Emirats Àrabs Units: Entorn econòmic
- Administrations: from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday and from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m on Thursday.
- Banks: from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m on Thursday.
- Shops: from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and then 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Saturday to Thursday and from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday.
- Oil companies are open from Saturday to Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Private companies are open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., then from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday.
The weekend is Friday and Saturday, which means the working week lasts from Sunday to Thursday.
New Year | 1 January |
Birth of the Prophet | Variable (religious festivals have flexible dates as they are determined by the lunar calendar). |
Ascension of the Prophet to Heaven | Variable |
Last day of Ramadan | Variable |
Eid ul Fitr | Variable |
Eid ul Adha | Variable |
Islamic New Year | Variable |
National Festival of the Federation | 2 December |
Eid ul Fitr | 3 days at the end of Ramadan. This festival can shift. |
Eid ul Adha | 4 days, 60 days after the end of Ramadan and Eid el Fitr |
The month of Ramadan | This is not an entire month of vacation, but business activities tend to slow down during this month of fasting. |
The month of August | This is the hottest month of the year and most of the Emiratis and expatriates go on vacation at this time. In this period a slowdown of activity should be expected. |
Hierarchy tends to be highly vertical. Bosses act in a paternalistic manner with employees. The same is true in family businesses: the head of the family is often the decision maker as well. Managers request input from stakeholders to make decisions, but delegate implementation to team members.
It is imperative to take the time to build personal relationships and establish trust. Private and professional lives are not clearly separated. Face-to-face meetings should be favoured when negotiating in order to strengthen the relationship.
If there are several persons in the room, one should always greet the oldest person first and then continue greeting counterclockwise. Emiratis have the tendency to grasp hands when greeting for a long time; one should not be surprised and withdraw his/her hand abruptly, but rather wait until the other person finishes the greeting. If the associate is a woman, male expatriates should not shake hands unless she presents them. It is also important to avoid prolonged attention towards her. If an expatriate woman has an appointment with an Emirati man, then she should not directly shake hands but wait until men present theirs. Always offer your right hand.
Emiratis are quite informal with respect to the use of visitors' names. It is thus customary to call visitors by their first name preceded by 'Sayed' (Mr.) or 'Sayeda' (Mrs.).
Trade negotiations demand patience and relationships are often built over a series of meetings. You should be formal and address the decision maker, the 'Sheikh', throughout your presentation. Meetings are rarely private. Emiratis are known to have very good negotiating skills and the spoken word is valued highly. Decision-making is long and any pressure tactic is viewed negatively. If there is some doubt about the outcome of negotiations it should not be expressed too negatively and the word “no” is best avoided. One should not feel offended when the host takes telephone calls during a meeting or allows other people to enter. Once a deal is made - either orally or in writing - expect the Arab counterpart to abide by it. Consult a lawyer before signing any document.
Communication is often indirect and the use of hyperbole is common. Avoid crossing your legs or using the thumbs up gesture as both are offensive. Avoid discussions on any regional conflicts as well as comment that may cause public humiliation.
Cafes, restaurants, and hotels are common places for business meetings. If a drink is offered, it should always be accepted as a refusal is considered as impolite. As for alcoholic beverages, it is a controversial topic and those drinks are best left alone in business negotiations.
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Actualitzacions: November 2024