Business etiquette, language & culture

Overview

Bangla is the main language. However, written business correspondence and trade literature should be in English.

Bangladesh is hierarchical, even in the office situation. In meetings, small-talk, particularly about the family, is highly valued as you build a relationship. Decisions will not be made unless the owner, company director or senior manager is present at a meeting.

Meetings can be subject to interruptions, such as phone calls or staff members walking in to have documents signed. This is an accepted practice as it is considered rude not to immediately respond to phone calls.

Over 90% of the population are Muslim. Be sensitive to the ethnic background of your contact, for instance do not give alcohol or pork-based items.

Bangladesh public holidays

2018

Date:	Holiday:
Monday 1^st January	New Year’s Day
Wednesday 21^st February	Shahid Day
Saturday 17^th March	Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Birthday
Monday 26^th March	Independence & National Day
Saturday 14^th April	Bengali New Year’s Day
Monday 30^th April	Buddha Purnima / Vesak (Baishakhi Purnima)
Tuesday 1^st May	Labour Day
Tuesday 15^th May	Ramadan
Friday 8^th June	Jumatul Bidah
Wednesday 13^th June	Night of Destiny / Laylat al-Qadr
Thursday 14^th June	Eid ul-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Wednesday 15^th August	National Day of Mourning
Tuesday 21^st August	start of Eid ul-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
Wednesday 22^nd August	end of Eid ul-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
Monday 3^rd September	Shuba Janmashtami
Thursday 13^th September	Muharram / Ashura
Friday 19^th October	Durga Puja (Vijaya Dashami)
Wednesday 21^st November	Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi / Birth of the Prophet
Sunday 16^th December	Victory Day
Tuesday 25^th December	Christmas Day

comments powered by Disqus

Doing Business in Bangladesh

Downloads

Market Experts