An American who has lived in Australia for 10 years is tired of the country’s laid-back culture and says it is a deep-rooted problem that needs to be addressed.
He discovered that society and most service industries are content to do the bare minimum required and never exceed expectations.
The expat also called out the Australian “that’s how it is” mentality because it is surface level.
“Whether it’s commerce, construction, hospitality, repairs, customer service in stores… the lack of attention to detail is systemic,” he said in a article on Reddit.
He asked, “What caused this?” And what can be done to fix it?
An American who has lived in Australia for 10 years is tired of the culture that half-normalizes everything.
Some Australians said the problem was rooted in Australian culture.
“Here, being enthusiastic about anything is considered “uncool.” Many workplaces basically pressure everyone to break the rules and take shortcuts,” one woman shared.
“I’ve lived in Australia all my life and I know exactly what you’re talking about,” one said. “I found customer and hotel service much worse here, on all fronts, than when I was in the United States.”
“The United States is far from perfect, but in my short experience there, I met Americans who were much more helpful, outgoing and friendly than Australians. I love Australia, but you made some fair points that most don’t want to hear,” said a Sydney woman.
Another added: “I always assume this is due to the tipping system as people want to do a good job on most fronts and are usually rewarded for their efforts as well.
“In Australia, if someone goes above and beyond, it usually doesn’t get them any further than if they just have a mediocre attitude.”
The expat has found society and most service industries are content to do the bare minimum required and never exceed expectations.
But some found the amount of effort “perfect” and didn’t understand why others preferred to be “constantly attacked” by service workers.
“When it comes to customer service, we want different things in the Netherlands. Overall, we prefer a lower level of service. We don’t want to be disturbed every few minutes while eating, we want to be left alone to shop in a store,” one wrote.
“I think the cultural expectations around it are just different. And while there are always people who don’t do their jobs, I find that if I need help with something, the customer service is usually good and I get the help I need.” , wrote one man.
“Australians just don’t feel the need to put fake smiles on our faces,” noted another.
Some people didn’t see the problem in doing things halfway.
“Why take anything seriously? It’s hot and the cricket is on,” said one man.
“There are some situations where it is not necessary to remedy this problem. One of my bosses once said to me, “It’s like you’re doing the minimum necessary to keep your job,” and I said, “Great, that’s what I was looking for,” one woman wrote.
She added: “The boss would consider this half-assed, I consider it just the right amount of effort to achieve the desired result.”
