There's a German saying, Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps: work is work and drink is drink. It means the two don't mix. Germans tend to work focused hours, then stop completely. Emails after six often wait until the morning, and nobody apologises for leaving on time.
That attitude is built into the language. The words below describe how a working week is organised, what you're entitled to, and how a job begins and ends.
The Working Day
the time after work
der Feierabend
working hours
die Arbeitszeit
lunch break
die Mittagspause
flexitime
die Gleitzeit
core hours
die Kernarbeitszeit
overtime
die Überstunden
time off in lieu
der Freizeitausgleich
working from home
das Homeoffice
shift work
die Schichtarbeit
part time
die Teilzeit
full time
die Vollzeit
Practice these words
der Feierabend
Gleitzeit: many offices let you start and finish when you like, as long as you're there during the Kernarbeitszeit, often around 9:00 to 15:00, and the hours add up. Overtime then goes into an Arbeitszeitkonto, an hours account, and comes back as time off.
The law: under current rules a working day may normally be 8 hours, at most 10. Plans to replace this daily limit with a weekly one are under discussion. Sunday work is the exception, not the rule, outside hospitals, restaurants and transport.
Time Off
holiday
der Urlaub
days of annual leave
die Urlaubstage
holiday request
der Urlaubsantrag
public holiday
der Feiertag
bridge day
der Brückentag
calling in sick
die Krankmeldung
sick note
die Krankschreibung
parental leave
die Elternzeit
special leave
der Sonderurlaub
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der Urlaub
Good to know: the legal minimum is 20 days of holiday a year for a five-day week. Most full-time contracts give 25 to 30. Germans take their holiday, often in a block of two or three weeks, and colleagues plan around it.
Brückentag: when a public holiday falls on a Thursday, many people take the Friday off too. Offices are half-empty, and holiday requests for these days go in early.
Starting and Leaving a Job
employment contract
der Arbeitsvertrag
probation period
die Probezeit
notice of termination
die Kündigung
notice period
die Kündigungsfrist
to resign
kündigen
to be dismissed
gekündigt werden
termination agreement
der Aufhebungsvertrag
reference letter
das Arbeitszeugnis
works council
der Betriebsrat
collective agreement
der Tarifvertrag
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der Arbeitsvertrag
Watch out: kündigen works in both directions. Ich habe gekündigt means "I resigned". Mir wurde gekündigt means "I was let go". Mixing them up gives the opposite story.
Probezeit: the first months of a job, at most six, are a trial period. Either side can end the contract with two weeks' notice. After that, longer notice periods apply: your contract or a collective agreement states them, and otherwise the law does.
A Betriebsrat is an elected staff council. Any workplace with at least five permanent employees can elect one, and it has a say on working hours, holidays and dismissals.
Phrases About Work Life
I'm finishing for the day.
Ich mache Feierabend.
I'm doing overtime today.
Ich mache heute Überstunden.
I'm off sick.
Ich bin krankgeschrieben.
I've handed in my notice.
Ich habe gekündigt.
I'm still in my probation period.
Ich bin noch in der Probezeit.
I've taken Friday off.
Ich habe mir den Freitag freigenommen.
Practice these words
Ich mache Feierabend.
The Secret Code of the Arbeitszeugnis
When you leave a job, you have a legal right to an Arbeitszeugnis, a written reference. Ask for a qualifiziertes Zeugnis, the version that grades your work; otherwise you may only get one confirming your job and dates. It must be worded kindly, so employers developed a code. Every sentence sounds positive, and the grade hides in the small words.
| What it says | What it really means |
|---|---|
stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit | very good |
stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit | good |
zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit | satisfactory |
zu unserer Zufriedenheit | adequate |
im Großen und Ganzen zu unserer Zufriedenheit | poor |
Er bemühte sich, die Aufgaben zu erledigen. | he tried, and failed |
Sie war stets pünktlich. | punctuality was her strongest point |
Read your own Arbeitszeugnis carefully when you receive it. Look for stets, "always", and for what's missing: a reference that doesn't thank you or wish you well at the end is a quiet warning to the next employer. If the wording is weaker than your work, ask for a correction. Many people do.