The Concept of Time in Hungary

Hungarian business culture is more and more monochronic. That means that in professional roles and in the business-context, most Hungarians place a high value on punctuality, schedules and deadlines.

POLYCHRONIC vs MONOCHRONIC

The concept of polycronic / monochronic cultures has been introduced by E.T. Hall. In monochronic cultures, “one thing at a time” and “time is money” are important concepts - and interpersonal relations are subordinate to the time. In polycronic cultures, multiple tasks are handled at the same time, and time is subordinate to interpersonal relations and quality of life.

TIME PERCEPTION IN BUSINESS HUNGARY

Hungarian business people are usually on time for meetings - sometimes even five minutes early - and seldom keep visitors waiting. Visitors are expected to match this behavior.

Such time-consciousness is more often associated with northerners (e.g., the Germans and Swiss) than with southern Europeans.

When you must keep a business appointment, or meet someone for dinner, do not be late. Hungarian professionals appreciate punctuality, and one should try to be within five minutes of a scheduled appointment, better early than late. To be late indicates that you not consider them important.

TIME PERCEPTION IN PRIVATE HUNGARY

In private spheres, relationships and quality of life are higher values in Hungary than keeping schedules and not wasting time. Also in the subconscious Hungarian personal value-system, quality is generally more important than quantity.

Hungarian people outside of the big city, and especially workers on lower levels will not necessarily feel they are ‘wasting time’ when not working toward a specific goal. There are traditionally different, looser attitudes toward deadlines and not the same sense of urgency. Conveying a sense of urgency to a Hungarian factory worker might be a challenging task for managers.

If you visit someone’s home at their invitation, it is polite to be a little late (10 minutes) - especially if you are invited for a meal.

TIME AND THE SYSTEM

The system is still working its way out of the Soviet era when obtaining things took much time. The lines in stores typical of that time are long gone and forgotten by most, but obtaining permits and licenses take longer than in North America or Western Europe.

The public transportation systems, such as buses, trains and domestic flights are on time.
Schools, shops, offices and other public places also open and close on time.

Hungarian business culture, perception of time, monochronic, polychronic, punctuality, time, time-consciousness