Before You Go: A Global Guide to Business Etiquette
Jennifer Merritt
Audience-focused Editorial Leader in Content Strategy & Operations | Former Journalist | CHIEF Member
Should you shake hands or kiss a colleague lightly on the cheek? Indulge in a few more drinks or hold back? Expect to have a dinner meeting or one at breakfast?
Depending on where in the world you’re working, the answers vary. “Conducting business abroad requires an extra layer of knowledge: that of the local business culture and its customs. While the global work environment is more fluid and interconnected than ever, localities retain their cultural nuances, both social and professional,” writes Karina Martinez-Carter from her current home base in Argentina in Your handshake around the world, which looks at greetings, schedules, meetings and meals in seven countries, including Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and China.
It pays to know if you’re in Brazil, that business meals can stretch for hours and be full of both professional and personal conversation—especially if you’re used to prompt business dinners focused strictly on work. And, how, exactly, should you respond during the frequent toasts made during business dinners in China. Who should you greet first, and how, when you first meet your Chinese colleagues?
And how about drinking in the context of work? Martinez-Carter explains that there are three main styles of drinking, depending on where you are in the world: cultures where drinks flow freely in business, places where drinking is done in moderation and countries where there is little, if any, alcohol consumption in a professional setting.
I’ve primarily worked in the United States, but have found myself on work trips in Europe—to France and, more recently, to London—on several occasions. In France, there was a language barrier (although my basic French helped me get by and the people I met with mostly spoke English), but also a cultural difference I had heard about but still had not fully anticipated. Meetings didn’t start on time, lunches lasted much longer than I was used to, and work just seemed to be dealt with in a less urgent manner.
In London, meetings were incredibly prompt, organized with a clear agenda (imagine that!)—very little meeting malpractice being committed there, except by the Americans preset—and people worked diligently during business hours, but left promptly at the end of the day. The after work drinks at a local pub flowed more freely than I'd imagined they would.
In an increasingly global workplace, taking the time to understand the customs and professional expectations of a particular country or culture can make the difference between winning a deal and creating strong working relationships—or losing business and potentially creating mistrust among far-flung colleagues or clients.
For more on conducting yourself at work and other career advice:
Have you committed a cultural faux pas when traveling abroad for business? How did you save face? What has been the most alarming or unexpected cultural difference you’ve found when working abroad?
Owner/CEO of Focus Medical Group, Entrepreneur
10 年In a previous job I I often had to entertain clients and it almost always included drinking before dinner and then wine or more drinks with dinner. I used a little trick I learned back then that can be used in these situations. If you ask the bartender or waiter to give you soda water with a few drops of bitters, it looks like a bourbon drink, or a sprite with a lime on the side in a rocks glass (the glass they serve mixed-drinks in) then it looks like you are having drinks while your clients or potential clients are drinking and you stay sober and on top of your game for the whole evening. If you order ONE real drink to start the night that looks like whatever you are going to appear to be drinking after that then the others won't pressure you to drink with them because they think you are still having the same thing you ordered the 1st time. You can order the "look alike drink" as they order more but not get intoxicated. I'm not much of a drinker at all so I wanted to figure out a way to not get pressured and let the others do whatever they want to. Anyway, just a little pointer I pass off to others that have often asked me how to handle this situation. The biggest thing is to stay sober and don't miss a deal or lose a client because you can't handle your drinks and come across unprofessional. It's also ok to simple decline to drink anything as drinking does not have to be a prerequisite for getting business done.
I help build culturally diverse & inclusive organizations | Working with HR, L&D, Talent and DEI Professionals
10 年This article is a very good start - but it only deals with the surface of the complexities of cultural difference. It is really important to know the little nuances of greetings and customs in various countries. However what is much more important is learning the underlying cultural values that drive these outward, visible clues to cultural difference. It is easy to be seduced into thinking that you are culturally briefed if you know that in Brazil business is rarely discussed at dinner, but it is much more important to know that Brazilian business relies on status and networking. You need to know the cultural drivers behind decision making processes, attitudes to hierarchies etc. Reading a book is an excellent start, but you need to go much deeper to succeed and work effectively across cultures
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11 年I agree with John B. Most people, even within the USA, are proud of their cultural and family customs, since everyone can claim some various heritage. It need not be anything that concerns New business travelers, unless your group is rather antisocial and discriminatory instead of warm and welcoming.
Communication, Marketing, and Fundraising Professional. Latina. Experienced Radio Producer and Voice Over Artist, skilled in creating compelling content in both English and Spanish to engage diverse audiences.
11 年Great insights! Cultural awareness is always a plus in business; and it is so interesting and fun to recognize the differences among countries and to embrace them no matter where you are as long that you show respect and validation of diversity.