Communicating at work in Italy

Italians begin their day with the greeting Buongiorno and ask Come va? meaning how are you, and shake hands or kiss on the cheeks (due baci) between close colleagues in informal settings, and a handshake is enough with clients and managers.

• Italian has two words for you: the informal tu and the formal Lei, and Lei is used with managers, clients, older people and formal situations, and tu between close colleagues, young people and in modern companies.
• Professional titles are used such as Dottore for graduates and Ingegnere, Avvocato and Professore, even with people who do not officially hold the title.
• If you are not sure begin with Lei and wait for the other person to say dammi del tu meaning address me with tu.

Italians are expressive in oral dialogue and say their opinion with enthusiasm, but keen on the relationship, so they soften remarks with courtesy, and a person may say vediamo meaning we will see or ci penso meaning I will think about it, which is often a polite refusal or postponement.

• Be careful with hints, and if you want clarity ask kindly.
• Open objection to the manager is viewed cautiously, so it is preferable to discuss it privately and politely.
• In meetings everyone may talk at once and voices overlap and sentences are interrupted with enthusiasm, which is a sign of interest and not rudeness.
• Express your opinion clearly with courtesy.
• And friendly frankness and skill in expression are valued.

Meetings sometimes begin minutes after the time and may run longer than planned, and the agenda may be flexible, and many decisions are made after the meeting through individual conversations and over coffee or lunch.

• Do not rely on everyone meeting deadlines precisely, and follow up kindly to be sure by asking A che punto siamo?
• meaning where have we got to. In return your colleagues may expect you to keep your own appointments.
• Write a summary by email after the meeting to document what was agreed, since oral agreement alone may not be enough.
• In international and modern companies times are applied more strictly.
• And remember that lunch (13 to 14:30) is a main time for the meal and communication.

Professional email is polite and may be more formal than you expect: it begins with Gentile or Egregio or Buongiorno or Ciao depending on the relationship, then a friendly phrase, then the subject, and ends with Cordiali saluti or Distinti saluti or Un saluto then your name.

• WhatsApp is widely used at work even with clients, but respect others' limits and do not send messages at night except in necessity.
• Write a clear subject and reply within a day or two.
• A phone call for complex or sensitive matters is valued more than a chain of messages.
• And there is the right to disconnection (diritto alla disconnessione), that is digital disconnection outside hours, in many contracts.
• And the PEC (electronic registered mail) is used for legal correspondence.

The hierarchy in Italian companies is relatively clear, and the manager is expected to make decisions and respect for him is valued, but relations are friendly and your manager or a colleague may invite you to coffee or lunch.

• You are expected to carry out tasks, report your problems early and take initiative within your responsibilities.
• Relationships with colleagues are built through the pausa caffè, that is the coffee break, lunch and small celebrations, and you can drink coffee or water at the break, and a colleague may offer you a coffee and you accept or decline kindly.
• Many companies are small and family-run, and relationships in them are personal.
• And balance between work and life is valued, especially holidays and family.
• And many companies close in August.

What does vediamo often mean?