This article is bullshit fluff. In Germany, I've witnessed excellent efficiency of course, but most of the workers are dicking around just as much as their counterparts from any other country. They're not machines, after all.

I won't get into details, but here's some first hand observations: the health care is great, the pay is average, the taxes are high, the Internet is average, working hours are average and there is no minimum salary (also there are people who work 9-6 incl. Saturdays, mostly foreigners), people are great, crime is low, language is hard, opportunities through the roof, business is hard (esp. compared to the US and nearby UK), basic living prices are OK, but any "luxuries" are expensive.

Writing from Germany, this article is shallow and stereotypical due to not being well researched.

Please don't read it, or forget what you read in it; not all work is good work, and you shouldn't value bad work; this article is a bad article.

Do they actually produce more? It seems like they produce almost 15% less per hour worked than Americans for example.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PP...

And while the stats here are collated, it's not nearly as worthless a measure as nominal GDP of the whole country.

In Europe (according to Eurostat so possibly using comparable methodology), they're behind France.

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init...

History has given us an image of crazy-efficient labour-soldiers and (evil) thinkers, which is passed on with articles like this.

In reality Germany is just an export nation with solid centuries-old world-known brands, a currency of an emerging country [0] and stagnating wages [1], producing luxury and investment goods, while Asia's growth creates demand for these like crazy.

[0]: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2013/06/20/greece-d...

[1]: http://www.diw.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=diw_01.c.342374.de

French are working even less and produce even more: http://www.businessinsider.com/are-the-french-the-most-produ...

Interesting, but feels a bit like pop-sociology. Any citations? Any evidence that this isn't just broad brush generalisations based on anecdotes and stereotypes?

If you're reading about the focus of Germans and wishing that described you (i.e. you want to cut out Facebook, gmail, etc.), there are a lot of technological solutions that can move you in the right direction. For me the pair that have worked best are TagTime and Beeminder. I'm not where I want to be on focus, but having a constant incentive to focus well has substantially moved the needle on that.

A pothole of stereotypes combined with cheesy imagery. Seriously, why the upvotes?

The article just narrates this documentary by BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bTKSin4JN4

In article, it compares with US, documentary compares with UK.

Well, the reason Germans produce more is because they have more industry.

Machines could do the work of lots of people and Germany has lots of capital, lots of automation and lots of organization.

What I hate about Germany is their Winter. I would happily live there 6 months a year, the other six in Argentina, SA or Australia.

Studies shows Scandinavians usually put in fewer hours than people form other european countries. Bosses normally don't stay late at the office to make sure employees do what they are told. Instead there are lot's of long meetings where tasks are delegated.

Even if they work less hours in average, this is the french people who is the most productive. And this is probably related.

http://www.businessinsider.com/are-the-french-the-most-produ...