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When is it right to address a colleague as ‘Du’?

Stepping gingerly through the minefield of whether to use formal "Sie" or informal "du" with your colleagues is one of the toughest things about working in Germany for foreigners. But one firm wants to do away with it altogether.

When is it right to address a colleague as 'Du'?
Tourist office workers hold up a sign encouraging visitors to use 'du' in Oberstaufen, Bavaria, in 2011. Photo: DPA

“Anyone who wants to address a board member as 'du' can do so,” Hans-Otto Schrader, chairman of the Otto Group, told Wirtschafts Woche last week.

It's a big step in a society in which some people remain picky about the level of formality people use with one another.

Making the leap from “Sie” – the formal “you” – to “du” – its intimate version – has historically been a significant moment in any interpersonal relationship in Germany.

Some colleagues work together for decades without ever switching to the intimate form. Chancellor Angela Merkel sticks to the formal “Sie” with her office manager and close confidante Beate Baumann, for example.

That makes a company-wide email letting 53,000 employees know it's okay to use “du” with him quite a statement for Otto's chairman of the board.

But for Schrader, dropping the formal “Sie” – which some see as an important part of keeping a distance from colleagues, while others find it stuffy – is “a sort of verbal starting gun for our Cultural Change 4.0 project”.

Of course, Schrader said, there is no obligation to use “du” for those who want to stick to an older idea of German professionalism.

The chairman also encourages employees to call him by his acronym – Hos – which he thinks sounds “fresher” than double-barrelled, traditional “Hans-Otto”.

Hard to spot a trend

Linguist Dr Lutz Kuntzsch of the Society for the German Language (GfdS) told The Local that the Otto Group decision was unlikely to spark a trend.

“I've been observing this for 20 or 30 years, and there are always waves,” he explained. “It happens every five or ten years that someone says 'du' is gaining the advantage.”

People who try and insist on the familiar form are “hoping to create intimacy”, Kuntzsch added. “I don't find it bad, but it's an exaggerated kind of trust”.

“That can lead to big problems – for example, if this boss is speaking to someone to fire them then he might be more uncomfortable.”

Ultimately, “German has two pronouns, an intimate and a formal form, and that's how it grew up historically. And there's a reason for that,” Dr Kuntzsch said.

What you said

In a totally unscientific poll of The Local's followers on Twitter and Facebook, most people who replied said “du” was much more common in their workplace.

“I liken it to Americans using “sir”, it doesn't sit well with me,” Henry Barber wrote on Facebook. “I always used 'du' because I'm a dumb foreigner.”

“I believe most Germans like 'du' better, so I use it too,” Pierre-Nicholas Fragasso wrote.

“With soloist colleagues, [I've used 'du'] immediately, with conductors, it depends. Directors always use “Sie” with choir but “du” with soloists,” professional singer Andrew Finden told The Local on Twitter.

“With the boss I've had both formal and informal scenarios,” he went on, but “mostly they're happy if we speak German at all”.

One hotel worker said that she used “du” with colleagues and her boss and “Sie” with most guests.

“We're all roughly the same age and it's a small venue, so I'm not surprised,” she explained.

In the Berlin startup world, things seemed to be completely relaxed, with several people telling us that “du” was the norm – “even with the 50-something Bayern [Bavarian] C-level executives.”

Meanwhile, German readers had their own two cents to add.

“You should use 'du' only when someone has invited you to do it with them. Sie is the polite norm,” Felix Vestfall wrote.

“One-sided use of 'du' shows a lack of respect and infringes against personal rights,” another said.

While it's unlikely you'll see the inside of a courtroom if you use the wrong form in the office, we at The Local suggest that it's still safer to check with your colleague before switching to 'du'.

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

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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