Guatemala Business Etiquette

 

Dress Code

  • Men wear lightweight suit
  • Women wear dress or skirt and blouse.
  • Women should avoid wearing any kind of revealing clothing

Conversation

  • Titles, especially among the elderly, are very important. Address a person directly by using his or her title only.
  • Speaking softly considered the polite thing to do
  • Social conversation before business is the custom
  • Good conversation topics: Guatemalan geography, history, culture

Meetings

  • Business cards may be exchanged although there is no ritual around it.
  • Business hours are generally 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday with an hour taken over lunch.
  • Many businesspeople speak English, but Spanish will be necessary when dealing with the government
  • Shaking hands and saying "mucho gusto" is very proper
  • Close friends embrace and pat each other's back
  • Business people are usually punctual
  • Male guests sit to the right of the host; women to the left
  • Business breakfasts or lunches are preferred to dinners
  • The main meal of the day is taken at noon, and will probably include black beans, tortillas or meat, and fruit and vegetables
  • In Guatemala, as well as in most of Latin America, little to no business is conducted during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter.

Gifts

  • Gifts are given in a business setting, but not necessarily on the initial visit.
  • Easily breakable gifts is not the best choice as Guatemala is in a tectonically active zone with frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanoes
  • Don't give white flowers; they are reserved for funerals

Public Conduct

  • Guatemalans wave good-bye using a gesture that looks like someone fanning themselves: hand raised, palm toward the body, and a wave of the fingers back and forth, with the fingers together as if encased in a mitten

Tipping:

  • Service charges are normally not included, so standard tipping rules will apply for 10% to 15% for good service.
  • A quetzal given for advice or directions are received gratefully

Content by www.MercaTrade.com

 

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>>Business Information about Guatemala, click here Information Guatemala

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>>Find the latest Trade Agreements with Guatemala, click here Trade Agreement Guatemala

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