Workplace Culture in Quebec and Canada: What Newcomers Should Know

Getting Started

A new job comes with unwritten rules as well as a language: how to address your manager, when to speak up in a meeting, when “dîner” happens. For people coming from workplaces in India or elsewhere, some things are surprising, especially how little hierarchy is put on display.

This lesson focuses on Quebec, but most of it applies across Canada. Every company is different; these are general tendencies, not fixed rules.

1 Tu or vous?

In France, vous lasts much longer at work. In Quebec, sticking to vous for too long can come across as cold or distant.

Useful phrases:

• On peut se tutoyer ? (Can we use tu?)
• Tu peux me tutoyer. (You can say tu to me.)

For the rules in detail, see Subject Pronouns and Tu vs Vous.

2 Names and hierarchy

• Managers are usually addressed by first name: “Julie”, not “Sir” or “Madame”. Very deferential forms of address sound odd here.
• Hierarchy exists, but it is played down. The boss makes their own coffee, and a new employee can give their view in a meeting.
• Disagreeing is not disrespectful. If you see a problem, raising it politely is valued more than staying silent:
  • Si je peux me permettre, je vois une autre option. (If I may, I see another option.)
  • Est-ce qu’on a pensé à… ? (Have we thought about…?)

For more phrases, see Giving Your Opinion.

3 The confusing matter of meals

So in Quebec, “On va dîner ensemble ?” almost always means lunch. The lunch break is often short, and many people bring food from home (apporter son lunch). Before reheating something strongly scented in the office microwave, get a feel for the room.

4 Meetings and time

• Punctuality: meetings start on time and often end on time. If you’re five minutes late, send a message: J’ai cinq minutes de retard, désolé(e).
• L’ordre du jour (the agenda) is sent in advance, and le compte rendu (the minutes) follows.
• Time after work is considered personal. Answering a 6 p.m. email the next morning is normal.

5 Courriels: work email

In Quebec, email is le courriel. To colleagues: short and direct, but warm:

Bonjour Marc,

Voici le rapport de la semaine. Peux-tu le relire d’ici jeudi ?

Merci et bonne journée ! Simran

To clients or outsiders, use vous and a formal sign-off (Cordialement). For the full layout, see Formal Letters and Emails.

6 The social side

• Le 5 à 7: an after-work get-together with colleagues, often in a bar or restaurant, roughly from 5 to 7 p.m. You don’t have to go, but going now and then builds relationships. Not drinking is perfectly fine: Pour moi, ce sera un jus, merci.
• Safe small-talk topics: the weather (la météo never runs out), the weekend, holidays, hockey (le Canadien, or le CH).
• Topics to avoid: salary, age, religion, and personal questions about someone’s marriage or children, unless they bring it up.
• Les vacances de la construction: in Quebec, the construction industry’s holiday falls in the last two weeks of July, and many other people take their holidays at the same time.

7 Your rights

• In Quebec, basic employment standards (pay, holidays, safety) are overseen by the CNESST. Other provinces have their own labour standards offices.
• The right to work in French: under the Charte de la langue française, workers in Quebec have the right to work in French.
• Holiday and sick-leave entitlements vary by province and length of service. Check your province’s government website for the current rules.

8 A first-day conversation

Julie : Bienvenue dans l’équipe, Gurpreet ! Moi, c’est Julie. On se tutoie, ici, ça te va ?

Gurpreet : Oui, avec plaisir. Merci pour l’accueil !

Julie : Je te fais visiter. Là, c’est la cuisine : le café est gratuit. On dîne souvent ensemble vers midi.

Gurpreet : Super. Et les réunions d’équipe, c’est quand ?

Julie : Le lundi à 9 h. Je t’envoie l’ordre du jour par courriel. Et jeudi, il y a un 5 à 7 pour fêter l’anniversaire de Marc. Tu es le bienvenu !

Gurpreet : Merci, je vais essayer de venir.

9 Workplace words

More words in Work and Office Vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Practice

What would you say in French?

1. A new colleague keeps saying vous to you, and you’d like to use tu.
2. You’re 10 minutes late for a meeting.
3. At a 5 à 7 someone offers you a beer, but you don’t drink.
4. You see a problem with your manager’s plan.

What’s Next

• Job Interview: Questions and Answersbefore you get the job.
• Work and Office Vocabularyoffice words.
• Subject Pronouns and Tu vs Vousthe tu/vous rules.
• Francophone CanadaFrench beyond Quebec.