Friday, February 26, 2016

What I have learned in the UK (General things they do better!)

I have started to see some things that the UK does better than the US! I wasn't expecting to see so many things. So here is my list;
1. Master power switch in motel room. You hit one switch and all things in the room go off (Lights and outlets)
2. Elevators (Lifts) 0 is always ground floor. -1 is below that and so on. Versus in the US we have lobby, conference levels and such. The UK version is so much more consistent.
3. Meals are much more healthy and smaller portions. So much less fried food and sugary drinks.
4. Taxi's have a certification program.
5. Apprentice program - great idea
6. Government recognizes certain titles as authorized where as in the US we make up titles and you never know!
7. Public transportation is really good.
8. Chip and Pin. Their credit cards have an embedded chip and you have a pin that you have to enter to allow charges which significantly reduces fraud. Why do we not have this? (I am tired of telling people I have no pin)
9. Tipping is significantly less and they pay wait staff fair wage.
10. When you are done eating you have to request a bill. (It is considered rude to bring before the ask) then they bring a wireless device to the table and process in front of you.
11. Environmental impact. Everything it seems is built around efficiency. We definitely could do better.
12. Everyone has been very polite. No maybe due to my accent it is obvious I am not from here, however I believe that being more polite is built into the language.
13. Every space is fully utilized. Shops and such are great at maximizing space (Probably due to the cost of that space)

Just a short list. I have had an outstanding time in the UK and learned so much both in culture and in business.

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