| When conducting international business you need to be | | | | Lighter Work Months |
| aware of cultural differences in how business is | | | | And don't forget cultural differences on when people |
| carried out in other countries. | | | | traditionally take their annual vacations. In France many |
| One of the first things you should not overlook is that | | | | people take their annual vacation in August. |
| some cultures have a different definition for their | | | | In a not so distant past, business in Paris was |
| standard work week. | | | | considered as coming to a total standstill in August |
| Unfortunately, it is not that simple. The differences in | | | | every year. Although this is not 100% true across all |
| standard work weeks are varied. | | | | industries today, you still need to factor this in. And |
| There are two advantages to reading further: | | | | driving in Paris in August is still different than the rest of |
| - You can easily annoy prospective clients by not | | | | the year. |
| respecting their standard work schedules. | | | | And there are also countries where the work schedule |
| - You can get more value out of adjusting the time, or | | | | is influenced by religious events over several weeks in |
| day, or even the week you choose to communicate | | | | a year. |
| with your foreign clients. | | | | Develop Your Basic International Skills |
| Different Days Of The Week | | | | Of course the list above can be useful. |
| Some countries do not have the same work week. | | | | But do not rely solely on this list, or any other list you |
| Monday through Friday is common in English speaking | | | | may find, when planning your calendars. It is always |
| countries. | | | | best to ask the people concerned yourself. |
| In Muslim-majority countries the legal work week in the | | | | In fact, the key to this article is something else. |
| Middle East is not the same as many other countries. | | | | It is important to develop your international awareness |
| - It is Saturday through Wednesday in Algeria and | | | | to different lifestyles and different business |
| Saudi Arabia, so their weekend is Thursday and Friday. | | | | environments. |
| - It is Saturday through Thursday in Iran so their | | | | Imagine if you want to develop your client relationships |
| weekend is Friday (however, many government | | | | with someone whose weekend is different than yours. |
| offices and private companies are closed on | | | | - How would he feel if you called him on his weekend? |
| Thursdays) | | | | - How would he feel if you called him during his work |
| - It is Sunday through Thursday in Egypt, Syria, United | | | | week, but it was your weekend? |
| Arab Emirates so their weekend is Friday Saturday | | | | You can symbolically meet your client on his ground, |
| Shorter Work Week | | | | by going out of your way to call him on his day at |
| Fridays are not always a good time to schedule | | | | work and your day off. |
| international telephone conferences. In some countries | | | | Many delays happen in international business |
| employees traditionally work an hour or a half day less | | | | development simply because business are unaware of |
| on Fridays. The time difference between participants | | | | the local work week schedule. |
| can create bad feelings, or low attendance. | | | | Imagine if you need something important from |
| The American state of Utah , state employees started | | | | someone minutes before the end of his work week or |
| following a "TGIT" experiment earlier this year. As in: | | | | the beginning of his month long vacation? |
| "Thank God It's Thursday." | | | | - Is it a good idea to schedule an important cold call on |
| In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state's | | | | September 1st to someone who has probably been |
| energy costs and commuters' gasoline expenses, Utah | | | | out of the office most of August or who is trying to |
| is about to become the first state to switch to a | | | | catch up with colleagues for the first time in a month? |
| four-day workweek for thousands of government | | | | As you become familiar with different work habits you |
| employees. | | | | will begin to acquire basic international business skills. |
| They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through | | | | Respect for differences in standard work schedules is |
| Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to golf, | | | | one of the first steps. This respect also leads to |
| shop, spend time with the kids or do anything else that | | | | maintaining an open mind and the flexibility to deal with |
| strikes their fancy. They will get paid the same as | | | | different business environments. |
| before. | | | | Are you committed to speeding up your international |
| Government Employees And Local Customs | | | | sales cycles? |
| The example above is about state employees. | | | | Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools |
| In many countries government employees work slightly | | | | and international sales strategies for faster sales. |
| different work weeks compared to people in the | | | | Join us on the International Sales Road Map. |
| business sectors. And the professional categories of | | | | Would you like to develop your international business? |
| "government employees" is not the same in every | | | | Are you a beginner at international sales and |
| country. | | | | marketing? Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your |
| Some countries have very strict laws about working | | | | International Business. |
| on the weekend, where everything is closed. | | | | |