Při pracovní komunikaci a obchodním vyjednávání je důležité udělat dobrý dojem a vyvarovat se faux pas. Když jednáte s cizinci nebo v cizině, je třeba být obzvlášť ostražitý. Možná víte, že pokud vám podává vizitku Japonec, je nutné vzít ji oběma rukama, dlouze pročítat, a pak uložit do pouzdra na vizitky. Při obědě s Japoncem srkejte, dáváte tím najevo, že vám chutná. A ať se vám nikdy, opravdu nikdy, nestane, že by japonský kolega uviděl podrážku vaší boty. To je pro Japonce mimořádně urážlivé.

Značně rozdílné zvyklosti mají ovšem i lidé v evropských zemích. Zkuste uhodnout, o kterých zemích z opačných konců Evropy je řeč v následujícím článku.

Punctuality

In country A, if you arrive five minutes late for a meeting, nobody minds or comments on it. If you are invited to someone´s house, arrive between 15 to 30 minutes after the time given.

In country B, people are punctual in professional as well as private life. If the time given is 8 o´clock, be there at 8, and always apologise if you are late.

Working hours

In country A, people work from 8.30 or 9.00 am to 6 pm. Managers often spend time at work when they don´t really need to be there, it is so called ´culture of presenteeism´.

In country B, people finish work earlier in the summer to enjoy the long evenings.

Holidays

In country A, employees take five weeks of holiday a year, and often four of them in August. Many companies close completely in that month. There are about 15 public holidays in this country.

In country B, there are not many public holidays. People have country houses in forests and near lakes where they spend weekends and days off.

Lunchtime

In country A, the lunch break is important and a lot of business is done over restaurant lunches.

In country B, lunch is a quick meal and it is not very important. Many offices have two coffee breaks a day – it is the time to have a chat, eat some snacks and drink a lot of strong coffee.

Work and private life

In country A, people keep their home and life private. They rarely invite their foreign business partners to their place. People love eating out and meeting friends. Don´t phone people at home about work, and don´t phone them at all after 9 pm.

In country B, people don´t usually spend their free time with colleagues, and they hardly ever discuss private matters at work. People often invite their friends home for dinner, because eating and drinking out is very expensive. When you are visiting people, you will be expected to take off your shoes (you can bring your own home shoes in a bag) It is common that the following day you send your host a thank-you card and some flowers. On weekdays, you can call people until 10 pm.

Tipněte si

Uhodnete, o kterých zemích byla řeč?

• Country A is…
• Country B is…

Správné řešení najdete na konci tohoto článku.

A na závěr…

Jiný kraj, jiný mrav, říká se. 10 tipů, na co si dát na různých místech planety pozor, najdete na tomto krátkém videu.

—

Řešení: A = France, B = Sweden