Stereotypes and reality

Often stereotypes have a tinge of reality to them. Here's an excerpt from a New York Times article on Southern Europeans coming to Germany to work:

Many of the Spaniards say the work environment in Germany takes getting used to, with Germans far more direct than Spanish people and much quieter. No one makes personal calls during business hours, for instance. But the work day is much shorter.

They were surprised that they were expected to greet co-workers each morning with formal handshakes and to call colleagues “Herr” and “Frau” (Mr. and Ms.). Impromptu hallway conversations over work issues were cut off by Germans suggesting it would be more appropriate to schedule a formal meeting.

The German fondness for order, often joked about, has proved true, said Carlos Baixeras, 30, an engineer who started working near Frankfurt 18 months ago. “There are rules for everything,” he said. “There’s a trash police.”

This article reminded me of something that I'd read before - that Germans work fewer hours than those in the more-economically-troubled European countries. Perhaps some of that might be due to the efficiency that some of these rules allow. (i.e. to a greater extent separating business and personal life).

The talk of the shortage of education labour in Germany reminded me of another thing that I discovered a while back - would you believe that, despite the talk of Europe's woes, the Netherlands and Germany both have lower unemployment rates than Canada and the United States?

(HT: MR)