"Hi Steve, Can you enlighten me a little? We are in the process of hiring some folks from Asia to help with our workload a little. Our internal contact there was telling my manager that they want to have the interviews done before the Chinese New Year, which I guess starts this Thursday(?). So my manager is like "Why in the world are they insisting that this be done before the Chinese New Year???""
Happy Chinese New Year! (Really that should be simply, "Happy New Year!" The lunar year is the traditional one in the Chinese world, and so (Chinese) New Year happens sometime around early February, on a date set by a lunar calendar (which has a thirteenth month every few years to make up for the difference between the lunar and solar calendars.) This year it's Friday, February 12, but it starts at sundown or maybe 6pm on New Year's Eve, so really Thursday, 2/11.
Anyway, I responded to my friend, but then I thought, probably a few others of you would be interested in this. And of course, our friends in Taiwan can snicker a bit that we know so little about this, or maybe correct me gently as well. So, if you're interested, read on....
Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year in the Chinese world. Among other things, everyone tries to visit both their own parents and their spouses parents, every organization has end of year celebrations, and everyone gets one to two weeks off. So essentially no new business gets done for the one or two weeks around CNY. (Think: your org, your client's orgs, your wife's orgs, your wife's client's orgs, your social orgs, etc.)
I suppose there is no reason why you or your manager would know this, and also no reason why it would occur to someone in the Chinese world that you wouldn't know this :-).
The bottom line is that since any interview done right now would be worthless anyway, it's totally reasonable to wait until after CNY, e.g., at least a week or two after CNY, before conducting these interviews. Given that this is Monday, I question whether it's reasonable to do these interviews before CNY, but if they are not done by Wednesday, they certainly will be done some time after CNY, no matter what anyone says. Waiting until after CNY, e.g. a week or more, would be preferable if you really want a good interview, which I assume you do. Most people get a week off, and then it takes a while for things to wind up to speed again.
This is particularly true in China because people may be working at great distances from their families. (Taiwan is much smaller and has no COVID also. They also have a 2-week quarantine requirement.) I have no idea how COVID is impacting this in the mainland, but I'm sure that is a factor as well.
BTW, good on you for realizing that this might benefit from an explanation and asking for one. This is always a great first step when working interculturally.
Steve
PS Did you know that it is traditional to get an extra month's salary at CNY? I certainly didn't, and my staff put up with this for some number of years before I was gently and gradually, but persistently enlightened. I think I was embarassing them :-( and CCG in their families and social contexts.
Steve and Laura Spinella
US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920
mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@gmail.com>
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@gmail.com>
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