Negotiations in the sauna and alcohol interview: 10 interesting corporate customs from around the world

1. Business card culture in China

In Russia, business cards are not highly respected. People leave them in piles in stores, distribute them near the subway. But in China, there is a strict etiquette: a name card here is not a one-time piece of cardboard, but an extension of the person to whom it belongs.

Therefore, there are a few rules to follow when someone gives you their business card. First, you need to take the card with both hands and be sure to stand up. Secondly, putting it in your pocket right away is considered rude. If you receive a business card at a meeting, leave it face up on the table. Thirdly, drawing and adding something on cardboard should also not be done, especially without the consent of the owner.

2. Collective "funeral" - South Korea

South Korea locatedP. Varnik. Suicide in the World / PubMed Central in the top ten for suicides, and most of them are related to work stress. Therefore, in order to teach employees the value of life, some companies arrange collective “funerals” for them.

It looks like this: first, workers dressed in white coats write farewell letters to their loved ones, and then lie down in wooden coffins. Each of them puts his photograph, tied with a black ribbon, to his chest.

The boxes are closed by the Angel of Death - a special person who conducts the ritual. Further, in the dark, to meditative music, employees reflect on meaning of life. And some of them praise this practice very much.

3. Negotiations in a sauna in Finland

In Finland, sauna use is considered an important part of everyday life. In the country there areThe Only Good Part of Winter Is Going to the Sauna / GQ 3.3 million steam rooms for 5.3 million citizens.

And while this practice may seem a little too intimate to some, in this country an invitation to continue a business meeting in a sauna is a sign that the deal is going well. This is how Finns show their business partners that they want to get to know them in a more informal setting.

And some companies establishO Melhor Local de Trabalho da Europa / This Is Finland saunas right in the office. And at the end of the working day, employees can go there to relax and chat with colleagues.

4. Unusual work week - Israel

Officially, Israelis work from Sunday to Thursday. This decision was made so that citizens could freely observe Shabbat, the holy Jewish day of rest, on which the Torah prescribes to refrain from work. It starts at sunset on Friday and ends on Saturday evening.

Specialists in some industries - for example, in the field of technology - work according to the Western schedule familiar to us in order to keep in touch with international colleagues. However, this is more the exception than the rule.

5. Collective fitness in Japan

Radiotaiso is a 15-minute charge popular in Japan. It is broadcast at least three times a day on TV and radio, and more recently, you can connect to YouTube streams.

This practice has a history of over 100 years. In the 1920s, to popularize the sport, the Japanese government obligatedRichard Neville. Radio Taiso: The Exercise of 10 Million Japanese 20,000 postmen every morning to exercise on the street. Since then, this gymnastics has become part of the daily rituals of the Japanese.

For example, many local companies host 15-minute radio taisos every day to promote health, reduce stress, and boost team morale.

6. Fika in Sweden

Fika is a break for coffee with baking, which lasts from 10 to 30 minutes. In some Swedish companies, it is included in the official schedule and can take place 2-3 times a day. Fika is most often not associated with lunchtime - there is a separate slot for it.

Leaders find this practice increases productivity, relieves stress, and helps build stronger bonds within the team. In corporate recommendationsTake a minute, chat, figure things out together. Does that work for you? / IKEA IKEA, for example, has a special clause about the need for fics, which says: “This is not just a coffee break, but a time to relax, communicate with colleagues and exchange news.”

At the same time, it is forbidden to talk about work during fika. Its purpose is to take a break from everyday work and, for example, discuss with colleagues a recently read book or watched a movie.

7. Maternity leave for two in Iceland

When a baby appears in an Icelandic family, each parent receivesMaternity and paternity leave in Iceland / Work in Iceland six months leave to care for a child with 80% of wages.

They can distribute this time as they please, at their discretion: for example, the mother sits with the baby for the first 13 weeks, and the father for the second. However, it is important that the remaining 3 months of their maternity leave holidays matched.

The government hopes this will help new parents strengthen their marriage and bond with their newborn equally. This initiative is also useful for women who do not want to sit at home.

8. Shortened working days during Ramadan in the UAE

The working culture of the UAE is heavily influenced by religion. Yes, there are mandatory hours of prayerPrayer Times/Islamic Finder, which has priority over meetings and negotiations. And in the holy month of Ramadan, all citizens of the country get the right to work six hours a day instead of the usual eight. At the same time, the law applies to people of different faiths, and the salary remains the same.

Ramadan is a month of strict fasting, when the followers of Islam refuse to eat and drink during the daytime. This also affects the tacit agreements between colleagues. For example, an employee of another faith during Ramadan should not dine in public, as well as talk about food - this is considered extremely impolite.

In addition, fasting people expect understanding and respect from their fellow workers. During this period, they get tired faster and feel more exhausted, which is why they sometimes can not work at full strength. Therefore, employees of other faiths should not pressure them to complete complex tasks that take a lot of energy.

It is good manners to offer help or postpone urgent and important projects for a while, shielding those who are fasting from additional stress.

9. Sleep at work in Japan

According to researchStudy once again ranks Japan as the country that sleeps the least / Japantoday, the average Japanese sleeps 6 hours 35 minutes every day. This is extremely little to restore strength, so it is not surprising that this is where the practice of sleeping in public places was born - inemuriInemuri, The Japanese Art of Sleeping at Work / Amusing Planet.

It rarely meets with disapproval, and even vice versa - it is interpreted as a symbol of selflessness in work: "A person sat up late in the office, it is not surprising that he wants to take a nap." Therefore, if an employee takes a nap at a meeting, colleagues will not harshly condemn him.

On the forums, you can find many stories about how Europeans who ended up in Japan for work encountered the phenomenon of inemuri. So, a user with the nickname Marshall Gittler toldIs it true that Japanese employers/bosses allow employees to take a nap at work? / Quora about how three out of four people fell asleep during his presentation. And Blake Bennett shared the daily routine of Japanese employees.

Short-term sleep, the Japanese believe, helps them recharge. Therefore, in recent years, some employers have begun to actively encourage workers to take a nap by placing sofas, cots or sleep pods on the territory. Western companies such as Google, Apple, Nike, Procter & Gamble have also intercepted this practice.

10. Alcohol interviews in South Korea

Alcohol for South Koreans plays an important role in socialization in the workplace. There is even such a thing as "husik" - a joint lunch at which colleagues treat each other with alcoholic beverages. This, some say, helps build closer bonds and share news and ideas. It also allows you to remove the “masks” from a person and remove falsehood from communication.

Companies most often encourage such meetings. Moreover, at interviews, candidates often undergo so-called alcohol interviews. They answer the questions: “Do you go to clubs? Do you drink alcohol? How often do you drink? This is how employers check how tolerant a person is to alcohol, whether he suits the company and whether he fits into the team.

Some teetotalers have a hard time. For example, in articleCorporate Korea Corks the Bottle as Women Rise / The New York Times The New York Times has a story about a 29-year-old Korean woman who was drunk by her own boss. When she got a job at an online game development company, she had to go to drinking parties with everyone.

Previously, she could only drink two glasses of beer and did not drink soju at all, a traditional Korean drink, the proportion of alcohol in which can be from 13 to 45%. However, the boss persistently persuaded her to switch to stronger alcohol, threatening punishment and dismissal.