Mexico, Motivation - understand-culture

Making the Bed for the Coach

Hacerle la cama al técnico, “to make the bed for the coach,” is a Mexican football expression. The sports newspaper Récord explains that cama comes from camarilla, a clique. It is a football saying used “para insinuar que parte del plantel” (to insinuate that part of the squad) is undermining its coach.

In March 2025, Hugo Sánchez spoke on the ESPN program Futbol Picante about his time as coach of Pumas. He said that players commonly do this to a coach when they are not comfortable with him, and that his own squad had done it to him. “Me hicieron la camita, de manera indirecta” (They made the little bed for me, indirectly), he said, according to Récord. (Video in Spanish.)

A Favor Between Friends

Hazme el paro, “do me the paro,” is how a Mexican asks a friend for a favor. In 2022, Uno TV explained that among friends people speak of doing a paro, “que quiere decir favor” (which means a favor). Chilango describes hacer el paro as doing someone a favor or helping them through a hard time.

Godínez

Godínez is Mexican slang for an office worker. In 2015, Chilango published a short glossary of the godínez. It describes an employee who brings his own dishes to work, tries to keep his punctuality bonus, and “se pela a las 6 empunto de la oficina” (is out of the office at six on the dot).

Burned by Milk

El que se quemó con leche hasta al jocoque le sopla. “Whoever was burned by milk blows even on the jocoque.” Jocoque is a soured milk product. The saying appears in a study of food in the Mexican refranero, the body of popular sayings, by Herón Pérez Martínez. The study was published by the Institute of Historical Research of the UNAM.

Speaking as Tú

A 2026 article in the Anuario de Letras of the UNAM compares the Mexican forms of address tú and usted. It describes tú as the “tratamiento de la cercanía, la solidaridad y la confianza” (form of address of closeness, solidarity and trust). It describes usted as the form of deference, distance and respect. In one interview in the study, the two speakers settle the question at the start and agree to address each other as tú.

The Court’s Definition of Workplace Harassment

In 2022, the administration of Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a general agreement on acoso laboral, workplace harassment. It describes conduct “con el objetivo de intimidar, excluir, opacar, aplanar, amedrentar o consumir emocional o intelectualmente” (with the aim of intimidating, excluding, overshadowing, flattening, frightening or consuming emotionally or intellectually) a person. A 2014 thesis of the Court’s First Chamber had used almost the same words.

Exposed from the Balcony

Balconear, from balcón, balcony, is Mexican slang for exposing someone in public. Cultura Colectiva defines it as making a person’s private life public, or mocking something that should not be known. Its example is “Balconeó a su jefe y lo corrieron” (He exposed his boss, and he was fired). In December 2020, Uno TV used the word for teachers who had been balconeados during online classes.

Sense of Belonging

Mexico’s official standard on psychosocial risk at work, NOM-035-STPS-2018, defines a favorable organizational environment. Section 4.6 describes it as one where “se promueve el sentido de pertenencia de los trabajadores a la empresa” (the workers’ sense of belonging to the company is promoted). The definition then names training for the tasks, precise responsibilities, participation and communication among workers, a fair distribution of workloads, and the evaluation and recognition of performance.

Reasons to Stay

In July 2023, Capterra México surveyed employees in Mexico. Among those with no plans to leave their company, 37 percent named a good work environment. The study described this as “una buena relación con sus compañeros de trabajo” (a good relationship with one’s coworkers). Work-life balance, at 42 percent, and salary, at 38 percent, ranked higher. The newspaper Vanguardia reported the results in September 2023.

Cooperacha

Cooperacha is the Mexican word for money pooled among friends, relatives or coworkers to buy drinks, snacks and other things for a party. In 2020, Los40 México called it a “cooperación aparentemente voluntaria” (an apparently voluntary contribution). The article lists it among the words of the office world.