Australia: Appointment Alert!
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Making appointments
Appointments are relatively easy to schedule at practically all organisational levels. Many executives are approachable, pleasant and willing to meet to discuss business. Most senior executives have personal assistants, who are answering the phone and managing the executive’s diary. Don’t insist on speaking with the executive, as personal assistants are expected and competent to schedule meetings. Try and schedule meetings at least one month in advance. Core business hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. However, many senior staff, as well as some employees, work extended hours, and it is not unusual for an executive to schedule a meeting before or after the core hours.
Many organisations have ‘flexible working hours’ to accommodate employees’ family and other life style comitments. If you are an employer, it's not enough to insist that your Australian employees arrive on time; you will have to give convincing evidence that their tardiness is harming the organization.
Make sure you arrive for appointments on time, but understand that Australians sometimes have more of a casual attitude toward time. In some cases, if you are a few minutes late to a meeting, it will be overlooked. In other instances, however, your late arrival may cause you to be perceived as a careless and unreliable businessperson. On the other hand, if you find yourself waiting for your Australian counterparts to arrive, remain patient and accommodating. If you think you may be late for an appointment, best practice is to call your counterpart as soon as you can and say that you are running late. It will be accepted.
In Australia, many business deals are made in a social environment, and it is not unusual to conduct a meeting over breakfast, lunch, dinner and, with the cafe culture on the rise, even in coffee shops.
It is also common to socialise for an hour or so in the local pub after the workday, particularly on Fridays.
For the business traveler, the best time to visit Australia is between March and November, since the summer season spans from December to February. January is also a month of school holidays, and many offices are operating on ‘skeleton staff’. Christmas and New Year fall in the middle of summer in Australia, and this is a high holiday season for the whole month of January, so avoid scheduling visits then, as well as around Easter.
<google>WIKI</google>
Major holidays
- January 1: New Year’s Day
- January 26: Australia Day
- March/April: Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
- April 25: Anzac Day (Veterans’ Memorial Day)
- June (date varies): Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 26: Boxing Day
The following public holidays/celebrations are uniquely Australian:
Australia Day - January 26: the biggest day of celebration in Australia, the day marks the founding of the first European settlement in Australia. Ceremonies are held around the country. Some members of the Indigenous communities mark this day as a day of mourning, or of the survival of Indigenous culture.
Anzac Day - April 25: public holiday that commemorates the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It is marked by remembrance, wreath laying and military parades around the country. The day is also remembered as part of the beginning of Australia's nationhood.
Melbourne Cup Day – this world famous horse race is a public holiday in metropoliltan Melbourne, held on the first Tuesday of November. Most Australians in other states, whether at work, school or home, stop and watch the race on television. Workplaces organise lunches and drinks to celebrate the Melbourne Cup, with sweeps and best-hat-competitions run on the day. States also have their own holidays, and it is good to check before travelling.
