If you ever have a meeting with Spanish people in Spain, is very possible to have the meeting in a bar or a restaurant or any other place where you can eat or drink. And if you don’t want to find yourself in an awkward situation, you really really must know these things:
You can’t smoke in bars
First of all: as you have read in the title, you can’t smoke in bars. Not in any other job-related place. And yes, a bar, a pub, a restaurant etc are job-related since there are people working there. You can’t smoke in bars, pubs, restaurants, nor in a private office, nor in a private meeting. Obviously, you can’t smoke in hospitals or schools or any educative centers. Spain has the toughest anti-smoke law in Europe. You can, however, smoke in any outdoor places.
In schoolyards, outside the hospitals, on the bar terraces, etc. There was a rumor that said that you must walk more than 100 meters away from schools and hospitals to smoke but was just a rumor, no law says so. But, even being absolutely banned to smoke in job centers, a lot of people break the law ignoring the ban and smoke in the offices or private meetings. Even if you don’t like it, if you are not the boss is risky to complain or say something.
Don’t drink too much
Second one: It sounds obvious and probably it works for every country and in every situation, but don’t drink too much. If you are having a meeting in a restaurant or even if you are in a big party or even if everybody is drinking. Even if your boss pressures you to drink, don’t drink too much. If you feel the pressure, fake it, wet your lips. Is better to stay in control. I would even advise you to not drink at all. And, of course, never, ever, be the only one who drinks. If you do it you are going to be a special and very bad kind of weird person.
Everybody pays the same
Third one: if you are eating with your job mates or in a meeting, unless someone says otherwise, everybody pays the same. And don’t be you who complain, is not well seen. There could be a couple of reasons why somebody could not want to pay the same: maybe somebody in the table (again: don’t be you) have ordered a very expensive dish, maybe they don’t drink and don’t want to pay for everybody’s drinks. Maybe the boss offers to pay. Anyway, is usual that everybody pays the same, so don’t risk a business deal or a job for saving around 10€.
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