Switzerland: Public Behaviour
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Acceptable public conduct
The handshake is the standard greeting throughout Switzerland. Even once you have established a rapport with your Swiss contacts, you should continue to shake hands upon both meeting and departing.
French Swiss or Italian Swiss colleagues [both male and female] may kiss and/or embrace each other, depending on the closeness of their relationship. In the more formal German-speaking areas, kissing occurs only between very good friends and embracing is unusual even for women.
As a visitor, however, you should neither kiss nor embrace any counterpart of either sex until you are very confident that your working relationship warrants such intimacy.
Any visitor to Switzerland should make the effort to say grüezi in the German-speaking areas, bonjour in the French-speaking areas, and buon giorno in the Italian-speaking areas when meeting someone for the first time. It is also customary to utter a general greeting to all present when entering any public area, e.g. a shop.
When you are meeting a group of people, you should ideally wait for a third person to initiate the introductions. Always stand to be introduced to someone.
In the more traditional, especially rural, German areas of Switzerland, men customarily raise their hats when passing acquaintances in the street.
It is important to show special consideration to the elderly. For example, when public transport becomes crowded, younger people are expected to give up their seats to the elderly.
The Swiss are probably the most law-abiding people on earth and bad behaviour, even if it is not strictly illegal, is likely to cause offence so, for example:
Do not drop litter;
Do not walk against a red light;
Do not make excessive noise late on Saturday evenings;
Do not wash your car or mow your lawn on Sunday mornings.
Indeed it is not uncommon, particularly in German-speaking areas, for [older] passers-by to scold people for any behaviour perceived as inappropriate.
You can expect the Swiss to pay close attention to your general demeanour and posture so:
Keep your hands out of your pockets, especially when talking;
Do not sit with one ankle resting on the other knee;
Do not slap your colleagues' backs;
Do not point with only the index finger [potentially seen as an obscene gesture] but use your full hand.
Paradoxically, though, despite the austerity of a culture where some older citizens still find it vulgar for young people to chew gum in public, pushing and shoving are not uncommon occurrences in queues.
Swiss traffic regulations are strict and enforced with strenuous vigour; serious contraventions will result in heavy fines and/or imprisonment.
Travel by taxi can be very expensive, especially in the major cities.
Payment in euro may be acceptable in major cities but you will receive your change in Swiss Francs.
Tipping is unnecessary [hotel and restaurant bills etc. include a 15% service charge by law] but the locals usually round up.
Public conveniences are plentiful and easy to find [and always pristine], but you will probably have to have a coin in hand in order to be admitted into a cubicle.
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