Punctuality

When you doing business in Britain, British value punctuality and planning. In a business setting, the meetings will generally be scheduled with plenty of notice and it is expected that you will be on time. If you set up a meeting for ten o’clock in the morning, the chances are your counterparts will arrive on time or just before. It is considered very impolite to arrive late for a business meeting. If you’re running late for a meeting, it’s considered polite to call or message and let someone know.

Greetings and introductions

Introductions are generally made by maintaining eye contact and offering a firm handshake for both men and women in professional situations. Many people will introduce themselves with their first name, this is a good indication that they would prefer you to use their first name when addressing them. If someone introduces themselves as Mrs or Mr then you should use these forms until asked to use their first name. It’s also considered polite to exchange some small talk before the meeting formally begins. Common topics include the weather and your journey to the meeting.

Business clothing

Offices in the UK can have different“dress codes” depending on the culture of the office and the nature of the business. Generally speaking, business clothing is conservative, with men wearing suits and women either business suits or conservative dresses.

Humour

A sense of humour is very important in the English language and can often be found in the working environment. British use humour and understatement to avoid seeming arrogant or rude — which can help to keep communication between colleagues calm, professional and mostly free of conflict.

Direct statements

British people often avoid direct statements or commands in favour of more polite suggestions and indirect speech, particularly when doing business. Communicating too directly or showing a great deal of emotion is considered inappropriate in many circumstances. Politeness and good manners are highly valued. When working with Brits, you’ll hear phrases like: “That’s interesting, we’ll consider it later.” This could mean exactly what it says or it could be that the person is trying to reject your idea without causing offence; when a senior colleague says“perhaps you could finish that later”, they are probably telling you to finish it later.

One country, many regions

The U.K. is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This distinction is sometimes lost on outsiders — but each one is fiercely proud of its own identity. A common mistake that some people make is to refer to everyone as “English”. Unless you’re sure someone is definitely from England, it’s a good idea to use the word “British” to avoid causing offence.