Work culture in Switzerland
13 May 2011
Can anyone help me prepare for what to expect from the work culture in Switzerland, please. I've heard it's very formal? Is this true?!
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Well obviously it depends on your industry, but yes, in general, the work culture in Switzerland is more formal than the USA or UK, definitely.
Things to bear in mind:
You must NEVER be late for a meeting, you should greet your co-workers using their titles and surnames, and you shouldn't expect too much socialising to go on after work.
What about average working hours per week and average paid vacation days per year?
Living in:
From:
That sort of thing will depend on your industry, but on average, working hours will be Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm with a two-hour break over lunch. The statutory minimum for paid vacation days is 20, and there are 9 public holidays - so that's a minimum of 29 paid vacation days a year if none of the public holidays happen to fall on a weekend. Some companies will offer you more in your contract, but most won't offer much more than that unless you've worked there for a while.
Check out our Working in Switzerland and Doing Business in Switzerland pages for more information about Swiss working culture.
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