Welcome in Poland

WELCOME IN POLAND

This document is provided to you to outline the general practices you can expect to find when you are living and working in our country.

GENERAL CULTURAL INFORMATIONS:

      1) Poland is a patriotic nation. The Polish people are proud to have maintained an unbroken cultural identity and value their autonomy.
Religion plays an important role in the Polish society. Religious holidays are considered national holidays when most businesses are closed.
The family is the centre of the social structure. Poles draw a line between their inner circle and outsiders.

WORKING PRACTICES:

Official working hours are from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday
with no official break for lunch.
2)   It is good business practice to arrive on time for business meetings in Poland, although
meetings often have no specific end time and can go on longer than planned.
3)   When making a business appointment, you are advised to make it four to five days in
advance and confirm the meeting the day before.
Organisations in Poland have a strong respect for hierarchy and authority and rules and regulations are an important part of the Polish business environment.
Usually there is no dres code at work but you should look smartly.

DO's & DON'Ts in business:

-DO shake hands at the meetings with everyone upon arriving and leaving. Handshakes are quite firm and eye contact is valued.
-DO use personal titles where possible or the basic courtesy titles, Mr. (Pan), and Mrs. (Pani),
followed by a surname or first name.
-DO wait to be invited before moving to first names. You may do business with people for years and not be on a first name basis.
-DO remember that business cards are exchanged without formal rituals and try to have one side of your card translated into Polish.
-DO try to learn some basic Polish words and greeting phrases, for instance “hello”,
“goodbye”, and “thank you”. Your Polish business contacts will welcome your efforts and
perceive... [continues]

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