How's the work culture in Switzerland?

Well obviously it depends on your industry, but yes, in general, the work culture in Switzerland is more formal than the USA or UK, definitely. Things to bear in mind: You must NEVER be late for a meeting, you should greet your co-workers using their titles and surnames, and you shouldn't expect too much socialising to go on after work.

What about average working hours per week and average paid vacation days per year?

Hi Anon

That sort of thing will depend on your industry, but on average, working hours will be Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm with a two-hour break over lunch. The statutory minimum for paid vacation days is 20, and there are 9 public holidays - so that's a minimum of 29 paid vacation days a year if none of the public holidays happen to fall on a weekend. Some companies will offer you more in your contract, but most won't offer much more than that unless you've worked there for a while.

Check out our Working in Switzerland and Doing Business in Switzerland pages for more information about Swiss working culture.

I was shocked at how overly formal things are... If you are from north america get ready to move to swiss time. You will go from meeting to meeting philosophizing on what to do, instead of doing it. Decision by committee is important to the swiss and they do not like confrontation no matter what. People also enjoy coffee and lunch breaks and ensure they take the time out. However, lunching with your swiss colleagues as a newby, they will try to size you up and find out personal details which would be rude for a swiss to ask other swiss. Things are highly political with few old families running all of the business world. You get a lot of holidays but will need it because the exoectations for perfection is quite high. When the swiss move to take action they do things with utmost perfection. Working too late is frowned upon, but others will be clock watching what you do and when you do it. Make allies quickly with the expats to get the full scoop. Dont let any of this worry you ... Once you gain the trust and respect of your swiss colleages, it is for life.