Many Polish women had to very quickly find their feet in a new role as a Business Woman. A full-time job was nothing new to them, but in the new economic system it brought the need to reconcile challenges, family-life and overtime, as well as the requirement for continuing education.
In Poland, this double burden is perceived quite differently compared to some other European countries. If there is a lack of nursery and kindergarten places, alternative solutions are found, involving the large and well-functioning networks. Family cohesion plays an important role in Poland. Family members and friends make sure that child care can be organized. By these means, the working woman remains flexible and can manage to work full-time.
In the Polish business environment you will meet many highly qualified women who act confidently, are strong negotiating partners while maintaining a feminine appearance. Being a gentleman with women is natural in Poland, for both genders. Small gestures of courtesy, e.g. that a woman should be the first through a door or helped out of her coat, do not mean that Polish women are less emancipated.
Quite the opposite: for Polish men, it is important to be regarded as a gentleman; entering a lift before a woman, not standing when a woman enters the room or not offering help to plug in a laptop or projector might all be regarded as indicators of poor upbringing. In the Polish business world, it is also common for women to hear compliments and to be offered flowers for their name-day or birthday.A business woman in Poland is expected to remain a “woman” and convey her decisions with femininity.
Foreign business women in Poland will be met with the same attention and politeness as Polish women. When your Polish business partners anticipate or even flirt with you, this does not mean that they do not take you seriously as a business woman, they are simply treating you as they would any female Polish colleague. In Poland, the politeness of men towards women is not an obstacle to equality and emancipation.
Joanna Sell
Business lunches, which usually take place in restaurants, are instrumental in the creation of a good partnership atmosphere in Polish business culture. It should be borne in mind especially that ›It’s not what you say, but how you say it.‹ Among the first topics of discussion will be subjects which allow you to get to […]
In Poland, how you communicate trumps what you communicate – in social as well as economic life – which means that harmonious social relations have top priority. In order to establish the personal relations that are essential for success with Polish business partners, you should make sure that you inquire about their family, make small […]
Meetings are very popular in Poland, because they offer a chance for personal contact. However, the objectives of the meeting are often achieved only shortly before closing, under time pressure, because there is no strict structure. Instead, you jump from topic to topic and not all decisions are recorded in writing. Many internal meetings will also take […]
Every country belonging to the Arabic cultural world is based on a social system marked by a sense of community and tradition. In the center is the family. All of the values that play an important role in the family and hence in social life, are decisive in the Gulf Arab business world as well. […]
