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Most Germans ‘have had an office romance’

Germans are more than happy to mix work with pleasure – more than half say they have had an office romance, according to recent survey. Getting amorous in the actual office was still a no-no, though.

Published: 24 July 2012 10:39 CEST

Most Germans 'have had an office romance'

Photo: DPA

A full 60 percent said they had had a clinch with a colleague, while half of those who had not, said they would not rule it out. Nine out ten said they reckoned it was okay to sleep with colleagues, Bild newspaper said on Monday.

In fact, 25 percent of the 1,110 people asked by job portal kalaydo.de said they had their eye on a colleague with hopes to spark up an office romance.

Chances were that they would not be making a move at an office party though, as just 15 percent of workplace romances began at a work do.

Remaining true to their reputation for practicality, 20 percent of Germans who have had, or were currently in the throes of an office romance said it was with the person sitting next to them.

Most of those who were dating a colleague said seeing a couple kissing at work was absolutely unacceptable.

Just 12 percent said that holding hands was okay in front of colleagues and less than a quarter said they could stomach tender gazes across the water cooler.

But a fifth of employees also said that when other colleagues couple up, it ruined the atmosphere in the office. Among managers, a third said that they would tolerate workplace relationships, but would rather they didn’t happen.

A separate survey reported in Bild said that 34 percent of men said their favourite place to have sex was in a chair, and that desks were a firm favourite for adult fun, suggesting that many offices romances might not even make it out of the workplace.

The Local/jcw

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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