First published on TechieStory, 11 March 2021: archived copy. TechieStory also ran it in Vietnamese: archived copy. Roles and plans are as of that date.
"Straightforward" is how I describe the life here. They'll come at you with no sugarcoating.
I've worked in system architecture in Vietnam for nearly 10 years, from enterprises to banking and startups. I moved to Germany in the middle of 2019 and embarked on a new chapter. It was a culture shock in working style, I have to admit. Back in Vietnam, pings and small talk during work are normal. We think of those as real-time updates or feedback on the work, which don't interrupt people's working zone much.
So I did the same thing in Germany. In the performance review, they told me that was very annoying. "We somehow feel disrespected," they said.
"Oh jeez, thank you for letting me know that," I answered. "That's what we do in Vietnam, to keep the team posted."
Privacy in working time is the top priority here. Everyone has their daily plans. It's our job to take that seriously. If we need something, they'd prefer a booking in advance. That also keeps us from interrupting their working pace. People don't talk about work after 4 PM. They're likely to arrange the workload, plan for tomorrow, and enjoy the rest of the day in the sunlight. They crave that yellow heat. They value individual points of view in the workplace. Retrospective meetings are meant to locate the issue and seek a resolution. Having nothing to contribute in terms of improvement is also a concern. We don't make a decision just because a lot of people vote for it. It takes consensus and convincing.
Germans do everything conscientiously. Once something is released, it must reach the top-notch level. It's a critical mindset which I believe we all need to adopt. People tend to do many things at once, yet none of them actually come out perfectly. They're very thoughtful when it comes to leadership. Leaders do care about employees' lives outside of work. They pay real attention to work-life balance.
The labor cost in Germany is pretty high, so I basically do everything myself. Engineer, electrician, plumber, chef, car-washer, and hairdresser as well. See this haircut? Been mastering it since 2019.