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Home  Dubai/UAE Culture in the UAE
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In this section we are coming to an interesting aspect of intercultural communication. Many of you will already have visited courses in intercultural communication or diversity in the course of your curriculum. As an international intern you will usually be faced with cultural differences in the office constantly, and during events like dinner parties of your company.
The Emiratis are usually very hospital and happy to welcome visitors in their house. If you are invited to someone, the standard greeting is “As-salam alaikum“ (Peace be with you) to which one should answer “Wa alaikum as-salam“ (Peace be with you as well). In case the room of your host is gracefully decorated with carpets, you should make sure to put off your shoes at the doorstep. This is due to the religious prayer function of the carpet. If a group of people is present in the living room, you should greet the oldest one (not necessarily the host) per handshake and then anti-clockwise the other guests. Be careful not to greet Emirati Women per handshake, this is seen as a close gesture which is normally restricted to a brother or husband. If people take a crossed-legged positioning during the conversation, you should also do so, making sure that your foot soles don’t point in the direction of another guest.
Normally conversation will start with the usual small talk (How are you? Do you like Dubai?, How is the weather in your country?). Try to remain friendly and interested during the conversation. After a while, converse topics can also be touched, just be sure to remain calm and rational. A loss of temper is a sign of immaturity, and should be avoided. The Emiratis have a very cultivated debating tradition, the more feedback you will get to a thoughtful argument, the higher will be your standing.
Normally, meetings in the UAE are not set at a fixed time, but at certain periods of the day (e.g. “lets meet in the late afternoon”). The reason for this lies in the different attitude towards time and in the fact that, due to the common hospitality people tend to spend a bit more time at e.g. a prior meeting. It is absolutely normal for an Emirati to drop by your place, should he be in the area anyways. The other way round, this remains valid as well, i.e. should you be close to a place of an acquaintance you are expected to drop by to say hello. Meetings are fixed personally, not over a secretary.
A special role regarding appointments has to be given to religious ceremonies and celebrations. Prayer times change during the year, you will be able to find them in the daily newspaper. In the UAE, the Islam is followed strongly in this regard; there are 5 prayer times during the day. It is of high importance for a visitor to respect the Ramadan times during which no meetings should be scheduled.
The usual business dress for foreign males consists of dark pants, a shirt and tie. Women don’t have to be completely covered by cloth like in some other Arabic states. A Western business dress is ok here as well. It is seen as a very impolite gesture should westerners dress up like Emiratis (with a turban and dress). This is even forbidden in some Emirates.
In case you were satisfied with the food, tips are given in the area of 10% of the bill amount. For taxi rides, tipping is not common. While eating, one should avoid using the left hand which is seen as “unclean”, similarly to India. Often, samples of different dishes are shared which is a good occasion to get to know your neighbour better. Concerning conversation topics, understatement is also the key here. Loud laughter is seen as obscene. Praise in normal dimensions is also welcome with the Emiratis.
The use of business cards is as common in the UAE as in most other parts of the world. Your business card should display English and Arabic on equal levels. This can be achieved by printing e.g. the backside in Arabic script and the front side in English.
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