When I first moved to Germany in 2016, I knew I would need to adjust to a new country, a new language and a LOT of new bureaucracy. What I did not fully understand yet was that I would also need to adjust to a new kind of workplace culture.
And that adjustment was not just about learning how German companies work. It was also about learning how different companies can feel completely different from each other, even when they are in the same country.
In the past 20 years, I have worked in several different environments: city government, startups, large German companies, academic publishing, tech and now education. Some were fast-moving and informal. Some were structured and hierarchical. Some gave people a lot of ownership. Some expected every decision to move through the proper chain of command.
All of these experiences taught me something important:
Workplace culture is not just about what it feels like to work at a company or whether there are snacks and a free gym membership. It’s much more than that. It determines how decisions are made, how people communicate, how feedback is given, how much ownership you have and whether you can actually thrive at work.
So, if you are applying for jobs in Germany, especially if you are new to the German job market, it is worth learning how to recognize workplace culture before you accept an offer. And how you can figure out if it’s a fit for YOU.
Let’s talk about how.
What is workplace culture?
Workplace culture is the shared environment created by a company’s values, beliefs and behaviors. It is basically the personality of the company.
And just like people, companies have very different personalities.
Some companies are performance-driven. Some are people-focused. Some are competitive. Some are purpose-driven. Some are very flat and non-hierarchical, where you can have a casual conversation with the CEO. Others are highly hierarchical, where there are ten layers between you and senior leadership, and speaking outside your direct reporting line would raise some eyebrows.
Some companies are innovative and fast-moving. They can take an idea, build it and test it within a few weeks. Others are slower and more process-heavy. Every decision takes time, every stakeholder needs to be consulted and every step needs to be documented.
I am not saying one of these cultures is always better than the other. The real question is: what kind of culture works best for you?
Because a culture that feels energizing to one person may feel chaotic to someone else. A culture that feels stable and structured to one person may feel painfully slow and stifling to another.
This is why understanding workplace culture is not just about judging the company. It is also about understanding yourself.
German workplace culture versus others
Before we look at individual companies, it is helpful to talk about country-level workplace norms.
I’ll talk specifically about my experience, comparing workplace cultures in the US to Germany.
Of course, there are always exceptions. Not every German company is the same. Not every American company is the same. But after working in both environments, I have noticed some patterns that come up again and again.
In Germany, communication tends to be clear and direct. Feedback can be critical and specific. If something is not working, someone will likely tell you that directly.
In the United States, communication is often much more upbeat and positive. Sometimes too positive. Feedback can be wrapped in so much encouragement that it becomes hard to understand what the actual critique is.
In Germany, credibility is often proven through certificates, credentials and formal qualifications. Employers like to see clear proof that you are qualified for the work.
In the US, there is often more flexibility around background. Someone might study English literature, then work in tech. Someone might study art history, then move into business operations. The proof is often more about what you have done and delivered.
Decision-making also feels different. In many German companies, authority figures are expected to make decisions. Employees may be hesitant to move forward without leadership approval.
In the US, there is often more emphasis on empowerment at all levels. Even junior employees may be expected to spot problems, propose solutions and take action.
And then there are boundaries.
In Germany, work and personal life are often more clearly separated. It is normal to leave work at the end of the day and not check your laptop again that evening.
In the US, the boundary between work and home can be much blurrier. Evening emails, weekend work and out-of-hours calls are normal and often expected.
I am not saying one system is perfect and the other is wrong. Personally, I like a mix. I appreciate German directness and boundaries, but I also like the American sense of ownership and empowerment.
Your ideal mix may look completely different.
Two German companies can have completely different cultures
To make this more concrete, let’s compare two large hypothetical German-headquartered companies: one tech company and one publishing company.
Both are large, international companies. But culturally, they will feel completely different.
The tech company has perhaps 15,000 employees and a young, international workforce. Its culture feels competitive, customer-first and like a mature startup. There is a lot of internal mobility, a lot of energy and not always a standardized process for everything. People often have to figure things out as they go.
The publishing company with around 10,000 employees, has a much longer history and a more traditional business model. Its culture feels more hierarchical, slower-moving and people-focused. There is a process for almost everything, and many employees stayed in their roles for years or decades.
Even the offices told a story. The tech office is open, loud and full of people sitting side by side. The publishing office is quiet and traditional, with individual offices and closed doors.
I am just presenting these two companies as a tangible way to understand how culture can vary so drastically — and help you understand what you can expect and what is right for you!
Figure out what works best for you
Before you can evaluate whether a company’s culture is right for you, you need to know what kind of work environment helps you thrive.
This sounds obvious, but I do not think most people spend enough time reflecting on it.
We often ask: Can I get this job? Am I qualified? Will they hire me?
But we do not ask often enough: Is this actually an environment where I can do my best work, feel appreciated and build strong relationships?
A helpful exercise is to finish this sentence:
In order to thrive at work, I need…
For me, the answer includes colleagues I can trust. If someone says they will deliver something, I need to know they will actually deliver it.
I also need challenges that push me outside of my comfort zone. I like work that forces me to grow. I like feeling like I am building new skills.
I need to understand how my work contributes to the broader company strategy. I do not like working on isolated tasks without understanding the bigger picture.
I also need clear priorities that do not constantly change. There is nothing more demotivating to me than working on a project for months, only to be told it is no longer important and has been cancelled.
And I like projects that have a beginning, middle and end. I like the satisfaction of building something, finishing it and moving on to the next challenge.
You can also ask yourself:
My ideal working environment is…
For me, that means hybrid work, with flexibility to make my own arrangement. It means not too many meetings. It means efficient asynchronous communication over chat, instead of constant calls. It means no micromanagement of my daily schedule.
But that is just me.
Some people love in-person office life. Some people prefer phone calls to chat. Some people want a very structured environment with clear processes.
The goal is to understand your own preferences. Because once you know what helps you thrive, you can evaluate companies more clearly.
Find out about a company’s culture before you apply
The good news is that companies tell you a lot about their culture before you ever interview with them.
You just need to know where to look.
Start with the company website. But do not only look at the customer-facing homepage. If you are researching Netflix, for example, the homepage will show you movies and shows. That does not tell you much about what it is like to work there.
Instead, look for the corporate page, the careers page or the leadership page.
Look for terms like:
- “Our values”
- “Ways of working”
- “Culture”
- “Principles”
- “Life at…”
Different companies use different language, but most larger companies have some version of this.
You can also look at Glassdoor, Kununu, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media pages. Some companies now have dedicated “Life at Company” social media accounts where they show employee stories, office life, internal events and culture topics. Here are these pages for Zalando and GetYourGuide.
And of course, talk to people. Friends who are current or former employees can often tell you much more than a company website ever will.
You are gathering information and trying to uncover the story behind the story!
What company values can tell you
Let’s take Zalando as an example.
Zalando has a detailed list of company values. Some of them include customer focus, measurable impact, speed, finding solutions and “disagree and commit.”
That already tells you something.
A company that says “we are in a race” and “quick, adaptive execution of an imperfect plan beats slow execution of the perfect plan” is telling you that speed matters. Action matters. Customer impact matters. Waiting for the perfect answer is probably not going to be rewarded.
And from my experience, these values were not just decorative text on a website. They showed up in performance reviews. Employees were expected to explain how their work reflected those values.
That is a useful signal.
SAP, on the other hand, has a different set of values including: We win as one, We act with transparency, We take charge, We embrace curiosity.
After reviewing several companies, you can ask yourself: What behaviors would this company reward? Does that reward system match my own goals and priorities?
Values are not just branding. At their best, they are a preview of the behaviors you will be expected to demonstrate.
Ask the right questions in the interview
Let’s take it a step further. You’ve landed an interview at a company you like!
An interview is not just the company deciding whether you are right for them, it is also your chance to gather information and decide whether they are right for you.
How can you use this opportunity to better understand the company?
At some point in almost every interview, the interviewer will ask:
Do you have any questions for me?
The answer should always be yes.
Not because you need to perform interest, but because the interview is also your chance to evaluate the company.
This is your chance to ask about culture directly.
You can start with a simple question:
If you had to describe the culture in three words, what would they be?
That question is useful, but it will probably get you a polished answer. So it is also important to ask more specific questions.
For example:
How involved are employees in shaping company strategy?
This tells you a lot about hierarchy, decision-making and whether employees at different levels have a voice.
You can ask:
How are discussions usually handled here — in meetings, in chat, by email or by phone?
This may sound like a small detail, but it matters. When I moved between companies, I experienced a real communication culture shock. Previously I was used to doing almost everything through chat and quick meetings. My work phone was basically always dead because no one called me.
Then I started at a new company. My manager called me during my working hours for a quick conversation.
Neither approach is wrong. But it was a big difference, and I had not expected it.
You can also ask:
How often do employees give and receive feedback?
This helps you understand whether feedback is structured, casual, direct, rare or constant.
You can ask:
How do promotions and career progression work?
This is especially important if career growth matters to you. Some companies have clear promotion cycles and salary reviews. Others are much less structured. Some companies have lots of internal mobility. Others expect people to stay in the same role for a long time.
You can also ask:
What kind of person tends to do really well here?
This is one of my favorite questions because it often reveals the unwritten rules.
Maybe they say: “People who take ownership and move quickly.” Maybe they say: “People who are patient and good at stakeholder management.” Maybe they say: “People who are comfortable with ambiguity.” Maybe they say: “People who follow process carefully.”
Listen closely. They are telling you what the company rewards.
What to do with the information
Once you gather this information, compare it with what you know about yourself.
- If you need clear priorities and the company says priorities change constantly, pay attention.
- If you need flexibility and the company expects everyone in the office five days a week, pay attention.
- If you love fast-moving environments and the company is very process-heavy, pay attention.
- If you need psychological safety and the company describes its culture as “competitive” without also describing trust, support or collaboration, pay attention.
This does not mean you should reject every company that is not a perfect match. No workplace is perfect.
But you should go in with open eyes.
Sometimes a mismatch is manageable. Sometimes it is a dealbreaker. The point is to know the difference before you accept the offer, not six months later when you are exhausted and wondering why the job feels so wrong.
Final thoughts
Workplace culture can feel abstract, but it shows up in very concrete ways.
It shows up in what’s expected of you (either explicitly or implicitly). It shows up in whether feedback is direct or vague. It shows up in whether junior employees are empowered to solve problems. It shows up in whether there’s a clear, transparent process for promotions. It shows up in whether people trust each other and feel comfortable enough to make mistakes.
And for people entering the German job market for the first time, understanding culture is a skill that helps you find a better match and grow your career.
The more you understand workplace culture, the better you can choose environments where you will actually succeed.
So before you apply, research the company.
Before you interview, understand your own needs.
And when you are in the interview, ask real questions.
Because getting the job is only one part of the process.
The bigger question is whether the job gives you the environment you need to do your best work.