Guide to Customs and Etiquette in the UK

Understanding the local customs and etiquette of Britons goes a long way in smoothening your communication and interactions with them. Most importantly, understating their customs is crucial in enhancing your travel experiences as a tourist and improving your chances to strike lucrative business deals with locals who will most likely admire that you went an extra mile to learn their ways.

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Business Etiquette

With the longest working week across European countries, UK’s working hours begin at nine in the morning and end at five in the evening.

• Being extremely private and reserved, Britons do not take kindly to personal questions such as where they are from, their relationship status or their financial situations. Therefore, do not be tempted to ask a Briton business associate how much they earn
• When dealing with business associates do not get too comfortable and place your hands over their shoulders. This is in line with Briton’s undemonstrative nature
• Britons are perfectionists in observing protocol, they restrict use of frantic hand gestures and they contain their body language when talking
• Britons do not make friends easily and it will take some time to build relations especially business oriented ones. Nevertheless, when relationships are formed, they are profound and lasts across time and distance 
• Use courtesy titles such as Miss, Mr and Mrs and surnames to address Britons 
• During initial introduction, business cards are exchanged and do not get offended when your Briton counterpart gives your business card just a cursory look before putting it away.
• Shake hands with business associates when you meet and when you leave
• Briton’s communication style is mostly understatement communication where terms such as perhaps, it could be are frequent. Nevertheless, for people they consider as equal in status and rank, Britons are modestly direct, using informal but reserved style of communicating.
• Punctuality is important for Britons and therefore, it is important to keep time during business situations. If you can’t make it in time, call and give your apologies   
• Their inability to warm up quickly to new people and their reserved nature makes it quite difficult to make quick business deals when you are new to them. Therefore, be careful not to appear as if you are in for a quick deal. Since Britons are more interested in long term relations, take your time when transacting with them or better yet, use business associates they are familiar with to help you strike deals. 

Guides to Etiquette and Customs in other countries

Greetings

When people meet, a firm handshake is always invited although women have to extend their hands first when greeting men

• Always maintain eye contact during greeting but do not prolong it
• Avoiding using first name for new acquaintances unless invited to do so
• Their formal nature may make Britons appear stiff and stand-offish in initial meetings
• Its customary for a younger people and individual of lower class being introduced to older person and individual of higher class respectively

Etiquette of Giving Gifts

Gift giving is a norm for Britons especially among close friends and family during special events such as Christmas, Anniversaries, Easter and birthdays

• Ensure your gift is a thoughtful one, which slightly relates to the interests of the recipient 
• Bring a bottle of wine, flowers or chocolates when invited into a Briton’s home

Dining Etiquette

Contrary to majority of European cultures, Britons love hosting guests in their homes although they will leave the doors to other rooms such as bedrooms closed owing to their private- nature

• Be punctual on dinner dates
• Britons observe continental style when eating; knife and folk held in right and left hand respectively 
• Do not sit down until invited to do so in a particular seat
• When on the dinner table, your elbows should not rest on the table
• To indicate you are not done eating, cross your folk and knife and to suggest you are done eating, simply place your folk and knife on the right side of the plate, parallel to each other
• When invited for dinner at a restaurant, the one who invited you will pay. Resist the temptation to debate about who pays, just return the favor later on

James
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G+ James Harrison - SU: JamesPropDom - Tw:PropertyFutures

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James is the founder of PropDom.com - a property information service with over 1,000 articles published and growing daily.
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