Working practices and customs
Business meetings in the Czech Republic are arranged well in advance by a fax or a formal letter. Business cards are commonly used and should preferably be in Czech.
Because of a rather laid back attitude towards business and highly bureaucratic administrative organization structures it may take a very long for any decision to be made.
Despite this, hard work is considered to be a must for every employee. The more time you are willing to spend at the office the higher your chances for a promotion. Once you’re promoted, you will have to work even longer. The actual productivity and efficiency, however, seem somewhat less important – at least compared to other countries.
Working hours and holiday in the Czech Republic
The average working time is statistically around 39 hours per week, not taking overtime into account. People under the age of 18 may not work longer than 30 hours per week and their shifts should not exceed 6 hours a day.
The standard amount of holidays is 20 days per year. Employees in public administration, autonomous public bodies and contributory organizations are granted five weeks. Teachers and academic staff will get 8 weeks off. You are allowed to take holiday after having worked at your employer for at least 60 days. If you have worked less, you may take 1/12 of the annual vacation entitlement.
The time of the holiday leave can be determined by the employer. The holiday leave may be split up into several parts. One part has to be at least two weeks long.
Salaries in the Czech Republic
The average yearly gross salary in 2006 was between 190,000 and 240,000 CZK (7,100 – 9,000€). Only one third of the Czech people actually reach the average salary, since the average also includes high salaries of top managers. There is a marked difference between regions. The salaries in Prague reach western European levels whereas only about a quarter of the workers in the Budejovice region even reach the Czech average.