Understanding work culture in Budapest
Congratulations! You have been hired by a company for a job in Budapest. Depending on the position you will occupy, your first experiences at your workplace can be very different, but there are some common habits you can discover in them.
The office dress code in Budapest
If it is an office job, in most places, you don't have to dress up formally, just wear some smart casual dresses and shirts. For some jobs, you will get a uniform, e.g. if you are working for a travel agency, a mobile company or supermarket. Even at the management level, people don't dress too formal, especially at smaller companies, it can be slightly different at bigger multinational ones.
Working schedules in Budapest
The first few days of your job will be about training, but here it's taken quite slowly, giving you time to adjust to your new environment and role. It is common to start later or finish earlier on your early days, taking part in training and general information sessions. This kind of relaxed attitude to your work routine will be common later as well - you have to do your job, but how and when you do is up to you. Usually, people are not controlled tightly.
General working hours are 9 am till 5/6 pm, but you can have later finishing times if you work in hospitality or in shopping centres, where shops are open until 8-9 pm. Doing overtime is not that common, especially as you hardly get paid for it. (Normally you can get an extra day off if you collected 8 hours overtime, but no extra pay). With normal office jobs, you don't have to work at the weekends, but if you are working in hospitality, tourism or as a shop assistant, your work time will include weekends as well.
Breaks at workplaces in Budapest
Lunch breaks are usually half an hour or an hour, and they start from noon, most people prefer to take them early, at latest by 2 pm. Many workplaces, especially business centres, will have their own canteen, where you can have the menu of the day or at least some kind of buffet.
As it was mentioned in our articles "Adjusting to the culture in Budapest" and "Eating out in Budapest", food, and lunch, especially is very important for Hungarian people, so sandwiches or salads won't be enough for most. Cigarette breaks (and coffee breaks) are also accepted if they are not too frequent, maximum 2-3 times a day and lasting only a few minutes.
Language and behaviour at the workplace
Language and behaviour with your colleagues are normally casual, with sharing information and some jokes between yourselves. With your superiors, you have to be more official usually, some of them can be quite casual, but don't forget they are still your bosses.
Business meetings in Budapest
During the week, mostly on Mondays, you might need to attend meetings, where you will get the schedule and tasks for the next few days. If you are working for a smaller company, these meetings will be short and informal ones, but with larger companies, they can get more formal and more frequent as well.
Team building in Budapest
Team buildings are also getting more and more popular, as employers can choose from different options from paintball to adventure parks, or escape rooms. During these games, you have the opportunity to get to know your colleagues in a more free way, and learn to work together.
Again meals, lunch or dinner are important parts of these day outs at the end with having 2-3 courses and a few drinks in a restaurant.
