Etiquette And Customs That Foreigners Must Know About Before Setting Up Business In Germany

Today, Germany has emerged as the largest and the most diverse marketplace in Europe and across the globe. This has been one of the major reasons for attracting investors and businesses from various parts of the world to choose Germany for their business expansion projects. The relative ease of company formation in Germany and its operation after the establishment has further enhanced this trend. However, many times, such businesses fail to get the desired results despite all the support and flexibility that drew them to the country in the first place. This mainly happens due to lack of proper planning and preparation, especially in terms of building positive professional relationships and understanding the local working practices.

Hindrances Faced By Foreign Investors

Like most other countries, Germany has a unique work culture build through years of adherence to specific values and traditions. Sadly, a majority of foreign investors seem to be unaware of the fact that this work culture still forms a part and parcel of the everyday life of German people. This inability of the foreign investors to appreciate the significance of business etiquette, customs, and culture of the country has proven to be one of the biggest roadblocks in their efforts of forging good working relationships with their German business partners. In fact, many such investors consider the task of gaining awareness about these aspects too insignificant, which can be quite offensive for the native people. This situation can be avoided by learning about the below discussed key etiquettes and customs that are integral to German work culture.

Keeping Work And Leisure Time Separate

Germans are known for keeping their professional and personal lives completely separate. They rarely, if ever mix work with fun and strictly adhere to the time allotted for both these activities. This also ensures that their attitude towards their colleagues at work is entirely different from their attitude towards their family and friends.

Preference For Proper Prior Planning

People considering the idea of setting up a company in Germany, need to understand that the people of this country like to be well-prepared and organized. They do not like to be surprised, especially when it comes to business and prefer to work with people who display an ability to plan ahead. They also do not appreciate any sudden changes in business strategy, processes, and practices as they consider them to be indicative of weak leadership.

Strict Adherence To Rules and Regulations

Germans display great respect for leading a well-regulated and lawful life. They believe that doing so helps in establishing clear expectations and developing better professional relationships. Hence they tend to strictly adhere to various rules and regulations governing the setting up and function of a business establishment.

Lack Of Humour In Business Dealings

Conducting business deals in a light-hearted and humorous manner is frowned upon in Germany. Most aspects of setting up a GmbH in Germany are carried out in an extremely serious and no-nonsense environment. This is because levity and humor are generally considered to be indicative of a lack of concentration, commitment, and maturity and tends to raise serious doubts about the trustworthiness of an individual.