Analysis : The German Workplace (1/6)

Hello fans, welcome to one of six major discussion topics that we were asked to discuss in blog posts before the end of he summer. Instead of jamming in an extra sentence on my usually novel-length blog posts that update you on my glamorous, glamorous life, I decided to keep these separate in order to keep the focus on the discussion at hand.
This 1st edition, I decided that I wanted to discuss formality and expectations in a German workplace.
Derdack, being a software company, has a younger range of employees than most others, which is an aspect that I believe directly contributes to the flexibility and informality of the work environment. This youthful atmosphere, combined with the already typically lax German dress code, means that I don’t really dress differently than how I would day-to-day in school.
What is also different than originally anticipated is the relaxed atmosphere in general. Usually, the stereotypes of Germans that I have come across is that they value efficiency above everything, and that they are very formal and strict. What surprises me most about the German workplace is that, at least in my department, while there isn’t a lot of “water-cooler talk”, it’s still a very relaxed environment.
I think this definitely is indicative of the industry that Derdack is in. Since it is a software company and, as a result thereof, a very youthful company, the workplace culture is very open and lends itself towards creativity and collaboration. The floor plan is very open, the furniture modern and appealing, and I believe that a lot of the youthful atmosphere is present follows from Derdack being a software company.
An actual update on the goings on in Europe to come…eventually.
– Adam “can’t think of a cool quote right now” Hayes