{"id":42679,"date":"2019-09-22T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T06:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liveworkgermany.com\/?p=42679"},"modified":"2020-11-21T10:52:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T08:52:24","slug":"work-culture-in-germany-how-i-struggled-coped-and-flourished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liveworkgermany.com\/work-culture-in-germany-how-i-struggled-coped-and-flourished\/","title":{"rendered":"German Work Culture (How I Adapted to the Differences)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”|10vw||10vw|false|true” custom_padding_tablet=”|5vw||5vw|false|true” custom_padding_phone=”|1vw||1vw|false|true” z_index_tablet=”500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.7″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.7″][et_pb_code admin_label=”OTTANOVA” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ text_orientation=”center”] <\/a>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ width=”100%” z_index_tablet=”500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.5.7″ text_orientation=”justified” hover_enabled=”0″ z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n

Doing business in Germany<\/a>, as well as getting to grips with the business culture in Germany<\/a>, can be a challenge for newcomers. This is especially true if your place of work isn\u2019t an international company or a tech start-up.<\/p>\n

Whilst the English-speaking world shares many social and cultural similarities, German work culture<\/strong> is definitely an area which is substantially different.<\/p>\n

This is a part narrative, part how-to guide of how I personally got to grips with the business culture and the office \/ professional environment in Germany.<\/p>\n

Funnily enough, my natural home in terms of professional work culture would probably have been somewhere more Latin rather than Germanic, which perhaps explains some of the difficulties I had adjusting at the start!<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/liveworkgermany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Work-Culture-how-i-adapted.jpg” title_text=”Work Culture how i adapted” _builder_version=”4.5.7″ width=”55%” width_tablet=”85%” width_phone=”95%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”10px” box_shadow_vertical=”10px” box_shadow_blur=”12px” box_shadow_spread=”1px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.5)”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ width=”100%” custom_margin=”30px||30px||true|false” z_index_tablet=”500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”How I Struggled 1″ _builder_version=”4.5.7″ text_orientation=”justified” z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n

German Work Culture:\u00a0<\/strong>How I struggled at first<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even though I had lived in Germany for a year during my studies a few years prior, making the move to work as a manager in a German office of an international company was very different. I didn\u2019t have anyone to fall back on. I was the first hire in what was effectively a new strategic sourcing department being set up in Germany, so there was no precedent to follow.<\/p>\n

Looking back, I hadn\u2019t really prepared adequately. I had researched and planned my relocation and found somewhere permanent to live before making the move. Despite having pretty much no support from my new employer\u2019s HR department, other than the financial assistance of a relocation payment.<\/p>\n

The actual move itself went very well and I settled in very quickly, all things considered. I spoke the language from my time in Germany as a student, which certainly helped immensely. Perhaps because of this I didn\u2019t realise that some of the more subtle differences<\/a> would be so important.<\/p>\n

My boss, although friendly and supportive during my first months, was a very Germanic early bird. He could not comprehend why I got into the office at exactly 9:00 every morning, instead of arriving at 7:30 like he did.<\/p>\n

He was an early riser and I, well, wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

This is a common trait among Germans, especially those who have families. Starting early so they can finish earlier in the afternoon is popular, especially in the summer months. My theory is that this stems from the fact that Germans start school at 7:30, and so from an early point in their lives, have got used to early mornings being part of their routine. Granted, not all Germans are morning people, obviously. However, they tend to start their working day earlier than the British do.<\/p>\n

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German, like almost all other European languages, has two forms of addressing someone: the familiar and formal.<\/p>\n

Understanding who to use the informal \u201cDu\u201d form with, rather than the formal \u201cSie\u201d can feel more complicated in practice than it does in theory. It\u2019s a whole cultural minefield<\/a> in itself, insofar as there are no absolute hard and fast rules (except as a kid, when you address more or less all adults except your parents formally).<\/p>\n

The easiest way I found to adopt to this was to swim with the current and let the Germans lead on this. If they addressed me as Du, I would follow. If in doubt, or if I was making the first contact in the conversation, I would err on the side of caution and use the formal Sie form. Worst case, you come across as formal or stuffy but at least you\u2019re not making a cultural faux-pas by addressing someone informally who wants to be addressed as Herr or Frau.<\/p>\n

Some other random aspects of working in a German office which I found to be a bit weird at first:<\/p>\n