Austria: Appointment Alert!
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Making appointments
Austrians plan their schedules weeks, even months, in advance and try to follow what they have pre-arranged in their appointment books. If it is absolutely necessary to reschedule an appointment, you should ensure that you do so as soon as you know of the change.
Telephone interviews, on the other hand, can sometimes be had at surprisingly short notice.
Austrians are scrupulously punctual and expect others to observe the same courtesy at all times. It is therefore essential to arrive on time for all meetings and other engagements [especially if you are invited to a prestigious concert or opera in Salzburg or Vienna]. Austrians view people who can manage time as also being able to handle business projects with punctilious attention to detail. These qualities are of tremendous importance to them.
The Austrian transport system is efficient and reliable [even during alpine winters] so there should be no excuse for being late.
Office hours are typically 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday with a short break for lunch [typically just 30 minutes]; on Friday afternoon most businesses close early [usually by 3:00 p.m.]. In Vienna, though, the working day tends to start and finish an hour later. It is not uncommon for senior management and executives to arrive at their desks a little later and to stay much later but Austrians generally view working late as a sign of inefficiency rather than devotion to the company. The preferred times for appointments are 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
You should avoid planning business meetings for August or any time near the Christmas holidays when many Austrians schedule lengthy trips. Similarly, good snow at any time between December and April is likely to tempt a nation of enthusiastic skiers to head for the Alps.
Austria is a Catholic country and so observes the customary religious festivals. 26 October is National Day [commemorating the State Treaty of 1955].
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