Every culture develops its own narrative about its place in the world. Some countries carry a strong sense of global influence. Others hold legacies of being overlooked, dominated, or underestimated. Over time, these collective experiences shape how people may subconsciously behave in multinational business environments.

Today, many people feel the United States and, by extension, much of the Western world is in a moment of cultural unease. Politics then either amplifies or resists what culture is already wrestling with.

Every culture has topics that are off-limits, awkward, or simply not done. However, what’s taboo in one culture's workplace can be perfectly normal in another. Here are a 5 examples where global norms collide in the workplace.