Germany Archives - Page 326 of 334

Performance

Americans link the personal with the professional. Feedback addresses primarily performance, but takes into consideration how it will be received. Feedback on one’s work is feedback on that individual. It is by its very nature personal. E xamples

Time

In the U.S. an imperfect but fast decision is often preferred over a perfect but slow decision. Imperfect decisions can be corrected. For Americans speed is always of the essence. Patterns

Follow-up

In Germany follow-up is infrequent. Once an agreement has been made neither party feels the need to contact the other in order to check its status or priority. Agreed is agreed. Patterns

Deliverables

The Germans prefer a complete deliverable, even if late, over an incomplete deliverable, even if early. Lateness is tolerated as long as expectations are met. Completeness beats speed. Patterns

No

The German no is more the rule than the exception. However, its level of firmness is based on context. The no can range from hard to flexible. Identifying the barriers to the yes reveals that range. Patterns

Time

Germans believe that the time allotted to a decision should be determined by the nature of the decision. And not dictated by internal or external pressures. Germans believe that patience leads to good decisions. Patterns

Really different in Germany & USA

Vacation, taking sick days, maternity leave…work-life balance is really different in Germany & the USA.

So my question for you is: How do you feel about work-life balance? Is there anyone out there who prefers the way that it’s done in the U.S.? And people with children, what’s the parental leave been like where you’ve lived?

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.

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.

Job security with a good work-life balance

Classic factors of employee motivation continue to play an important role. A new study shows that every second employee attaches great importance to a secure job. However, only around a third of those surveyed are willing to make sacrifices for this.

Job security is an important motivating factor for every second employee: 52 percent of women and 58 percent of men attach great importance to it, according to the results of the study “The future of work: A journey to 2022”. For the study, the consulting company PWC asked around 2,000 employees in Germany about their ideas about the future of work, 46 percent of whom were male and 54 percent female.

According to the study, however, only around a third of those surveyed are willing to sacrifice their work-life balance for a secure job: 36 percent of the male and only 32 percent of the female respondents say they would be permanent for the prospect of a secure job available to your employer.