3. Busines practice.

A member of the EU since 1973, the UK is a monarchy that never seems quite sure whether its key alliance lies with Europe, the USA or the Commonwealth. It has always resisted joining the Eurozone, maintains sterling as its currency and opts out of much of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy. It claims a ‘special relationship’ with the USA that extends back to the two countries’ common roots (the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth, on Britain’s south-west coast, to America in 1611), and remains a leading member of the Commonwealth, a loose association of countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. The United Kingdom does not consider itself part of Europe—although it appreciates the economics of the European Union. And it still debates whether or not to adopt the euro.

Britain has copied many social and business mannerisms from the USA. People use first names almost immediately: many bosses actively encourage their staff to call them by their first name. This informality even extends to those you are dealing with purely by phone or email: the person you have just contacted responds using your first name even though they may know nothing about you. British style is to be courteous and friendly but detached. The British are practical, empirical people, and distrust too much theory, idealism. So pack your presentations full of attainable objectives, concrete detail and provable statistics. Time your presentation to last around 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the gravity of your proposal, and allow opportunity for debate and questions. People will concentrate more on the content of what you say than on how you say it or your body language. Remember that even if your audience is wildly excited about your project, their response may be muted: it’s the fear of being seen to be too enthusiastic. If your audience is highly divided, the discussion is unlikely to be heated: a sense of calm and proportion usually prevails in British business.

The British are famous worldwide for their punctuality, so ensure that you’re there on time. Some British managers can get agitated if someone is as little as two or three minutes late. Office hours tend to start at 8.30 a.m. or 9a.m., although many professions in London, such as the media, tend to arrive at 10am and leave correspondingly later in the evening. As in the USA, eating lunch at your workstation while surfing the web is becoming commonplace.

There is no designated national holiday in England; however, there are several weeks of official holidays in the United Kingdom—(including several bank holidays). They are two Bank Holidays in May and a week between Christmas and New Year.

Appointments. A formal business meeting in Britain will generally run to an agenda. If the discussion wanders too far from it, the chairperson may feel uncomfortable and try to drag everyone back on line. If important new matters arise in these digressions, the chair will often suggest that they are put on the agenda at the next meeting, or, if urgent, addressed rapidly by a sub-group of people outside the meeting. Meetings generally end on time. Following the American example, British meetings can be highly egalitarian affairs. Managers are often happy to sit beside staff and not at the top of the table, and will try to draw everyone into the discussion. The ideal is to achieve consensus so that everyone feels that they ‘own’ the decision. The British like to arrive at decisions and action points in their meetings, which managers are then expected to follow up. The focus is on action rather than going through an exhaustive discussion of options.

Negotiating. Objective facts are the only valid source of truth for the British. Little credence is given to the feelings one has about an issue. They are the masters of understatement.

The best way to make contact with senior executives is through a third party. It is not appropriate to have this same third party intervene later if problems arise.

Sometimes a secretary will introduce you to the executive; otherwise, introduce yourself. Businesspeople are normally more interested in short-term results than in the long-term future. Change is not necessarily a good thing to the British. The British do not often reveal excitement or other emotions; try to keep yours restrained as well. They also traditionally underplay dangerous situations. Allow the British executive to suggest that the meeting has finished, then do not prolong your exit.

While U.S. executives are known for being direct, the British are even more so. Don't be offended if there's no hedging about whether your suggestion is good or not. It is wise to send your senior executives to the United Kingdom, as they may be received with more respect and are usually more restrained in conduct.

In general, try to avoid interrogating your British contacts. They feel that excessive questions are intrusive. Avoid controversial topics such as politics or religion. Speak in complete sentences. While the British are often self-critical, visitors should avoid joining in any criticisms— simply listen. Similarly, if they share their complaints with you, do not participate.

The British apologize often, for even small inconveniences. They also have a habit of adding a question to the end of a sentence; for example: "It's a lovely day, don't you think?" In debates the British tend to avoid absolute statements, and use words such as ‘perhaps’ and ‘maybe’ to imply that alternative points of view might be valid. In negotiations they are often willing to compromise to achieve a win-win situation in which both parties can feel that the agreement offers a reasonable deal and prospects of further cooperation. Operating in management teams is a basic principle of British business. This includes sharing information, regular briefings and teams taking credit for success.