Kuwait

Greetings

Men greeting Men – A handshake is common for initial greetings. Many men will exchange a kiss on each cheek. This is especially true for friends and family. Handshakes tend to linger and very often continue while walking.

Women greeting Women – A handshake is common for initial greetings as is a kiss on each cheek.

Meetings between Men & Women – Depending on the level of one’s religious belief anything from a nod in one’s direction to a handshake or for more progressive greetings amongst friends, a kiss on each cheek.

Note: It is taboo for religiously observant men to touch women and vice-versa.

Communication Style

• Many Kuwaitis have been educated in the or in Europe so when it comes to communicating with Westerners they can be direct and to the point and usually do not beat around the bush. That being said, most Kuwaitis tend to not want to disappoint people in person so they will usually avoid you or give you the run around as opposed to telling you no, I cannot do this or that.
• Confronting someone or showing anger in public is usually frowned upon as saving face and maintaining a sense of harmony is highly valued.

Personal Space & Touch

• The appropriate amount of personal space depends on your sex and the person you are speaking to.
• Men to men: normally an arms length but it depends on how well the people know each other. Friends and family tend to stand much closer.
• Men to women: Again, depending on the extreme on one’s religious views, arms length is usually considered most appropriate.
• Women to men: An arm’s length or more is appropriate.
• Women to women: Arm’s length is appropriate but with Westerners they tend to want to stand very close.
• In the business world there should be no touching during communication. When interacting with friends, one should be very careful and gauge how much touching is allowed based on how much touching the Kuwaiti is using while speaking.
• There tends to be limited touching between genders when in public.

Eye Contact

• Eye contact is acceptable but the only issue comes between men and women. As a foreigner, one will want to gauge how much eye contact is acceptable based on whom they are interacting with.
• Foreign women interacting with local men should be aware that men may not look at them even if even if they use direct eye contact.
• Foreign men interacting with local women will need to be a bit more careful and mirror the level of eye contact being used by the woman.

Gestures

• Head nods in a general direction are commonly used in place of pointing.

Views of Time

• As a foreigner, you will always be expected to be on time and maybe even a few minutes early. Do not, however, expect the Kuwaitis to be on time. It’s may not seem fair because you could be waiting around for a while but making a Kuwaiti wait on you is a very bad impression to give them.

Gender Roles

• Most Kuwaiti women are typically in an abaya(body covering) and hijab (head scarf). The more progressive women will just wear figure concealing clothes and nothing over their hair.
• As a foreigner, you are not expected to cover your hair but may get some odd looks, especially if blonde. In the business world it is important to remain covered as much as possible in western dress.

Taboos

• Showing the bottoms of your shoes or feet or moving/passing objects with your feet is considered very rude.
• Any sort of hostile looking arm movements, especially when driving, are to be avoided.
• Avoid smoking, eating or drinking in public places during the time of Ramadan.
• It is considered disrespectful to give or accept anything with your left hand.
• Strong public displays of affection between genders tend to be culturally inappropriate and offensive.

Law & Order

• Alcohol is illegal and it is highly enforced. Upon leaving the airport everyone’s luggage is scanned for alcohol and any found will be confiscated and you do run the risk of being punished.
• Anyone found with illegal drugs in the country is severely punished.
• There are rules against public displays of affection as well as pork being allowed in the country.

Dress

• For Men- A business suit is common in most situations. Conservative yet stylish is a good way to go. Darker colors tend to be the norm.
• For Women- Business suits (pant suit or skirt suit) are common. Make sure (as long as it isn’t too hot) to wear panty hose with the skirt or at the very least that the skirt is more than knee-length. Avoid wearing overly expensive accessories, low necklines and sleeveless attire.

Titles & Business Cards

• Most people do have titles so take note of their business card and refer to them as such.

• In the first few minutes of meeting someone, it is customary to exchange business cards. They are generally presented with the right hand but if there is a table or desk between the two people, then it is more common to put the card on the table and slide it across to the person one is meeting with.

Meetings

• It’s best to show up a few minutes early to meetings. Greet the closest person to you and just take note of the set-up of the meeting.
• If you do not know who the “boss” is or who is the most important person in the room, then greet everyone with the same level of respect.
• Small talk is usually expected and as a foreigner, most people are interested to hear about your experiences in country. NEVER say anything negative about the country, even if they do.
• 5 to 10 minutes of small talk is sufficient and this time can be used to exchange business cards and get a gauge on who the most important person in the room is.
• As a visitor, even if the people you are meeting do not prompt you to, you may be expected to begin the business discussion and end it. However, the meeting will end when the most important person you are meeting with (sheikh, CEO, President, GM, etc) stands up and shows you out.
• Meetings do not tend to follow set schedules. Frequent interruptions are common. It's best to just go with the flow.

• In a business meeting you may be asked your opinion on certain things not pertaining to the business at hand. The best advice give is if asked your opinion on something (for example the elections in the ) then turn the question around and ask whoever initiated the question their opinion. People tend to become defensive and will quickly shut down if they feel you have opposing opinions. It is better to play it safe and figure out what their opinion is so as not to offend them.

Negotiations

• Negotiating in is never the same as each person is different.
• One must remain calm in negotiations but sometimes people may expect you to get a little emotional and pushy with them. Stay polite and respectful but realize that sometimes it is better to be emotional, because people may appreciate it, yet other times they lose respect for you. Just try each in small doses with each person you meet and figure out what works for them.
• Most decisions are made from the top down and typically take awhile.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not expected but if you are going into a long-term partnership with someone or you feel as though someone has helped you and you would like to thank them, then by all means, gifts are allowed.
• Gifts are normally opened in private with a thank you being sent after.
• If you are given a gift, unless prompted otherwise, you do not open it until you leave and a thank you e-mail is expected.
• Pretty much any standard gift you would give for business is appropriate. Alcohol is inappropriate as would be anything not in line with Islam.

In the Classroom

• Unacceptable attire would be anything too revealing or shapely. Avoid tank-tops, shorts, ripped jeans, etc. It is important to understand that although a foreigner is not expected to dress in the traditional garb of the gulf, that a certain amount of intelligence and understanding must be used when selecting clothing to wear in this conservative country.

Other Observations

• It is important to be aware of your environment and how people are reacting to you. One must mirror and acclimate oneself to the behavior of those around.