Time ‘Attitudes towards time can vary enormously.
In Busyville, people start work at eight, and officially finish at six, though
many managers stay much longer. There is a culture of presenteeism: being at
work when you don't need to be.
There is a two-hour lunch break, and a lot of business is done over
restaurant lunches. (Lunch is the main meal. The working breakfast is rare.)
There are no snacks between meals, just coffee, so eat properly at meal times.
As for punctuality, you can arrive up to 15 minutes 'late' for meetings. If
invited to someone's house (unusual in business), arrive 15-30 minutes after the
time given.
Don't phone people at home about work, and don't phone them at all after 9
pm.
There are a lot of public holidays (about 15) during the year. Busyville is
empty in August, as many companies close completely for four weeks. Employees
have five weeks' holiday a year and they usually take four of them in August.’
