Work in Germany

Expats working in Germany may struggle in the new workplace or feel overwhelmed by a barrage of German regulations. We offer some advice to ease the transition into German business culture.

Expats working in Germany may find themselves struggling to find their feet in the new workplace. German customs such as the mysterious lunchtime greeting mahlzeit can leave foreigners confused, and German companies, with their government-imposed regulations and all-powerful works councils, function by very different rules to their counterparts elsewhere.

Germans are often described by non-Germans as having the following qualities: sensible, reserved, punctual, precise, cold, target-oriented, arrogant, sure of themselves, obedient, disciplined, plan-oriented, authoritative, stiff, unfeeling, direct, bureaucratic, professional, correct, self-assured, petty, highly orderly, strong, humorless, principled, reliable, perfectionist, organized.

This list is made up of stereotypes and/or prejudices that lie in the eye of the beholder and reflect reality to varying degrees. Nevertheless, we can identify specific behaviors through which we can distinguish members of the German culture from those of other cultures.