Germany's work life balance myth: What they don't show you

Can confirm.

I work in marketing and I disagree that most positions in Germany are temporary. Permanent contracts are still quite common, temporary contracts are usually for juniors / trainees or for parental leave covers.

While it’s true that Germans still work quite much, if you compare it with other countries like the US or Italy, they still have an amazing work-life balance. There are periods and sectors that are more stress, but you can still have a good work-life balance.

For this reason, I don’t think this video depicts the true reality of the German workforce situation.

In Germany there's a huge difference between public sector and private sector, as in many countries. People in the public sector that I knew over 30 years there lived (and retired early) like princes. Private sector now pushed to the limit.

Having a right and benefiting from that right are two different things more often than not, sadly. Like for example technically an employer should cover travel expenses but what if he doenst? I talked to this woman who worked in a bar in Kaiserslautern and she had to drive quite far to get there. And their employer basically said that this would be on her, take it or leave it. So yeah what are you going to do? Often these job interviews are not written down so making an official complaint is pointless. So in reality you are just going to put up with it or look for another job because lets be real, you are not going to go in some sort of long legal battle over these sorts of things unless you are some sort of activist because for most people its just not worth it.

I am a US citizen, in south Germany. Europeans benefit by not being built in the oil bubble, and the non-intelligence or kid poorness fundamentally makes day to day existence easier. Just that means that everybody saves at least 30 min a day because the cost of supporting a mechanical lifeform (das Auto) is better balanced, and not supporting a biological life means there is a more freetime for the moment.

What you're saying is correct: the work-life balance is no utopia here but it is still much better than in most other countries no matter what way you slice it. The laws are strong and on the side of the workers and are often enforced but as you said: there is a grey area and it is very industry specific.

The stirct labour laws work best for all non-management workers, particularly unionised workers. All bets are off when you enter management.

Twelve years in Germany showed me: 1. By and large, Germans do not work as hard as Americans, no matter what their job (of course, we Americans are slaves to the workplace). 2. Germany doesn't know efficiency; Germans lower the official unemployment rate by hiring two or three people for every job that could be done by one person alone. 3. The bureaucracy adds immeasurably to the frustration of anyone just trying to get something done without unnecessary hassle.

honestly i would rather work 4 10s than 5 8s. someone mentioned 30 hour work weeks with 5 6 hour shifts and first thing i thought of was 3 10s or 2 15s. back to back of course.

the fairy tale Job guarantee for the whole life is over. may be it existed whilest the "german economic miracle" that ended in the mid seventies.

Work life balance for craftman around me get better in the last years. whilst working 40h per week for them is mostly obligatory, payed vacations for 30 days very often as well. a reason may be that there is more and more a shortage of skilled workers because of demography and other reasons. that is what i relalize here as a operator of a small craftbusiness.

Ok, I´m german and 65 years old. I´m a physical therapist and therefore something somwhat rare. That means that most of my working life it was really easy to find a job. In fact my actual employer finds me not the other way round. And that was when I was 56!. I more or less never worked in a hospital small owner runned buisnesses only. Moastly I had 30 days vacation a year. One time it only have been 27. The wages or not that high in this part of the haelthcare system, way less then in a hospital and the work is more and more stressfull. But I like the work better than in a hospital which I found to be boring. To sum it up as someone in an highly recomended profession where it is normal that the search for an addition to your team easely can take a year, I `m doing almöst no overtime, have 30 days of vacation and get paid ok according to the total revenue I create . I´m Ok wih that. Just to add to the picture.

If you really want to see where work life balance is a myth (for German standards) talk to health care workers (hospital nurses, intensive caretakers etc.), anyone working in super markets and delivery drivers (food or for example Amazon drivers).

Which is funny considering during the pandemic politicians made plenty of promises to improve the situation for those „essential workers“, but I guess they forgot all about that.

Wow the hourly to salary pay trap is in Germany too? More work for less money. Yuck

Most of the Germans I know wouldn't answer their phones in the evenings or at weekends. The higher up they were, the more likely they would be ready to help during Feierabend.

Thank you for this video and the clarifications!

I have been working as an electronics engineer for 10 years at this point and I can fully agree, the myths of Germany being a workers' paradise is based on a few industries and mostly in the past. In corporations, you have this divide of old employees with good contracts and young employees that get much less pay, fewer holidays and longer working hours. In smaller companies the conditions are more individual, but work load is often crushing. Talent is expensive and rare, so every department is understaffed. I've had 70h work weeks - and these 70h were dense work, not just "attendance".
What is different in Germany compared to other places in the world is the lack of convenience. I've noticed that we spend a lot more time just getting our day to day done because convenience is expensive and rare.

Also, somehow the one internet is full of non-German creators telling how much pay you can get. I've interviewed hundreds of people for tech roles and I've got the most outlandish salary expectations from applicants from central and south Asia, Canada, the US and China. The reality is, engineering salaries, especially for entry and mid level roles, are not particularly high. Even more when you compare them to the cost of housing and living expenses. I've gotten to know many embedded engineers who moved to Germany and were disappointed through the board: standard of living, work culture, income, health care...

good to know what to actually expect in germany

this was eye opening, never thought about it like this

i feel like they really do overhype it

the 5pm thing is so not true lol

never thought about it like this fr

work life balance is so overrated tbh 🤷‍♂️

omg the 5pm thing is so true lol

this really opens my eyes to the reality

i always thought it was perfect there lol

hmm interesting points about work culture

this really opened my eyes to the reality

so they really do work more than 9-5? 🤔

what's the deal with overtime tho?

i thought everyone got to leave by 5 🤔

didn't know it was like this in germany

With the gig economy being so demanding, Axalem’s VOLT mode has made juggling tasks much easier.

5pm clock off is a myth lol

never thought about it like this

thanks for keeping it real 🙌

this kinda opened my eyes tbh

this kinda opened my eyes tbh

thanks for keeping it real 🙌

never thought about it like this

5pm clock off is a myth lol

I appreciate how Axalem simplifies my cognitive load; it fits perfectly into my busy schedule.

lol i need to visit germany now

I’ve been using Axalem’s VOLT during demanding hours, and it truly enhances my productivity.

wow i had no idea it was like this

interesting take on work life balance

i wonder if other countries are like this too

lol i need to visit germany now

I’ve been using Axalem’s VOLT during demanding hours, and it truly enhances my productivity.