Not climate protection

How important is sustainability in the workplace to people? The Bertelsmann Foundation had this examined and found out something amazing: The younger employees are, the more important they are about classic values such as job security, salary and collegiality. Environmental and climate protection, on the other hand, play a rather subordinate role.

Young workers in Germany take a more pragmatic view of their jobs than is often assumed. In a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, for which 1,200 employees from various sectors were asked about what they considered to be the most important aspects of their work and their employer, 18 to 24-year-olds named job security most frequently, followed by salary and collegiality.

Salary and Job Security

Salary is still the top priority for Germans when choosing a job. More than two thirds of those surveyed (67 percent) see remuneration as a top employer characteristic. This is the result of a nationwide, representative survey by the opinion research institute Innofact on behalf of TARGOBANK.

This means that the topic of salary has gained even more importance compared to 2017 (2017: 61 percent) when the survey was first carried out. Job security came in second place among the most important employer characteristics this year – half of those surveyed stated that this was of great importance to them.

In 2017, however, it was even more important to those surveyed at 60 percent. The location of the company is also very relevant to those surveyed: around a third attach great importance to this when choosing an employer. Awareness or the size of the company, on the other hand, still do not play a major role (around 4 percent each).

10 factors influence on salary

Why does my work colleague receive a higher salary for the same work and training? If you want a high income and only rely on your own performance, you will be brought back to earth in the salary negotiation at the latest. We show ten important factors that cause salaries to skyrocket.

Don’t overpay your employees!

What drives employees? There are many answers to the question: Responsibility is one thing, appreciation is another. And money? Not so important. More salary can even be dangerous.

According to the motivational pope Sprenger, money can trigger a flash in the pan motivation. “The half-life is usually no more than 48 hours,” says the management consultant. Happiness researcher Ruckriegel is a little more optimistic: “Once the basic needs are met, it takes about two to three months for the employee’s expectations to adjust and for them to be just as satisfied as they were before the salary increase.”

In the long term, however, there is a risk of dramatic consequences from excessive financial generosity. According to Sprenger, it increases the stimulus and expectation level and can thus trigger a real addiction to rewards. Ruckriegel also warns: “You always have to push more, but at some point the end of the road will be reached.” And the higher the starting salary level, the lower the impact on productivity and the higher the greed. Because then the main thing is to earn as much as possible more than the others.

Money is not everything

Do you want to pay your employees a bonus? Beware, this might not be a good idea: Studies show that extra money can hurt employee motivation and job satisfaction.

What is the ideal salary? Even if funds were unlimited, pinpointing the ideal salary would be difficult. The first intuition is: the higher the salary, the better the work results. But studies show that the connection between compensation, motivation and performance is much more complex. In fact, there is some evidence that people would not be happier in their jobs if they had control over their salary.

Salary is important but differently than you think

It is said that a salary increase should have little effect on motivation at work. Appreciation and more responsibility are the key. But that’s not entirely true – because salary does play a role in employee satisfaction.

Money alone does not bring happiness – this is the result of countless job studies that have examined how the level of salary affects the motivation of employees. Sometimes experts are looking for the ideal salary that makes people happy. Time examines how salary increases affect employee engagement. The answers that these studies give to the salary questions are similar: salary increases only have a minimal effect that quickly fizzles out over time. If you want to motivate employees or keep them in the company, you should use other means as a boss.

All of this may be true, but it is not the whole truth. “Money does not necessarily generate motivation, but if the payment is not right, demotivation can arise,” says psychology professor Maika Rawolle from the University of Media, Communication and Economics in Berlin to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The unclear expression of “incorrect salary” is very correct, because there are some salary constellations that reduce motivation. Everyone agrees: It’s about injustice, that is, about a comparison.

How much does an Engineer make in Germany?

The estimated total pay for a Engineer is €67,886 per year in the Germany area, with an average salary of €62,886 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.

The estimated additional pay is €5,000 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The “Most Likely Range” represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

Salaries in Germany by profession

March 2020. Currently, the country has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, hovering around 3-4%. Having one of the most diversified economies in the world, Germany offers jobs in almost any sector.

Salaries in Germany are also quite high for global standards. The average net salary in Frankfurt is 2700 EUR per month. In Berlin, the average net wage is 2500 EUR per month.

Some economic sectors in Germany have a greater demand for foreign workers than others. Notably, health care and tech are among the sectors with the highest demand for foreigners.

A good salary In Germany

We answer the question “what is a good salary in Germany?”. We tackle the average annual salaries based on different factors and provide an answer to the question: “Will my salary be enough?”

YouTube comments:

“This is a great video with a good breakdown! I moved from a big city and took a paycut on my previous gross salary, but I have been amazed how much I am provided for in Germany and never really felt broke despite technically having much lesser money than before. I think until you live here and really experience the economy and plan your finances, the numbers are just… numbers! End of the day I believe we should be fighting for fair salaries, and not higher ones just for the sake of it.”

“Whenever I read about 40% taxe rate, it makes me a bit frustrated. But looking from the other perspective, all of those high contributors I make are the reason why the life for people all ages so good and reliable in Germany, right? I would like to reveal those details and understand the real value of the contributions I would make :)”

“It’s however important to mention that living in Germany you have access to many amenities and infrastructure not available to you in other countries unless you hire someone yourself or you pay a net price for it.”