Czech Work Quirks: Office Slippers and Beer at Lunch

Coming to work early is rooted in Czech culture; just a decade ago nearly every worker began their shift at 7 am with a third of workers clocking in at 6 am and just five in a hundred Czechs starting work after 8 am. Thanks to the growing presence of international companies more reasonable work hours (8 am/9 am-5 pm/6 pm) are increasingly common; from a European standpoint, however, Czechs seem to work a lot. According to Eurostat data Czechs clock in around 40.3 hours on average, the fourth-longest working week in the EU.

You may notice that your co-workers keep a pair of slippers beneath the desk – similar to the Czech practice of wearing slippers at home, many Czechs don indoor footwear in the office. In terms of general dress code, it’s safe to play it business casual, though more formal office dress isn’t uncommon as is casual dress in start-up environments. No matter where you work, clothes should always be ironed and neat, as people in the Czech Republic tend to notice these things. When in doubt, observe co-workers and follow their lead.

Like other European languages, Czech distinguishes between formal and informal ways of addressing people. This gives the Czech work culture a slightly formal aspect that is often absent in anglophone countries where it’s usual for coworkers to call each other by their first names. In Czech offices, employees, particularly those of the older generation, often keep their distance and refer to each other formally, even with those they have worked with for years. Professional titles are equally important.

Cultural dividing lines are quickly drawn around the subject of room temperatures; Blasting the air conditioning (klimatizace), is not usually among the local solutions to the problem of temperature control. Czech anti-AC sentiment seems to be based on an entire set of beliefs that says chilled beverages, sitting on a stone floor, sleeping in an artificially cooled room, or leaving the house with wet hair can have adverse health effects. And that’s to say nothing of the entire country’s aversion to ice cubes. The good news? The Czech labor code says that when office temperatures reach 27°C employees must be sent home.