There are many differences in the way we do business in the United States compared to the way business is done in Spain. The way business is conducted in Spain is influenced by their culture of perfection and quality. One of the biggest differences in the way Spain does business is that they are not completely profit-driven like many businesses in the United States are. During our time in Barcelona, we were able to visit many Spanish companies and see firsthand how they conduct business. One of the things that stuck out to me was that many of these companies take time and care in manufacturing their products to ensure that they are very high quality, rather than manufacturing them in the cheapest way possible, which is often how it is done in the United States.
This experience has changed my personal outlook on the world in a few ways. In Spain, many businesses close around lunchtime for a few hours in order to give their workers time to rest. In the United States we have a culture of handwork and because of this Americans, in general, work many more hours a week than Spaniards do. Our businesses are more profitable and efficient because of this, but our workers may not have as much free time or enjoy their work as much. In Spain there are also retirement options available for most workers at age 65 that are funded by the government, so workers in Spain do not have to work when they are older. In the United States, it is not uncommon to see many older workers in their 60s and 70s and sometimes even their 80s. I appreciate that Spain helps its citizens retire in order to give them more time to enjoy the later years of their life. Overall, I would say that my time in Spain has changed my perspective on work-personal life balance. I think that many people in the US would benefit from relaxing more and dedicating more of their time to things other than work.
