Life in Germany is hard, so Germans don’t have the energy to work as much as Americans. Even German professionals punch the clock to track their time spent at work down to the minute. The concept of flex time is nearly universal in Germany as is the constant complaining by every German employee that they have so many overtime hours that they don’t know how to get rid of. It is such a burden to them knowing that they are needed by their employers yet owed more time off, because their 30 days of vacation and multitude of holidays a year just aren’t enough, when they work a little longer on the few days a year that they actually go to the office.
When the stress of trying to take care of their own leisure time needs and work place demands simultaneously gets to be too much, Germans go to a doctor to get prescribed a six week Kur, a sort of health spa retreat, where they can enjoy the benefit of having their health insurance pay for the all-inclusive resort, and their employer paying them their full salary for learning horseback riding and cooking. The best part for Germans is that these count as sick days and don’t take away any of their thirty days of vacation.
Germans are delicate and need lots of time to erholen, to sort of rejuvenate, and they need at least one vacation a year with 3 consecutive weeks to properly recoup. This is best done in a sunny place like Greece, Turkey, Spain, or Portugal. In America we tell each other to have fun on vacation, Germans command each other to erholen themselves well.
Germans don’t make very many babies, but the ones who do are well rewarded for leaving their employers in a precarious position. Whether they are male or female, Germans can take maternity or paternity leave for up to three years and their employers must hold a place for them, so they can waltz back into corporate life right where they left off. These poor workers can still complain though that they unfairly have to start back where they left off, having missed out on 3 years of raises and promotion opportunities.
deutsche Übersetzung für Astrid ein/ausblenden
Hallihallo liebe Astrid!
Hier die Übersetzung:
Deutsche arbeiten 86 % so viel wie Amerikaner
Das Leben in Deutschland ist hart, deshalb haben Deutsche nicht genug Energie um so viel zu arbeiten wie Amerikaner. Sogar deutsche Geschäftsleute stempeln ein und aus, um die Zeit, die sie bei der Arbeit verbringen, auf die Minute genau festzuhalten. Das Konzept der Gleitzeit ist allgemein bekannt in Deutschland, genauso wie das dauernde Beschweren von jedem deutschen Angestellten, dass man so viele Überstunden hat, dass man gar nicht weiss, wie man sie jemals abfeiern soll. Es ist eine grosse Belastung für sie zu wissen, dass sie von ihrem Arbeitgeber gebraucht werden, aber gleichzeitig noch so viel Freizeit gut haben, weil ihre 30 Tage Urlaub und die Vielzahl an Feiertagen pro Jahr einfach nicht ausreichen, wenn sie an den wenigen Tagen im Jahr, an denen sie tatsächlich ins Büro gehen, etwas länger bleiben.
Wenn der Stress zu versuchen, auf die eigenen Freizeitbelange und Arbeitsangelegenheiten gleichzeitig einzugehen, zu viel wird, gehen Deutsche zu ihrem Doktor, um sich eine sechswöchige Kur verschreiben zu lassen, eine Art Gesundheitsfarm zum Erholen, wo sie den Vorteil nutzen können, ihre Krankenversicherung für das alles-inklusive-Resort bezahlen zu lassen und gleichzeitig von ihrem Arbeitgeber das volle Gehalt bezahlt zu bekommen, während sie reiten und kochen lernen. Das Beste für die Deutschen aber ist, dass diese Tage als Krankheitstage zählen und nicht von den 30 Urlaubstagen abgezogen werden.
Die Deutschen sind empfindlich und brauchen viel Zeit zum Erholen, um sich zu regenerieren, und sie brauchen mindestens einen Urlaub bestehend aus 3 aneinander gereihten Wochen pro Jahr, um sich richtig zu erholen. Dies geschieht am Besten an einem sonnigen Ort wie Griechenland, der Türkei, Spanien oder Portugal. In Amerika wünschen wir uns gegenseitig viel Spass im Urlaub, die Deutschen befehlen sich gegenseitig, sich auch gut zu erholen.
Deutsche machen nicht sehr viele Babies, aber diejenigen, die es tun, werden sehr gut dafür belohnt, dass sie ihre Arbeitgeber in eine heikle Situation bringen. Egal ob sie männlich oder weiblich sind, können die Deutschen bis zu drei Jahre Erziehungsurlaub nehmen und ihr Arbeitgeber muss ihren Arbeitsplatz für sie erhalten, so dass sie spielend zurück ins Geschäftsleben kommen können, wo sie es verlassen haben. Diese armen Arbeiter können sich immer noch darüber beschweren, dass sie unfairerweise wieder dort anfangen müssen, wo sie aufgehört haben und 3 Jahre voller Gehaltserhöhungen und Gelegenheiten zur Beförderung verpasst haben.
Schönen Abend noch,
John
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November 23rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Ganz klar: Neid!
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Yeah I’m jealous. I get 12 days of vacation now.
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
86%? That much? I didn’t think it was more than 50%.
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
And I have voted in the hope that maternity, parental and children’s rights will soon mean something in the US, a country whose maternity leave policy is the worst of all civilized nations.
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Germans cannot help it, it’s EU directives - each member states must ensure that ” every worker is entitled to paid annual leave of at least four weeks”
http://www.eu-working-directive.co.uk/directives/2003-working-time-directive.htm
And in some countries it’s bound to get even better from 1 April (!) 2009, from a minimum of 4 weeks to at least 5.6:
http://www.eu-working-directive.co.uk/news/2007/increasing-statutory-holiday-pay.htm
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
We also have strong unions, socialized…universal healthcare, social security, sth. we call “Kündigungsschutz” which basically means that your employer hast to have a damn good reason to fire you and some companies even subsidize Lunches and let’s not forget the infamous “Pendlerpauschale” which means that if your way to the job is too long the governement gives you some gas-money….oh and cubicles are rather unusual here.
If you’re unemployed the government will give you money for an infinite amount of time. If you’re out of a job for more than a year they will cut down the money, but they pay your rent.
On the other hand…the same government takes 30-50% of your money if you have a job.
Personally I love to work overtime or even saturdays, because my company is paying some good money for me doing so….and on saturday you get free sandwichs, cake and beverages…..no kidding.
And still our economy isn’t totally in the tank
November 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 pm
@Clara: Maybe we should invite the US to join the EU…?
You forgot to mention that Germans in public service are forced to retire at the age of 65. The retirement age is being rised to 67 during the next two decades, but it’s not that much of a difference.
November 24th, 2008 at 12:54 am
30 days? I get exactly 26 days (based on a 5-day week). OK, it’s getting more with age, I guess it is 6 weeks for a fifty year old …
But that’s not law (that would be 4 weeks), it’s in the Tarifvertrag (TV-L), which btw was recently reformed to attract more young highly-skilled employees to the public service.
Oh, and on high wages: I remember there was a port in the US (might be Portland, Oregon) which introduced automatic container bridges or something like that, and the union achieved that all productivity gains must be passed on to the workers - resulting in 100k$ annual income for a port worker …
November 24th, 2008 at 12:57 am
“As all paid days of holiday count towards the statutory entitlement, including paid bank holidays, many employers are already providing at least 28 days paid holiday to their five-day workers – the minimum entitlement from April 2009. ”
Yepp - they do … E.g., I have a free Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (public service …), so with the 26 days, that alone is 28 days, and there are some more holidays.
But what exactly does the Commission mean with “bank holidays”?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:40 am
In the US I have 15 days total “PTO”-Paid Time Off, which incorporates both sick leave and vacation. And no paid maternity leave. Oh, and health care premiums that eat up nearly 30% of my income. (May as well pay high taxes…) In that context, it seems ridiculous to complain about the bounty of personal time entitled to German workers…but, within the global historical context of productivity, maybe they have something to complain about:
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/
Oh, and I heard years ago that the Kur was no longer available as a benefit for most Germans. Or is that just a rumor?
November 24th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Stefan’s right. This is the ultimate joke Germany’s pulled on us! Who says they don’t have a sense of humor?
November 24th, 2008 at 6:35 am
“Oh, and I heard years ago that the Kur was no longer available as a benefit for most Germans. Or is that just a rumor?”
I’m pretty sure that your heard that correctly but as none of my family members have tried I can’t say for certain
November 24th, 2008 at 6:58 am
We also get a great deal when working Sundays or statutory holidays like German Unity Day or New Years. My firm pays me 25% more for night shifts, 50% more for Sundays, and double-time for holidays.
For the first few months after starting I couldn’t figure out why they were paying me so much for those shifts, because of course you’d expect the extra income to really hit you on income taxes.
Then a colleague told me in a tone that implied I must be from some country out of the dark ages that in Germany, the shift differential is paid in full - no income taxes taken off at all. A nice little bonus for working unsociable hours.
November 24th, 2008 at 6:59 am
john come on … you don’t want that, that’s socialism and every godfearing american knows we will go to hell for it.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:00 am
…also wenn der Autor die Deutschen und Deutschland so gut kennt, muss ich mich hier auch nicht mit dem Englischen verkünsteln:
Hab mich nach der heutigen Lektüre ehrlich gesagt doch fragen müssen, ob das hier noch immer humorvolle Satire sein soll oder ob die Wendung ins Sarkastische bereits vollzogen worden ist. Dass der Autor mehr als die us-typischen 10 Tage in Europa war und sich deshalb ein einigermaßen umfassendes Bild über “uns” machen kann, mag schon sein. Aber mal Hand aufs Herz: ist es witzig, sich über unsere Arbeitszeiten auszulassen? Ich bin zwar kein Gewerkschafter, aber sowas ist doch eine Ohrfeige für jeden, der auf die Straße geht und für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen kämpft. Ich wart jetzt nur noch, bis morgen zu lesen ist, wie bescheuert eigentlich unser Gesundheitssystem ist…
Ich lass mir gern den Spiegel vorhalten und kann mich über die deutschen Eigenheiten köstlich amüsieren. Diese Gratwanderung - erheiternd für alle Seiten zu sein - ist sicher nicht leicht (und ich wollte das für “die Amerikaner” nicht machen, obwohl ich schon länger in den USA war und viele Kontakte dort hin habe). Wer sich so einen großen Schuh anzieht und ein ganzes Volk verallgemeinern will, sollte hierfür halt auch nicht zu kleine Füße haben…
November 24th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Ever heard of Kar?shi???
by the way:
maybe germans are working only 86% as much as americans
but we have a 102% lifespan.
:p
November 24th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Actually Germans work 86% as LONG as Americans.
However, they get done approx. twice as much in that time.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:52 am
@kelly
> Oh, and I heard years ago that the Kur was no longer available as a benefit
> for most Germans. Or is that just a rumor?
You’re right.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Oh yes… Living in Germany/Austria is getting better every day
Ah you don’t have to forget: We don’t have a concept like sick-days. If you are ill, you are ill, your employer can’t do anything against it…
November 24th, 2008 at 10:57 am
…and what can be said for the country where Karoshi was coined when they have the third highest life-expectancy?
Hmmm….maybe double-bacon-cheeseburgers and 64oz. Cokes are slightly more deadly than sushi and sake? Just maybe
November 24th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
i am german but i live in sweden now… and around here, a 6 or 7 week vacation during the summer months is the norm
November 24th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
The original article is researched well… excetp maybe the Kur thing, which has become a lot less common. It is good to remind ourselves from time to time that we’re blessed with a lot of leave (compared to people from other parts of the world).
November 24th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Long vacations? Come on, you Americans benefit from that! In 2007 alone, I spent 23 days of vacation in the U.S., expending many $$$ for campsites, clothing, car rentals and cream soda. AND it’s 7:20 pm and I’m still in my office!
November 24th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
@Thomas
This is just for fun, don’t be such a german
Well, there is a downside….a small one…. if you earn about 2500€ per month and you’re a single without children you pay about 400€ income tax
and 600€ your Insurances, including 200€ for health care (dental goes, more or less, extra) and 250€ for social security - which I’ll probaly will never see again, because there will be no more social security in 2045.
No maternity leave? thats cold, I guess the government won’t pay you
200$ per child and month either, aren’t they! So how comes you people still breed?
I read an article somewhere on the net that universal healthcare in the US would wipe out the GOP, because everyone benefiting from it would turn into a lefty or even a socialist, so actually you could kill two birds with one rock by socializing healthcare….GO OBAMA!
November 24th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Btw, An adequate translation for Kur would be cure, because it basically means the same.
“Then a colleague told me in a tone that implied I must be from some country out of the dark ages that in Germany, the shift differential is paid in full - no income taxes taken off at all. A nice little bonus for working unsociable hours.”
Funny that you mention the dark ages, because that exatly where the tax-free night-hift bonuses come from, it was invented by the……..drummroll…Nazis, who else, to keep the workers motivated to build tanks and airplanes at night during WWII.
Speaking of productivity and WWII, between 1942 and 45 the american military-industry produced one airplane per hour (!) 24/7….wtf happened?
November 24th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Well, even if all this was true…would there be anything bad about it? Isn’t it just a desirable goal to live like that?
And of course it’s not true. It maybe true for a small minority of people willing to exploit the system and working in a unionized corporation, but these are the minority. The majority works hard for few vacation days, bad payed and can be fired every minute. Overtime isn’t payed at all, and when they get sick, they get fired. And German politicians work hard on the task to get those circumstances for everyone. Congrats.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
The article reads like you have a problem with this. I thought the USA was a democracy. No wait I didn’t but I was told so. Anyway, just vote for the right people and you get the same advantages. Or maybe not. Democracy 4TW!11
BTW, you could leave Canada, Mexico and South-America out of this? America is more than just the USA but obviously you’re only speaking for the USA.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Well, maybe we Germans work less, but you have to take our ruthless efficiency into account
When the company I work in was owned by an American investor for 3 years I had the pleasure of learning about American work culture. Before that I always thought the prejudices of “efficient Germans” were bullshit. Now I know that it comes from simple comparisons. 
November 24th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Usally it’s like this:
America = USA
North-America = USA+Canada
Central-America = the part between North and…
South-America = the rest
November 24th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Dent, you are being accurate but unfortunately it’s tough to change people’s habits
I can’t imagine how ridiculous immigration debates would sound in the States if Mexican citizens would refer to themselves and be referred to as Americans.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
“When the stress of trying to take care of their own leisure time needs and work place demands simultaneously gets to be too much, Germans go to a doctor to get prescribed a six week Kur, a sort of health spa retreat, where they can enjoy the benefit of having their health insurance pay for the all-inclusive resort, and their employer paying them their full salary for learning horseback riding and cooking. The best part for Germans is that these count as sick days and don’t take away any of their thirty days of vacation.”
Oh boy, do you have no idea what u r writing about ..
November 25th, 2008 at 6:40 am
There’s no question that Germany (and Austria, where I am originally from) has a very high quality of life. There’s really no downside to working less and spending more time with your family, or is there? The Kur that many folks go on enabled me to get a well-paying Ferialpraktikum every summer back in Austria when on college break from my university in Las Vegas. It worked out great for me, and the folks I replaced during their Kur sure were hard workers — I realized that after day #2.
As much as I love the U.S. and the last 13 years I have spent here, I think more vacation time would certainly increase everyone’s productivity, health, and mood. When I worked at a dot-com, I was stoked that I finally had 10 days’ vacation, which wasn’t nearly enough to go visit the folks back in Austria. Now, however, I decided to make the best of it, started my own translation business with my twin in Vienna; and now I can go back and forth whenever I want and even get a tax deduction. Best of both worlds for me.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:59 am
@judy jenner
“There’s really no downside to working less and spending more time with your family, or is there?”
that depends on your family
November 25th, 2008 at 7:33 am
My father spent a few weeks in one of those ‘Kur’ resorts after a serious heart attack. This so called resort looked like a run down hospitals built in the early 70s. Not a sense of spa athmosphere. I also stayed at some US holiday resorts and believe me, no US citizen on vacation would stay there longer than 5 minutes.
(You even had to bring your own TV because they could not afford the mandatory fee for the german public TV payable for each receiving device)
So be jealous about our 30 days of vacation but not so much about the german ‘Kur’.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Wow, it’s good to know that Germans still have 30 days of vacation… and 6 weeks of “kur”. Very well investigated by the author.. This article might be true 10 years ago..
November 25th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Looks like the Americans can be quite fussy about their work time as well: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/22201/ (have just gotten this from a co-worker and thougth it fits)
November 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am
from my experience with working in the us, i think americans work longer than germans because they have to. most of their working time is eaten up by endless (and pointless?) meetings and telecons. so there you are: in order to squeeze in some “real” work americans have to work longer
… while we enjoy our beer while “gleiting” off plus-hours.
cheers
bueggel
November 25th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I’d leave a comment but I… I have to work
November 25th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Face it!!!
All Europeans are envious of the United States of America.
You will prove this by either ignoring my comment, agreeing with it or bashing me, my comment or America(ns).
This doesn’t apply only to Europe, but to the rest of the world as well.
-Joe
November 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
..may Germans work with 150% effectivity
November 25th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
@JiJab:
Even if I have some true friends in the U.S. and like America very much and also appreciate many american things, I must admid that propably much less Europeans are envious of the USA.
At least I am not.
And that is to say just without bashing you, because there is no reason for it.
Germany is my homeland, my fatherland and I just belong to it.
And I am proud of it.
I always like to be in the states but after a while I start to miss things and that is the point where I would start to be envious to the Germans if I couldn’t get back home.
There are many things that are great in the United States, but for my opinion as much that I would prefer to avoid and that the Americans could be envious to other states.
I say “could” because there is no reason to be jealous - because America is propably your homeland and so you love it.
Be proud for it.
And be sure, that at least one thing is exactly the same way in each country: It’s having internet-trolls who think that they can hijack a discussion just to place their needless phrases.
I wish you a good time.
regards
Frank
November 25th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
… work time is no criterion for productivity. At long sight employees who feel good will contribute more to companies. Well… if the jobs don’t require any responsibility and trained monkeys can get them done… you’re right
November 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Less talking, more efficency, and we can afford to enjoy some more days off
November 25th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
@ Jan: less talking. Right. Like when you ask a German worker a question and they reply “Dafuer bin Ich nicht zustaendig” and resume smoking/reading the newspaper/standing around…
November 26th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Well…but when we are in the office, we work. Instead of just talking to each other about what great things we already did in our lives, drinking cuban coffee, creeping up the bosses ass and so on. And we do not spent so many time in front of a court, because we ask a colleague out
In fact, when a german is working, he needs less than 50% of the time of an american, to do the same. And it still has a better quality
November 26th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Ohh forgot something: We dont know the concept of “hire and fire”. When you finished the first 6 month in a new company, your boss has to fire you 3 month in advance
But you can still have to tell him 1 month in advance, that you want to leave.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:23 am
@frank
w00t. you swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker…
November 26th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
The article is entirely true, but actually, there is more, it is even worse.
A German parent who has a child that is younger than three years can avoid beeing fired at all by going into part time employment. He simply has to inform the employer that he wants to do, say, 75% of the usual weekly hours, and then he can’t be turned down, and can’t be fired until the child is three years old. Both parents can do that. And they can make another child if they want more job security…
So using that trick, you can stick to a job like glue, there is no way for the employer to get rid of you. A wise move in uncertain times.
Also, there is the issue of the severance payment. If you fire someone in Germany, you usually have to pay the “Abfindung”. This can often be a full month for every year of employment. So if you worked 6 years for a company and then you get fired, you can cash in six more months even if you find another employment immediately.
Of course, if the employee decides to quit, there is no such payment to the employer.
November 26th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
And do not forget: the government enforces your right on vacation, because it wants you to recreate.
The only way to escape this is to become self-employed. But if you do this, you can escape into private health insurance … better and confinanced by the public health insurance. And we will hate you all, you schmock!
November 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
@joerg
“A wise move in uncertain times.”
in my opinion a rather stupid move if you take into consideration how much it costs to raise, feed, clothe,… a child and how little money the state contributes.
unless of course the couple has very well paid jobs and the woman would be willing to go through the whole pregnancy and birth stuff.
on the other hand if what you wrote actually worked than germany would have the population growth the government so desperately wants
November 27th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
As already said, this Kur thing doesn’t really work anymore and, well, you usually don’t want to do it a second times considering the conditions of such “spas”. But esentially, most of the article is true.
And that’s exactly the crux. I think it’s common for Germans to complain about even quite good conditions (because they could be better). But as there are so many German quirks brought up, we have to consider that Germans really work more efficiently (as long as you don’t want something from some government office). Power is definded as work per time. As such a German worker has to have more freetime ;).
November 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Die Amerikaner könnten auch 14% weniger arbeiten, wenn sie die gleiche Produktivität hätten. Kuren gibt es übrigens tatsächlich quasi nur noch theoretisch und die 30 Tage Urlaub sind auch eher die Ausnahme statt die Regel.
November 27th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Arbeit wird bezahlt. Um nicht ausgebeutet zu werden, haben Gewerkschaften die täglichen bzw. wöchentlichen Arbeitszeiten ausgehandelt. Wenn dem Arbeitgeber das nicht reicht dann soll er gefälligst mehr Personal einstellen oder, wenn es im erträglichen Umfang bleibt, die Mehrarbeit der vorhandenen Mitarbeiter gefälligst bezahlen. Das ist ein simples Geschäft. Ware gegen Geld (Arbeitszeit). Kein Geld = keine Ware.
Auch die Urlaubsdauer und andere Freistellungen von der Arbeit gehören zum so genannten Tarifvertrag, der von den Gewerkschaften ausgehandelt wird. Wenn das in den USA deutlich weniger ist, dann taugen deren Gerwerkschafter halt nichts.
Ein Sonderfall sind Kuren, welche von den Versicherern bezahlt werden, um die Arbeitskraft wieder herzustellen bzw. aufrecht zu erhalten. Auch das ist ein Recht, das man sich in einem Sozialstaat erarbeitet hat. Eine Kur ist übrigens keineswegs dazu da, um Hobbys wie Reiten oder Kochen nachzugehen, sondern um gesund zu werden, bzw. zu bleiben. Sollte bei motorischen Problemen Therapeutisches Reiten angeordnet werden, so hat das rein gar nichts mit Hobbyreiten zu tun. Und wenn krankhaft Übergewichtige Kochen lernen, dann ist auch das kein Hobbykochen.
Der Jahresurlaub heißt nicht ohne Grund Erholungsurlaub. Selbstverständlich hat man dabei aber auch seinen Spaß, denn der trägt schließlich zur Erholung bei.
Der Mutterschaftsurlaub ist letztlich auch eine der erkämpften Sozialleistungen, denn ansonsten würden noch viel weniger Menschen Eltern werden wollen.
Das alles besagt aber keineswegs, dass in Deutschland weniger gearbeitet wird, als in den USA, denn die tatsächlich geleistete Arbeit ist nicht alleine abhängig von der Dauer, sondern auch von der Intensität.
Wie sagte unser dicker Kandesbunzler so schön? ”Entscheidend ist, was hinten raus kommt!”
Und mal ehrlich! Angesichts der speziell in den letzten 15 Jahren immer stärker gestiegenen Anforderungen, hat heute kaum noch ein Arbeitnehmer die körperlichen bzw. psychischen Reserven, um auch nur einen Bruchteil Zugeständnisse machen zu können.
Übertrieben? Mag sein, aber auch nicht mehr, als der Eröffnungsbeitrag.
November 28th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
“Power is definded as work per time.”
Interesting fact: The physical dimension “power” is “Leistung” (accomplishment) in German! Perhaps “Macht” would be, regarding the original meaning, too easily confused with “Kraft” (force)?
November 28th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Oh wait, that made no sense, the meaning of the terms “power” and “force” are actually more similar than “Macht” and “Kraft”… (At least from my perception.)
November 28th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Observed from a different angle, the German term simply makes perfect sense: You can accomplish more by either working harder (whatever that means) or longer! And thus ends our excurse to the wonderful world of physics and we are back at the core topic of this “Nothing For Ungood”-entry!
November 29th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Now, that’s what I call efficiency!
November 30th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Oh, that press and the trolls
So, all the countries in our world will have another usuals for their work and policy.
Most of the employee in Germany take the overtime hours for cash, because they need it!! It´s not all sugar as it looks like!
Also the point of the health spa is discribed laughable.
Look, who can occupy this health spa! Only employee, which worked 25 or more years in the same factory and only at big employers! The small employers usually don´t send it´s employees in such a health spa.
This are details, what the trolls don´t know and don´t tell us.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:59 am
If you still didnt get it -> come to Germay !!
December 10th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I would have guessed an even lower percentage. By contrast, I’m here in Korea at the moment, where folks work around 30% MORE than Americans. And yet, somehow, they are less productive, per man-hour. Hmm…
By the way, I’m adding you to my blogroll, if that’s okay.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?
And we are still more successful, even with 30 holidays. I’m quite sure, you know the benefits of the german system and you appriciate it
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Have you ever heard of efficiency? This means the productivity while you’re at work. There are several studies that say: most Americans spend a lot of time at the office, but use at least 50% of their “working hours” for their personal things like web-shopping, e-mails etc. Their efficiency is less than 75% of German office workers. That’s why Germans can afford having more vacations
May 17th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Efficiency is the magic word. When Germans are at work, they actually work and get their job done. In some countries people work a regular 60 hours a week and nothing ever gets done.
I’ve worked with people from many different countries, and after leaving Germany I found people from other places (mainly Italy) being late and taking 2-3 hour lunch breaks, which would be an absolute no go in Germany.
And don’t get me started on Argentina - never seen so much private chatting, coffee breaks and fuffing about in my life. But yes, they all “work” many hours more.
Don’t know how it works in the States, haven’t been there.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Ähm…gibt es noch ein anderes Deutschland, oder habe ich was verpasst?
November 9th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
one word: productivity
another word: efficiency
November 10th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Wow! I guess sometimes I have have to be reminded of how lucky I am to live and work in Germany!
January 14th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
86 % as much as Americans? I work much less.
I’m a German teacher.
January 31st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Yep, I really miss Germany and that great system! America has so much to learn…