Why Germans Work Fewer Hours But Produce More: A Study In Culture

When many Americans think of Germany, images of WWII soldiers and Hitler often come to mind. But what many people don’t realize is that Germany is the industrial powerhouse of Europe, and is a leading manufacturer of goods for export to developing Asian nations. We don’t hear about the superiority of German engineering in Volkswagen commercials for nothing!

The economic engine of the EU, Germany single-handedly saved the Eurozone from collapse in 2012. At the same time, German workers enjoy unparalleled worker protections and shorter working hours than most of their global counterparts. How can a country that works an average of 35 hours per week (with an average 24 paid vacation days to boot) maintain such a high level of productivity?

Working Hours Mean Working Hours

In German business culture, when an employee is at work, they should not be doing anything other than their work. Facebook, office gossip with co-workers, trolling Reddit for hours, and pulling up a fake spreadsheet when your boss walks by are socially unacceptable behaviors. Obviously, in the United States these behaviors are frowned up on by management. But in Germany, there is zero tolerance among peers for such frivolous activities.

In the BBC documentary “Make Me A German“,  a young German woman explained her culture shock while on a working exchange to the UK.

“I was in England for an exchange… I was in the office and the people are talking all the time about their private things… ‘What’s the plan for tonight?’, and all the time drinking coffee…”

She was quite surprised by the casual nature of British workers. Upon further discussion, the Germans reveal that Facebook is not allowed in the office whatsoever, and no private email is permitted.

Goal-Oriented, Direct Communication Is Valued

German business culture is one of intense focus and direct communication. While Americans tend to value small talk and maintaining an upbeat atmosphere, Germans rarely beat around the bush. German workers will directly speak to a manager about performance reviews, launch into a business meeting without any ‘icebreakers’, and use commanding language without softening the directives with polite phrases.Whereas an American would say, “It would be great if you could get this to me by 3pm,” a German would say, “I need this by 3pm”.

When a German is at work, they are focused and diligent, which in turn leads to higher productivity in a shorter period of time.

Germans Have a Life Outside Work

Germans work hard and play hard. Since the working day is focused on delivering efficient productivity, the off hours are truly off hours. Because of the focused atmosphere and formal environment of German businesses, employees don’t necessarily hang out together after work. Germans generally value a separation between private life and working life.

The German government is currently considering a ban on work-related emails after 6pm, to counter the accessibility that smartphones and constant connectivity give employers to their employees. Can you imagine President Obama enacting such a policy in the United States?

To occupy their plentiful Freizeit, most Germans are involved in Verein (clubs); regularly meeting others with shared interests in their community. Common interests in Germany include Sportvereine (sports clubs), Gesangvereine (choirs or singing clubs), Musikvereine(music clubs), Wandervereine (hiking clubs), Tierzuchtvereine (animal breeding clubs – generally rabbits/pigeons) and collectors’ clubs of all stripes. Even the smallest village in Germany will have several active Vereinen to accommodate residents’ interests. Rather than settling in for a night of TV after work, most Germans socialize with others in their community and cultivate themselves as people.

Germans also enjoy a high number of paid vacation days, with many salaried employees receiving 25-30 paid days (the law requires 20). Extended holidays mean families can enjoy up to a month together, renting an apartment by the seaside or taking a long trip to a new, exciting city.

Business Respects Parenthood

Germany’s system of Elternzeit (“parent time” or parental leave) is the stuff of fantasy for most working Americans. The United States does not currently have laws requiring maternity leave, while Germany has some of the most extensive parental protection policies in the developed world. The downside of these maternity leave benefits is that employers may avoid hiring women (with the fear that they will take advantage of the extensive benefits), and German boardrooms are consistently male-dominated at a higher rate than other developed nations, although the government is working to eradicate this trend. The financial benefits of staying home (from both Elternzeitand Elterngeld or parents’ money programs) are often too good to pass up for German mothers, and can lead to stagnant or non-existent careers.

Since “at will” employment does not exist in Germany, all employees have contracts with their employer. Parents who have been gainfully employed for the previous 12 months are eligible for Elternzeit benefits, which include up to three years of unpaid leave with a “sleeping” contract. The employee is eligible to work part-time up to 30 hours while on leave, and must be offered full-time employment at the conclusion of the parental leave. Parents may also choose to postpone up to one year of their leave until the child’s 8th birthday. Either parent is eligible for parental leave, and many couples make the choice based on financial considerations.

In addition to the preservation of the employee’s contract, the state will pay up 67% of the employee’s salary (with a cap of 1800 Euros per month) for 14 months. Parents may split the 14 months however they choose. These benefits apply equally to same-sex couples.

Have you picked your jaw up off the floor yet?

Put Some German In Your Office

The German work culture is very different from the average American office, but there are certainly lessons to be learned from our German counterparts. The diligent focus Germans bring to their working life is to be admired. Separating work from play can help us lead a more balanced life; putting the phone down after hours gives us a mental break from stressing about work, and we can return to the office refreshed in the morning. When it’s time to get something done, closing Facebook and turning off push notifications helps keep our minds quiet and the flow steady. Direct conversation can lead to increased efficiency, and more clarity of communication among team members.

Americans often equate longer hours with increased production and superior work ethic, but examining the German model makes one wonder: When it comes to time at work, maybe less really is more!

St. Valentine’s Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an Emperor named Claudius. I didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn’t the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn’t going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies — secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, “Love from your Valentine.”

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh — because they know that love can’t be beaten!

What Is Love & Married

A student asks a teacher, “What is love?” The teacher said, “in order to answer your question, go to the wheat field and choose the biggest wheat and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick.”

The student went to the field, go through first row, he saw one big wheat, but he wonders….maybe there is a bigger one later. Then he saw another bigger one… But maybe there is an even bigger one waiting for him.

Later, when he finished more than half of the wheat field, he start to realize that the wheat is not as big as the previous one he saw, he know he has missed the biggest one, and he regretted. So, he ended up went back to the teacher with empty hand. The teacher told him, “…this is love…  You keep looking for a better one, but when later…

“What is marriage then?” the student asked. The teacher said, “in order to answer your question, go to the corn field and choose the biggest corn and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick.”

The student went to the corn field, this time he is careful not to repeat the previous mistake, when he reach the middle of the field, he has picked one medium corn that he feel satisfy, and come back to the teacher.

The teacher told him, “This time you bring back a corn…. You look for one that is just nice, and you have faith and believe this is the best one you get…. This is marriage.

(Dedicated to someone who ever fill my heart…)

USED VS LOVED

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 years old son picked up stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father with painful eyes he asked, ‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’ The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions…….sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written ‘LOVE YOU DAD’.

The next day that man committed suicide. . . Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life…..

Things are to be used and people are to be loved, But the problem in today’s world is that, People are used and things are loved…

During this year, let’s be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved … Be yourself……This is the only day we HAVE.

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELLPHONE COULD DO…

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

1. The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112 .* If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. **Try it out**

2. Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote  keys?*
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.
Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on  their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your  keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor’s Note: *It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car
over a cell phone!”*

3. Subject: Hidden Battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low, you are expecting an important call and you don’t have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

4. How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:

* # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

Top 10: Effective Pickup Lines

Using pickup lines to get close to a woman is something I don’t advocate. That’s because pickup lines generally imply that you lack the intelligence or charm to sweep a woman off her feet or, at the very least, get her to notice you. They also have a tendency to seem inherently cheesy and antiquated to all women — this includes power-suit women and pole dancers. I would much rather encourage you to use your creativity and wit to charm the pants off of women than to drop one-liners with intentions of making her melt right into your bed.

For the sake of this article, I won’t dismiss the value of pickup lines entirely; however, I will focus on introductory ice-breakers instead of cheesy lines. Guaranteeing the success of these types of pickup lines is not our purpose; I simply want to provide you with the motivation it takes to approach an attractive woman. Using effective pickup lines can prove successful, as they allow for further conversation, ease the tension and may put a smile on her face.

In general, pickup lines can be used anywhere and in any setting, which works well in environments that may feel intimidating. In the event you are the type of man who finds initiating conversation challenging, using effective pickup lines may be your only option. After all, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Here are 10 effective pickup lines for you to test the next time you’re on the prowl.

Number 10

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Innocent, charming and polite. It is not always safe to assume that a woman sitting next to an empty chair is alone. Your consideration of the fact that she may be saving a seat for someone shows that you have class. What makes this an effective pickup line is the fact that its unobtrusive and gives her the opportunity to invite you to join her if she is alone.

Number 9

“Would you like to dance?”

Hopefully you have enough rhythm in your pants to actually dance. If you impress her with your skills, you might just find yourself at the bar talking about music, the DJ or even the venue. This is among the most effective pickup lines because women like to dance, and if you shuffle your feet right, you might end up doing a tongue tango or the horizontal shuffle.

Number 8

“Can I interest you in a glass of…?”

Insert the type of beverage for which the occasion calls. In most cases, we are speaking of an event or gathering that calls for a glass of wine or a pina colada, and if you’re in college, a beer. If it’s a toned-down occasion, you might offer a soda or lemonade. No matter where you are, this is one of our favorite pickup lines because it affords us the opportunity to display our skills as a connoisseur without being overt about it.

Number 7

“Do you come here often? I could use your opinion about something…”

Before that gulp of beer comes out your nose, hold on. We know that this one sounds like a cheesy pickup line, but you can make it work for you. If you are having a hard time choosing a dish, a beverage or even an article of clothing that best suits you, this is the time to solicit the help of a woman who may happen to frequent the place in question. If you utilize her choice and opinion as a topic of conversation, you’ll see that this is among the most effective pickup lines on the planet.

Number 6

“Excuse me; can you help me with…?”

Here’s where you can come up with a light task for her to help you with, such as winning a bet among friends, naming a song that is playing or even ordering a drink. This will make her feel as though you are interested in her and appreciative of her feedback, opinion or selection. Requesting her assistance gives her a non-verbal indication that you’re impressed with her appearance and ultimately states that her answer is valued.

Number 5

“Don’t you find this place…?”

Insert a word that best describes how you feel about the venue, such as classy, cool, chic, or off the hook. Hopefully, she will share the same opinion, which will ultimately lead to further conversation about the ambiance, the decor and places you have encountered that have similar attributes. Don’t, however, complain; doing so will dampen her mood and turn her off faster than an Eddie Murphy movie.

Number 4

“You look like you might be interested in some great conversation.”

If you say this with the right tone and with enough attitude, it’ll put a smile on her face. While this effective pickup line helps you break the ice, it also spontaneously creates a topic to discuss. This could be anything from food to wine or from a current event to the venue. Be sure that you’re as willing to listen as you are to talk, and remember to keep it light and great, which is exactly what you offered.

Number 3

“Would you like an escort to your…”

When you notice a woman walking alone — perhaps to her table, an elevator or even the bar — it is always a nice gesture to politely offer her a sense of security. At the same time, it is highly likely that she won’t be walking very far, so exhibiting your charm will be essential to your attempt to break the ice once you’ve delivered your effective pickup line.

Number 2

“Wow! I really like that (insert item of clothing or fragrance) you’re wearing.”

Women put great effort into preparing an ensemble that best reflects how they feel and how they want to be perceived by admirers. As such, your compliment tells her that her efforts did not go unnoticed. This small gesture will boost her confidence and earn you all access to front-row conversation. We suggest that you do a little research and arm yourself with tidbits of info relating to women’s fashion so that you will appear sincere while you exercise this highly effective pickup line.

Number 1

“I just thought you should know that you have a really nice…”

Sure, you could say something derogatory, but that would likely get you a slap across the face. But, complimenting features such as her smile, eyes or nose can go a long way in making a woman open up enough to converse with you. Who says flattery gets you nowhere? The key is to make sure that you are genuine about your observation — women can tell when a guy is trying to lay it on thick just to get close.

The Pickup Artist

Just remember: Being cheesy isn’t cute and will get you dismissed faster than she can bat an eyelash. On the other hand, being clever and confident with your delivery can get you to the next level. If flattery remains your point of action, make sure not to lay it on too thick. Compliments should be delicate and poured on lightly to ensure their staying power. The objective is to create a conversation starter that best reveals your interest and your intent.