Some Aspects of Business Culture in Switzerland

When your enterprise is on the verge of company incorporation Switzerland will require some knowledge about the local business culture. It will be an advantage to know Swiss cultural peculiarities in case when you decide to start your business here. In general, Swiss business culture is complex and always comes under the influence of neighboring countries. Germany, France, and Italy influence in their own way. Despite that, Switzerland has its own set of virtues that are mostly praised and appreciated. Please remember that it is more than just formality. The attitude of Swiss people to their cultural heritage is more than serious and they expect everyone to behave respectively.

Punctuality

Swiss citizens are outstanding when it comes to punctuality. Famous Swiss watches are kind of a reflection of local traits of character – these watches are never fast or slow and the people are never in a hurry or drop behind. Every citizen of Switzerland may tell you that punctuality reflects your attitude to another person showing your respect or its absence. The one who is late always wastes the time of those who are waiting. Therefore if you want to be taken seriously never be late for any scheduled appointment. It would be wise to arrive even earlier than expected. An old tradition says that it would be better to wait for ten minutes than to be late for two minutes.

Greetings

In Europe, handshaking is a traditional way of greeting when people meet. Usually, it happens in the following way:

• You receive a verbal greeting from your Swiss partner while approaching each other.
• When your partner is close enough to you he/she will hold out his/her hand in your direction.
• She/he will stop at approximately a 1.5-meter distance anticipating you to hold out your hand.
• Firmly shake hands and look into the eyes of each other.
• When your partner releases your hand, you may invite him/her to a meeting room or to take a seat.

It is likely that your partner will introduce himself during handshaking or in case when you are already familiar, he/she will ask you about your trip or the hotel where you are staying. Unlike American citizens, your Swiss partner will not be asking you how you are doing if you have only just got acquainted because it will sound a bit insincere.

Dress code

Formal and high-quality attire is always welcome in the Swiss business environment. Men are supposed to be dressed in a suit with a necktie and women wear suits as well or dresses. It is much recommended to avoid rich colors in outfits or wear flamboyant clothing. You need to have a business-style bag in order to carry all the necessary stuff that includes your laptop, documents, and other suchlike items. A bag produced by Swiss companies will do perfectly due to its high quality and compliance with modern business requirements. All these details are small but still important, noticeable, and admitted by your business partners.

Business performance

When all greetings and small talks are over everyone gets down to business matters. Usually the working schedule is very tight and there is no time for unplanned conversations. Every participant is expected to show his/her best working and organizational skills in document arrangements or presentation of something trying to complete everything in time to achieve an agreement when the discussion ends. Forget about such things as the interruption of a partner. In Switzerland, it is considered to be a sign of defiance and disrespect. Try to listen, understand and make notes. Proceed with questions once your partner finished talking. Make clear anything incomprehensive. In addition, never let your partners think that you conceal some kind of information.