Workplace Culture
Tips, guides, and stories to help you understand Australians at work.
Fair Dinkum Meaning: When Australians Want the Truth
Fair Dinkum Meaning: When Australians Want the Truth Carlos had only been at his new marketing job for three weeks when he found himself in the office tea room, watching two colleagues argue about a fishing trip. Mike was insisting his weekend catch was enormous. Paul folded his arms and said, “Fair dinkum, Mike? Or […]
Flat Out Meaning: Why Everyone in Australia Is Always Busy
Flat Out Meaning: Why Everyone in Australia Is Always Busy Carlos needed five minutes of his manager’s time. Just five minutes. He walked over to Paul’s desk, where Paul was typing furiously, three browser tabs flashing with notifications. “Excuse me, Paul? Do you have a moment?” Paul barely looked up. “Ah, mate, not really. I’m […]
Give It a Burl Meaning: The Aussie Way of Saying Just Try It
Give It a Burl Meaning: The Aussie Way of Saying Just Try It The office printer was jammed again. Carlos had opened every tray, pulled out every scrap of paper he could see, and pressed every button twice. Nothing. He was about to give up and call IT when Mike from the warehouse wandered over. […]
Good On Ya Meaning: Australia’s Favourite Way to Say Well Done
Good On Ya Meaning: Australia’s Favourite Way to Say Well Done Priya stared at her screen, still buzzing from the team meeting. She had spent her entire weekend migrating the company database — no downtime, no errors, everything running perfectly. Her manager Paul had announced it to the team, and then it happened. Jess grinned […]
Keen Meaning: How Australians Show Enthusiasm at Work
Keen Meaning: How Australians Show Enthusiasm at Work Carlos had been at his new marketing job in Sydney for three weeks when a message from Jess popped up in the team chat: “Friday drinks at the pub across the road. You keen?” He read it twice. Am I keen? Keen on what? Was she asking […]
Let’s Touch Base Meaning: Decoding Australian Office Speak
Let’s Touch Base Meaning: Decoding Australian Office Speak It’s 10:47 AM on a Tuesday. Priya, a software developer three weeks into her new job in Sydney, glances at her laptop and sees a Slack message from her manager Paul: “Hey Priya, got a sec to touch base this arvo? Nothing major.” Her stomach drops. Touch […]
No Dramas Meaning: Why Australians Never Make a Big Deal
No Dramas Meaning: Why Australians Never Make a Big Deal Priya needs to leave work early. Her landlord needs access to the apartment for emergency repairs, and she’s already rehearsing her apology in her head. She approaches her manager Paul, bracing for a lecture about commitment and notice periods. Instead, Paul barely looks up from […]
She’ll Be Right Meaning: The Most Australian Response to Any Problem
She’ll Be Right Meaning: The Most Australian Response to Any Problem Priya stared at the second-floor balcony railing her colleague Paul’s mate had just “fixed” with some washers, extra glue, and a strip of duct tape. “She’ll be right,” Mike the tradie said with a thumbs up. Paul nodded along. Priya looked at the railing […]
Suss It Out Meaning: How Australians Say Figure It Out
Suss It Out Meaning: How Australians Say Figure It Out Carlos had been at his new marketing job in Melbourne for three weeks when his manager Paul walked over and said, “We’re getting some weird data from the new analytics platform. Can you suss it out?” Carlos blinked. Suss it out? Was he supposed to […]
Arvo Meaning: Why Australians Shorten Everything
Arvo Meaning: Why Australians Shorten Everything Carlos had only been at his new job in Melbourne for two weeks when his manager, Paul, walked past his desk and said, “Hey Carlos, can we move our one-on-one to this arvo?” Carlos froze. This arvo? Was that a room? A time slot? A person? He had no […]