My First Week

I have only been doing this internship for a week now, but have already gained valuable insight into how Germans do business.  I have even corrected some of my misguided notions about it.  First off, I did not realize that normal business hours are from 9 to 6 and that they take the average eight hour workday seriously.  I had thought before that the work day would be shorter with less getting done.  But, I was wrong.  I have also figured out that in addition to not only ensuring that they actually work eight hours a day, they take the their work also very seriously.  It is almost like they have two different personalities in one body.  The same people who I knew to be laid back and easy going were bustling and aggressive at work.

I have also found that they like everything to be in order and that they have set channels for how things should be done.  They have an exact way of answering the phone, leaving messages, correcting errors, taking lunch, and everything.  This is in addition to their normal strict habit of being on time.  Each business has a set time that they all go to lunch, they open, they close, and that certain things happen.  These are held to very strictly and if someone is late, it leaves a very bad impression and is seen as very unprofessional.

Another very important thing I have learned is that in addition to taking their work very seriously, they expect people to be reliable and fulfill their obligations and promises.  When someone does not do this, then it becomes much more fierce and there is a lot more confrontation.  In America we tend to avoid confrontation in business, but I have found that the Germans are not afraid to put you in your place, especially if you interfere with their work.  Going along with this, there is a lot more emphasis on personal contacts and recommendations.  When a business needs something done, they find someone by who they have worked with before and who has been recommended by someone.  They almost always attempt to do it this way before looking for someone they don't know.

I am only a week into my internship and already have learned so many important things that would have interfered with me doing business in Germany.  For example, I had only up till now lived and celebrated with the Germans.  Therefore I had always thought that they were also as laid back at work, this is obviously not the case and if I would have attempted to do business with them in such a laid back fashion, they would not have taken me seriously.  Going along with this, I would not have had set procedures for doing smaller things such as answering the phone, but that would of been another mistake on my part and would have made me seem less reliable.

So, my first week is done and I feel like I have learned more about German business here than I ever could have in any classroom.  I feel that I am learning so many little things that make a German business run smoothly and that is different than an American business.  I am definitely way better interning here and am excited to go back to work next week.