Jordan: Appointment Alert!
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Making appointments
Vacation Times
Most Jordanians do not take a vacation on a regular basis. However, work does typically slow down during the winter months, from December through February.
The holy month of Ramadan is also a slow month. Because the month of Ramadan follows the Lunar Calendar, it moves forward on the western calendar by about 10 or eleven days every year. In 2003, Ramadan started on October 25 and ended on November 23. After the end of Ramadan, there is a three to five day long national holiday.
Eid Al Adha is another national holiday. It starts about 75 days after Ramadan and lasts for 3 to 5 days.
Business Hours
Typically, businessmen are available at their offices from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm. on Sunday through Thursday. Large public institutions have more regular hours and may only hold office hours until 4:00 pm. Smaller and private institutions may have more irregular hours and remain until 7:00 pm or later and also be available on Saturdays.
During the month of Ramadan, business hours are shortened. Typically, work ends about two or three o'clock in the afternoon.
Many businessmen take lunch from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. and then return to work until after 7:00 pm. When work hours end at 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm, there may not be any lunch break.
Arriving and Leaving
Being on time for appointments is one thing that Jordanians admire in westerners. So, it is helpful for you to do so. However, it is typical of Jordanians to be more than a half hour late before there is a sense of inappropriateness. If it appears that you will be delayed in reaching your appointment by more than 15 minutes, you should call to inform your associate.
Try to avoid arriving early for private appointments. Typically, Jordanians are caught off guard or uncomfortable if you arrive even five minutes before your appointment. However, if you are just making sure that a particular person will be in his office at around 11:00, and you don't need to see someone privately or to have anything prepared for you, then you can arrive early if that is more convenient for you.
In general, you may leave your appointment whenever you are satisfied that you have finished your business. If tea or coffee has been served, it is polite to let every one who is a party to your business finish before you leave.
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