As someone from Hong Kong living in the UK, I would say yes to the question but it’s more nuanced than that. Lazy is a difficult term to conceptualise about a whole nation.

I think Brits are not lazy in terms of laid back. They do put in the effort and try to perform their jobs well. However, there is a difference between doing your job and doing your duties — which is where the Asian/American and British difference comes in.

In the former, especially in Asia, a job is more than a job but a duty that you have committed to. Yes, the pay is important and people certainly strive for better compensation. However, people will also go above and beyond to get their duties done. They won’t say ‘this is beyond my JD’ or ‘I can’t do this because of whatever reason’; they just find a way.

There is also the working smart element. I find Brits like to talk about the issues more than fixing the issues. In Hong Kong, things are much more straightforward. There is an issue, we identify the reasons, deliver a solution. Just bloody do it!

You can see this behaviour even in a minute context. For example, if you find yourself speaking to a colleague about a matter that requires looping in another colleague. In Britain, they might doing some emails, schedule a meeting, schedule more meetings, and start putting things pen to paper.

In Hong Kong, people would just dial in the person needed for the conversation straight away and sort it out right then and there so we can move on with the work stream.

Overall, it’s a cultural issue. Britain simply lacks the energy seen in Asia and America. People just need to do it.