when talking to a stranger (Margolis).
Another big difference in what is proper in both places is gratuity when eating out. In the United States, servers make their living off of the tips they make at each table. In the United Kingdom this is not the case, servers are given a much higher wage there. In fact, the United Kingdom was rated the Second-worst tipping country in the world.
On top of the fact that servers there tend to make more money and thus need less of a tip, British people often do not want to offend those around them by asking much would be a proper tip. Instead they often leave approximately 10% at the highest generally because it is easy to figure out mentally (Morris).
While the United States and the United Kingdom seem to have a lot in common, etiquette is subjective to the home country. While traveling across the pond, it will be interesting to see if these rules of being “proper” in the United Kingdom hold true or if we are more alike than we are different.
Works Cited
Bartlett, James. “10 Things For Brits To Know Before Hitting The U.S. Roadways | BBC America”. BBC America, 2012, http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/09/10-things-to-know-before-taking-the-wheel. Accessed 12 Apr 2019.
“Differences Between US & UK Business Culture”. International Business Seminars, 2018, https://ibstours.com/blog/british-business-culture/. Accessed 12 Apr 2019.
Margolis, Ruth. “8 Situations When Brits Behave Differently From Americans | BBC America”. BBC America, 2014, http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/11/8-situations-brits-behave-differently-americans. Accessed 12 Apr 2019.
Morris, Hugh. “Why Are Britons So Bad At Tipping?”. The Telegraph, 2015, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/Why-are-Britons-so-bad-at-tipping/. Accessed 12 Apr 2019.
Ray, Rebecca et al. “No-Vacation Nation Revisited”. Cepr.Net, 2013, http://cepr.net/documents/publications/no-vacation-update-2013-05.pdf. Accessed 12 Apr 2019.