What are some unwritten rules at work in Germany that many foreigners don't imme

[Argirios Argiriou]

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What are some unwritten rules at work in Germany that many foreigners don't immediately get?


Alexander Major
Ph.D. in Law, Germany (Graduated 1994)Updated 3y

Do not talk about the figures of your income, even if everybody might know. Often, this is even a written rule in employment contracts.

If you are new to a department, give an Einstand, bringing some coffee and a layer of cake or bread, for all colleagues, and use a team meeting or whatever occasion for that. Alcohol can be critical, at least, it will not be an occasion to get drunk. It would be best to ask the immediate superior how you could arrange that. He or she would be happy to tell you how it is usual. An Ausstand is the similar event when you leave on a good basis.

Never get into contact with competitors, even privately, except if this is usual in your trade, or part of your position. If your company sells “widgets" in Frankfurt and you are asked to represent your company at a meeting of the “Frankfurt Widgets Sellers Association", you are of course expected to get into contact with other widget sellers. But then you would know what you tell them, and what not.

In most companies, you are expected to (constructively) advise on problems. The military rule Meldung macht frei (reporting releases from responsibility) applies in most companies (Edit for clarification: This is not a Nazi phrase, cf. the comments). However, expect that you are then requested to solve the problem. However, then you are officially tasked to solve the problem, and may come up to everyone with it.

Many office jobs involve getting an own chamber / office. In most companies, a closed door of someone’s office means that you are not intended to enter, except for urgent matters. You would leave your door closed e.g. if you need concentration or want to be undisturbed while placing a telephone call. So if you keep your door closed all day, do not wonder why no one visits your office.

You will get plenty of time off. During working hours, you are expected to really work.

You will be expected to informally coordinate your off time well in advance, including holidays, with those within the company who depend on your work before formally announcing / applying.

Paid holidays are part of your salary and regarded as non-waivable employee protection, so you are expected to take it and not appear at work during the off time.

The habits of how to address people (“Du", “Sie", “Herr/Frau", or first names, and also email signatures) are corporate policy and not subject to variation by you.

You are also expected to announce important private events in advance. Nobody will honour you for telling that this workday is your mother's birthday, and you would so much love being with her, but you ought to work. You could have announced it half a year before, as the mother's birthday is a fixed calendar event, and with advance notice everyone could have organized for your absence.

What I am writing here is the norm, the average. Deviations are well possible.

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