04
de Març
de
2016
Act.
04
de Març
de
2016
If Germany is Europe's engine, it has something to do with the way they work there. "Germans do not go to work to make friends," says Martí Adroher, director of the Acció office in Berlin, with just a hint of exaggeration. "They give their all at work, but only during the stipulated hours. There are no marathon work days, but rather they prefer to make the best possible use of their time at work so as to better enjoy their personal lives," he says of his everyday experience.
Genís Ventura concurs. He arrived in Germany as a student and has worked for a number of companies there for the past eight years. "You go to your job to work. Perhaps you have a more personal relationship with a colleague, but most people do not share much about their lives," he tells VIA Empresa.
Formality at work
This clear division between professional and private life also translates into more formality. "Formal means of address is everywhere. Even among young people," says Ventura. Martí Adroher insists that this formality "can take someone from Catalonia by surprise, when they see that at work formal greetings are used, even among young people."
Ventura gives the example of lunchtimes, when the topics of conversation will be very impersonal. "In one company I was working with there was a girl from Barcelona. She and I were the ones who talked the most about our lives. The others either spoke about work or neutral subjects," he recalls, adding, "You don't even start emails with 'Hi', everything is much more formal." Nevertheless, especially in Berlin and in the start-up ecosystem, "there is a trend away from such formality."
European timetables
The head of Acció in Berlin points out that "people like this distinction between professional and private life. As a result, they try to make sure the work day does not last longer than it need do, instead of it going on forever." He says that many people begin work at 9am, but cut lunchtime short so as to leave at 4.30pm or 5pm. "What is not common is finding people at the office at 7.30pm, something that does happen in Barcelona," he adds.
Despite the exceptions to the rule, Adroher insists that "people tend to be at home at eight in the evening having already had dinner. There is increasingly more flexibility, but the working day is more compact and they do not stop two hours for lunch."
Genís Ventura concurs. "The working day usually begins earlier than in Catalonia, around 8am; it also finishes earlier, around 4pm or 5pm." He points out that lunch is around 12 or 12.30pm. "In practical terms, to be able to talk to someone, you have to do so before 12 or between 1pm and 4pm. It is hard to meet any later than that."
This means that after work there is time to do other things, whether complementary training, taking part in clubs, volunteering or doing sport. "On Fridays many companies close at midday, and that is often the day for meetings. After 2pm it is hard to find anyone still at work," he says.
With such respect for timetables, Martí Adroher points out that punctuality is greatly valued in Germany, and is an important part of working. "If you say you will send an offer on a certain date, you have to do it. If not, it is likely that the client discounts you as a supplier because they will think you are not serious," he warns.
Nevertheless, he recognises that organisations are changing and adapting. "If you do not work with the public, flexibility and telecommuting are increasingly common, giving workers more freedom about how they do their jobs," he says.
Respect for leadership
Despite the global trend for companies to become more participative, which is also found in Germany, Ventura explains that roles continue to be clearly defined. "The boss gives instructions and the employees carry them out. The figure of the boss or department head is very important because it makes what must be done clear and acts as a point of reference," he says. He even recalls a case in one company in which "the boss had their office on another floor, and you hardly saw them. They would occasionally come down to give orders and check how things were going. Moreover, whenever they appeared everyone would go quiet, even if they were in the middle of saying work-related."
Adroher adds the caveat that, naturally, a lot also depends on the sector and the company; but he senses that "strict hierarchies in organisations are becoming a thing of the past. Many companies are proving to be successful working in a different way." As part of the trend towards measures of internal quality participation is a must, but he also notes that "German workers still like clear instructions about how to proceed."
What happens, he says, is that "today many productive structures are not about giving orders that can be automatically carried out. In some companies this is resolved with stronger and more personal leadership, and in others by reinforcing the processes."
Obsession with quality
"There is significant concern about quality, but the Volkswagen scandal has shown that it is not a sine qua non condition," says Adroher. Nevertheless, he points out that "the solidity of processes is considered fundamental to guaranteeing the quality of a product or service." Thus, the internal auditing of processes is becoming important, as is the resulting certification. "They stay away from the improvisation that we Catalans are more used to," he states.
This perfectionism is also reflected in professional training. Genís Ventura puts great value on the level of professional training in Germany, which in most cases is done inside the company. "In many jobs you can start at the bottom, going to classes and working for a term," he says. This means that, especially in large companies, "there are always a lot of young people working alongside more experienced people. It greatly facilitates promotion within the company," he says.
Business culture
In short, Martí Adroher highlights that "Germany shares a business culture with the surrounding countries, such as Austria or Switzerland, and similitaries with Scandinavian Europe." He explains that this is based on legal aspects, such as the Aufsichtsrat, the body that oversees corporations. "It is a body that is similar to a board of directors but with some variations. In some cases, unions are even included in these bodies," he says.
For the head of the Acció office in Berlin, if there is a difference within the country it is between the former West and East Germanies. "Relationships at work are even more formal and distant in areas of the former Democratic Republic of Germany," he insists. For Adroher, "Berlin is quite culturally different from the rest of Germany on account of it being a big city and a magnet for creativity and Bohemianism, but at work there is not a great deal of difference," he says. In the end, he says, "there is a very German standard in terms of service and quality."
Genís Ventura concurs. He arrived in Germany as a student and has worked for a number of companies there for the past eight years. "You go to your job to work. Perhaps you have a more personal relationship with a colleague, but most people do not share much about their lives," he tells VIA Empresa.
Formality at work
This clear division between professional and private life also translates into more formality. "Formal means of address is everywhere. Even among young people," says Ventura. Martí Adroher insists that this formality "can take someone from Catalonia by surprise, when they see that at work formal greetings are used, even among young people."
Ventura gives the example of lunchtimes, when the topics of conversation will be very impersonal. "In one company I was working with there was a girl from Barcelona. She and I were the ones who talked the most about our lives. The others either spoke about work or neutral subjects," he recalls, adding, "You don't even start emails with 'Hi', everything is much more formal." Nevertheless, especially in Berlin and in the start-up ecosystem, "there is a trend away from such formality."
European timetables
The head of Acció in Berlin points out that "people like this distinction between professional and private life. As a result, they try to make sure the work day does not last longer than it need do, instead of it going on forever." He says that many people begin work at 9am, but cut lunchtime short so as to leave at 4.30pm or 5pm. "What is not common is finding people at the office at 7.30pm, something that does happen in Barcelona," he adds.
Despite the exceptions to the rule, Adroher insists that "people tend to be at home at eight in the evening having already had dinner. There is increasingly more flexibility, but the working day is more compact and they do not stop two hours for lunch."
Genís Ventura concurs. "The working day usually begins earlier than in Catalonia, around 8am; it also finishes earlier, around 4pm or 5pm." He points out that lunch is around 12 or 12.30pm. "In practical terms, to be able to talk to someone, you have to do so before 12 or between 1pm and 4pm. It is hard to meet any later than that."
This means that after work there is time to do other things, whether complementary training, taking part in clubs, volunteering or doing sport. "On Fridays many companies close at midday, and that is often the day for meetings. After 2pm it is hard to find anyone still at work," he says.
With such respect for timetables, Martí Adroher points out that punctuality is greatly valued in Germany, and is an important part of working. "If you say you will send an offer on a certain date, you have to do it. If not, it is likely that the client discounts you as a supplier because they will think you are not serious," he warns.
Nevertheless, he recognises that organisations are changing and adapting. "If you do not work with the public, flexibility and telecommuting are increasingly common, giving workers more freedom about how they do their jobs," he says.
Respect for leadership
Despite the global trend for companies to become more participative, which is also found in Germany, Ventura explains that roles continue to be clearly defined. "The boss gives instructions and the employees carry them out. The figure of the boss or department head is very important because it makes what must be done clear and acts as a point of reference," he says. He even recalls a case in one company in which "the boss had their office on another floor, and you hardly saw them. They would occasionally come down to give orders and check how things were going. Moreover, whenever they appeared everyone would go quiet, even if they were in the middle of saying work-related."
Adroher adds the caveat that, naturally, a lot also depends on the sector and the company; but he senses that "strict hierarchies in organisations are becoming a thing of the past. Many companies are proving to be successful working in a different way." As part of the trend towards measures of internal quality participation is a must, but he also notes that "German workers still like clear instructions about how to proceed."
What happens, he says, is that "today many productive structures are not about giving orders that can be automatically carried out. In some companies this is resolved with stronger and more personal leadership, and in others by reinforcing the processes."
Obsession with quality
"There is significant concern about quality, but the Volkswagen scandal has shown that it is not a sine qua non condition," says Adroher. Nevertheless, he points out that "the solidity of processes is considered fundamental to guaranteeing the quality of a product or service." Thus, the internal auditing of processes is becoming important, as is the resulting certification. "They stay away from the improvisation that we Catalans are more used to," he states.
This perfectionism is also reflected in professional training. Genís Ventura puts great value on the level of professional training in Germany, which in most cases is done inside the company. "In many jobs you can start at the bottom, going to classes and working for a term," he says. This means that, especially in large companies, "there are always a lot of young people working alongside more experienced people. It greatly facilitates promotion within the company," he says.
Business culture
In short, Martí Adroher highlights that "Germany shares a business culture with the surrounding countries, such as Austria or Switzerland, and similitaries with Scandinavian Europe." He explains that this is based on legal aspects, such as the Aufsichtsrat, the body that oversees corporations. "It is a body that is similar to a board of directors but with some variations. In some cases, unions are even included in these bodies," he says.
For the head of the Acció office in Berlin, if there is a difference within the country it is between the former West and East Germanies. "Relationships at work are even more formal and distant in areas of the former Democratic Republic of Germany," he insists. For Adroher, "Berlin is quite culturally different from the rest of Germany on account of it being a big city and a magnet for creativity and Bohemianism, but at work there is not a great deal of difference," he says. In the end, he says, "there is a very German standard in terms of service and quality."