Work in Mexico
A fundamental part of the application of the Gospel in the context of our country and of Mexico City is recognizing some characteristics of how work is viewed in our culture. Here we present the findings of three articles on how our Mexican culture expresses itself through work.
1. Mexican Organizational Culture
According to the 2011 National Employment and Occupation Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Empleo y Ocupación), Mexico registered a level of job dissatisfaction of 74% of the economically active population (“PEA” or Población Económicamente Activa).
Reports from the Workers Confederation of Mexico (Confederación de Trabajadores de México) announced that 38% of the workforce feels angry with their workplace.
According to a publication by the prestigious Forbes magazine, two out of every three people seek a new job or employment. Around 65% of Mexican employees in large companies want to find a new job.
Another indicator from the Mexican Academy of Sciences (Academia Mexicana de Ciencias) observes that, of 3,000 Mexicans with doctorates, fewer than half find a stable and well-paid position within their field of study. The consequences of this range from the well-known “brain drain” to an even more common one: settling for an inferior position and salary, which traps more people in a vicious cycle of job dissatisfaction.
Mexicans work the most hours, according to statistics from the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development (Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico OCDE) according to the 2014 edition of the “Employment Outlook”; it is estimated that Mexico holds the number one position with a total of 2,237 hours worked annually.”
Aguilar Maximiliano De Jesús. (2015, junio 19). La cultura organizacional de los mexicanos. Recuperado de https://www.gestiopolis.com/la-cultura-organizacional-de-los-mexicanos
2. Bad Habits of Mexicans in Work
In an article in the magazine ALTO NIVEL we find another analysis of the work culture of Mexico with these conclusions:
“In a concrete way, the Mexican does not love what he does, nor does he feel connected to the vision and objectives of the company where he works. According to a study conducted by OCC Mundial, 45% of employees are working in a different field than what they studied, and 34% say that the career change was due to a lack of vocational alignment. Lack of alignment between employees and employers is one of the primary pitfalls that characterizes Mexican work culture. But wait! This does not mean that we are not good at our jobs. According to Regus, 39% of Mexicans are so obsessed with work that they work even through their vacations.
In turn, the OCDE, indicates that Mexico is among the countries with the largest number of workaholics. Nevertheless, though Mexicans may work a lot, it does not mean that they enjoy it. Work that gives you the income to move towards your goals is not enough; you must have the right attitude towards that work in order to be happy.”
A report from “Práctica Docente” conducted a study that reached the following conclusions in two areas: Motivation at Work, and How to Acheieve Professional Success.
Gutierrez Tatiana en ALTO NIVEL (2013) https://www.altonivel.com.mx/ cuales-son-los-malos-habitos-mexicanos-en-el-trabajo
3. Behavior and Motivation of the Mexican Worker Within Organizations.
Motivation at Work: The primary motivating factor of those interviewed was workplace environment (60%), understood as all the external factors, including both physical and environmental conditions at work (Herzberg, 1954). They enjoy socializing and relating with others in a stress-free environment. Money was only an important factor for only 30% of those interviewed, which shows that there is a more important factor (workplace culture) than salary.
As for discouraging factors, those elements which killed motivation, the easy first place was long work days (40%) and perceived salary (30%). Jiménez y Moyano (2008) mention regarding this finding that that conditions like a flexible schedule, leaves of absence, (asistencia en labores domésticas) and conscientious forms of supervision increase well-being and workplace satisfaction, resulting in a lower level of stress, more personal agency in work-life balance. This all simultaneously results in oraganizational benefits such as reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity. Other studies did find that motivation is influenced by compensation. (Lawler, 1986) Obviously, therefore, both factors seem to be related.
What differentiates a successful person from someone who is not: This section identifies what factors play into success at work, according to those interviewed. It is worth noting that the primary factor mentioned (60%) to obtain success is an overbearing prescence or the characteristic of a person to impose his power or authority over others to gain an advantage or to maintain it (Peñalosa, 1974). Paz refers to this indicator as native to the silent subconsciousness of the social personality (Paz, 1959). A second factor that is mentioned (20%) is to be “a kiss up”, one who is obsequious towards “the boss” in order to win over his good will.
By contrast, those interviewed believe that one factor counterproductive to success at work is to be conformist, a person who wants to maintain the status quo and not leave their comfort zone. The second impediment to success mentioned by those interviewed is difficulty climbing the ladder. Commenting on this, Fuentes del Burgo y Navarro (2013), mention that when a system of promotion does not exist, the effect on job satisfaction is normally negative.
The Mexican is a very unique being. To be successful in work, he will abuse economic power, the cultural patterns of obedience, the need to be accepted, the concept of respect for authority, and submission, which coincides with what Peñalosa expressed (1974). This is due to the fact that conformity is seen as the primary enemy of success according to those interviewed.
Piedra Mayorga, Víctor Manuel. (2015, julio 28). Comportamiento y motivación del trabajador mexicano en las organizaciones. Recuperado de https://www.gestiopolis.com/comportamiento-y-motivacion-del-trabajador-mexicano-en-las-organizaciones/
According to this perception of work in Mexico, our hope is that the Faith and Work initiative can help us clarify our vision of work and this leads us to treasure work as a reality redeemed by the power of the gospel. The words of Dorothy Sayers, prolific writer, friend of C. S. Lewis and the rest of the Inklings, seem to us a timely reminder and closure of this document: