If you would like to possess business in Hong Kong, you might want to know a bit more about the local working culture.
Hong Kong is a global business city. Although it is an Asian city, the work culture in Hong Kong is close to the western business world. Here are a couple of things for you to know more about the local working culture like general behavior, dress code and etiquette. Let’s begin with greetings. You might believe that every Asian will bow to each other when greeting. It's partly true for several Asian cities. In Hong Kong, you can simply greet your business clients with a solid handshake. This is possibly the maximum of bodily contact for most of business meeting there as they do not really see hugging a common business greeting gesture. Likewise, here is another tip for greeting. Whenever you greet in Hong Kong, usually greet the most senior member first. This is the most usual courtesy in Asian workplaces specifically in Hong Kong. So, remember if you would see some famous business people like David Li of BEA, be sure you greet him first.
Corporation usually includes group meetings and negotiations. If you would like to arrange a business meeting in Hong Kong, it is always an excellent idea to make appointments beforehand. Usually it's going to take place in your office or your company contact’s workplace. If both parties have a strong connection, they would prefer having a conference in a irregular way, such as having a lunch meeting in a restaurant or a coffee shop. In Hong Kong, apart from all the international holidays, they also have some crucial local public holidays such as Lunar New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. Try to stay away from scheduling business meetings around these holidays because these are the time for humans collecting with their family, like Christmas in western tradition. Remember this advice when you are arranging a business meeting with some firm leaders like Mary Huen of Standard Chartered Bank.
Are you not a native in Hong Kong? If you want to come and start a business in Hong Kong, you may like to learn more business etiquette in the city. Beginning from dress code, businesspeople dress relatively formal there, very likely in black suits, ties and shirts. Wearing black and muted colours are always safe and the finest selection for your clothes. Unless you're an artist, simply prevent wearing suits with fancy designs which might show an unprofessional impression to other people. Speaking about colour, there are some scenarios when you are suggested to wear vivid tones like red, which is viewed a fortunate colour. You might would like to wear a red tie at the time of traditional festivals such as Lunar New Year. Next time, if you are going to meet some CEOs like Peter Wong of HSBC, you can wear some accessories in red to give your meeting good luck.