How to apply German work ethics in your life

How to apply German work ethics in your life

Germany is the largest economy in Europe. Its products and services are well known to be top in quality (and expensive). Such achievement is possible with the help of German work ethics. Let’s see how we can apply the German’s productive working habits in our life to improve our own work performance. We also analyse when NOT to adopt certain German values to avoid undesirable result.

1.         Ordnung (order)

The Germans always greet people with Alles in Ordnung? Which means is every thing in order?

Order is an important value to the Germans. They believe that the lack of order will lead to chaos, so they put effort to keep things well planned to ensure that things are predictable, manageable, and flow smoothly. Things are clearly defined, information is well documented, and plans are carried out properly. People follow rules and every thing goes fine.

The Germans always do what they promised (unless they are politicians) because it’s a way to keep things in order. Broken promises will lead to spoilt plan, which destroys order. In order to keep things in order, they are strict in what they do. Heavy punishment is enforced to deter people from disturbing the order. For example, once you are caught riding the tram without a ticket, you’ll be fined 40 Euro. Failure to pay the fine will lead to police investigation.

You can try to bring order into your life by planning things properly and arranging stuffs neatly. Sometimes it’s good to be flexible and break the order once in a while. After all, we are not robots who follow routine all the time.

2.         Klarheit (clarity)

From time to time, the Germans ask Alles klar? Which means is every thing clear?

Clarity is inter-related to order. When things are clear and transparent, the Germans feel they are in control and the chance for chaos to happen decreases. The Germans clarify things in great detail and leave nothing blurry. They ask questions until they understand instructions clearly. It’s quite common to see rules and regulation written in thick books, where most topics are sufficiently covered. This leaves very little room for miscommunication (another factor that might disturb the order).

The Germans clearly categorize things into rigid boxes. Private and work/school life is separated; Friends and strangers are clearly labeled. It’s common to see the Germans treat different people very differently, depends whether the persons they are dealing with are inside or outside their friendship circle. If you are outside the circle, most likely you’ll get cold treatment. But once you enter the circle, you will be warmly treated with sincere friendship.

I think it’s best to communicate clearly to avoid miscommunication, but not to make communication worse by clearly defining your relationship with others, until people have to deal with a cold stranger. You want to be a heart warming stranger to give others wonderful and memorable first impression.

3.         Genauigkeit (accuracy)

The Germans frequently say genau as their definite YES answer. It means exactly or precisely. The German national football team always display this value, where their penalty kicks are of pin point precision (and I admire the team’s heading skills).

One thing I admire about the Germans is that they always give very strong, accurate remarks. Strong words like stimmt, genau, and total are commonly heard. They are so confident with their statement, possibly due to their habit of stating things with great precision.

4.         Punktlichkeit (punctuality)

Punctuality is an essential value in German culture. It involves the value of order and accuracy. The Germans always arrive on time for appointment, every time – in order to keep things in order. Appearing too late or early disturbs other people’s planning as they have other plans and things to do besides meeting us. Being punctual is also a way of expressing accuracy in timing.

In Germany, workers work according to gliding time rule. They come to work on time and go home on time. If they come late or early, they just stay back or go home earlier, as long as their total working time is the same every day (This habit is related to clarity, where working and private time is clearly separated. They don’t sacrifice private time for work). I seldom see people work overtime in Germany, unless they want to earn some kind of bonus points, which grant them more holidays. This is so different from Asia, where people commonly stay back late at work.

The Germans always make written Termin (appointment) for events. It’s typically made weeks before the actual event date so that people have the time to plan their life to commit to such appointment. When the actual event arrives, they honour it by appearing on time as stated. Last minute notice or invitation is rare because it might disturb other people’s order. They have to quickly reorder their lives (cancel other appointment, change plans) just to make it to the last minute event.

You might want to avoid making strict appointments in private life especially in cultures where people frequently visit each other. It seems awkward and too formal when we have to give one week notice before visiting a good friend. A phone call to confirm the visit should be sufficient.

(One thing I don’t like about Malaysian culture is the lack of respect for appointments. Malaysians don’t always give definite answer to appointment or invitation. They’ll always say “maybe I’ll come”, “see first”, or “if I have the time” – and never shows up later. Also, some Malaysians never come for the promised appointment, which is commonly known as “letting off the plane”. You might also get last minute invitation in Malaysia. I wish Malaysians will change their attitude one day as such attitude destroys the order.)

5.         Grundlichkeit (thoroughness)

The Germans work thoroughly. Their typical attitude is either they do their work well, or they don’t work at all. They are not satisfied with half hearted, badly done job. So they put in their heart and soul to provide the best possible services and goods. They also get the best tools to perform the best work. Cutting corners and substandard work is something very un-German.

It’s a good idea to work properly and do your best to impress yourself, your boss, and customers. It’s about self satisfaction in creating your own masterpiece at work, which benefits every one.

Tagged as: ethics, german, performance, productivity, self improvement, work