Is coming five minutes late an issue to Germans? How much tardiness do they consider impolite? And do they manage to always be on time themselves? Euromaxx reporter Josephine Günther investigates.
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00:00 I'm German and most people think of me as a really punctual person,
00:05 because punctuality is Germany's number one virtue.
00:08 But to be really honest, I'm not always on time,
00:11 and now I want to find out whether Germans really are that punctual.
00:16 Hold on, wait, I'm here too. I'm your inner German, your little German conscience,
00:20 and I can tell you I would be always punctual.
00:24 Well, if you say so, let's have a look at how punctual Germans are in their free time, in public life and at work.
00:32 Sounds good. I will be there to show you that we are always on time.
00:36 Germans and the workplace, something immediately associated with punctuality and efficiency.
00:45 Let's head to the office to see if it's actually true.
00:48 Oh, but you're cutting it close.
00:50 Not really. It only takes me 15 minutes to get to my work.
00:53 The meeting is at 8.
00:54 But if the train is delayed or something else happened, you would definitely arrive late.
00:58 Your boss is relying on you to be on time.
01:00 OK, maybe you're right. I can move on.
01:03 Now I'm much too early.
01:10 Well, really, you can't show up for this meeting this early either.
01:13 "Fünf Minuten vor der Zeit ist des Deutschen Pünktlichkeit."
01:17 This German saying means you have to arrive five minutes earlier to be on time.
01:22 Oh man, I will get a coffee first then.
01:24 Oh, yeah.
01:26 Bye bye. See you tomorrow.
01:30 That still has to be taken care of, please.
01:32 Of course.
01:33 Hold on, it's five o'clock. Time to go home.
01:38 But I've still got to finish this up.
01:40 But it's Feierabend. We're out of here.
01:43 You think so?
01:44 Yeah, sure. We Germans like to leave work on time.
01:47 Going by the world average, we only work a little overtime because we're efficient and we leave and arrive punctual.
01:54 Yes, we've been doing less and less overtime. That's true.
01:56 Especially compared to other countries.
01:59 But punctual and efficient we are not always.
02:02 I've got to finish this now and I will leave in 15 minutes. Deal?
02:05 Deal.
02:06 A typical working day, you could definitely say that Germans place great value on punctuality at work.
02:11 And it is also rooted in work culture.
02:14 But what about in their free time?
02:16 Let's see.
02:17 I'm meeting my friend Lisa now.
02:20 We are on time.
02:25 Sure, I don't want to make her wait.
02:28 Now, where is she?
02:29 I'm sure she will be along right away. Don't worry.
02:33 Check your mobile again.
02:34 Has she texted you?
02:35 No, she hasn't. That's odd.
02:40 It's impolite. She's wasting our time.
02:43 In fact, most surveys show that the majority of Germans expect people being on time or a maximum of five minutes late.
02:50 Sorry I'm so late. My mobile phone battery ran out.
02:53 Otherwise I would have let you know, of course.
02:55 No problem.
02:57 And Germans love it when you apologize for being late.
03:00 Then everything is forgiven and forgotten.
03:02 Me too.
03:03 Coffee again soon.
03:05 See you. Bye.
03:06 And what about parties?
03:07 As a punctual German, when is a good time to arrive?
03:11 Well, then it gets a bit tricky because often how punctual you are at the party depends a lot on the context.
03:17 But who's really on time at a party?
03:19 We are. And we have to bring something. So hurry up.
03:23 Off we go.
03:23 Oh, what are you doing here already?
03:34 Didn't you say eight o'clock?
03:36 Oh, it was from eight o'clock.
03:38 Brief summary.
03:41 From eight o'clock means no one expecting you to be on time.
03:44 But the context is important.
03:46 If it's a small gathering, you're more likely to arrive punctually.
03:49 And if there is food, then you will also probably arrive on time.
03:53 OK, but then you should really ask if you can help her to get something ready.
03:58 Oh, sorry. Can I help you get something ready?
04:00 Yeah, sure. With pleasure. Come in.
04:01 This whole punctuality isn't that easy.
04:07 We can agree. At work, the Germans are very punctual.
04:10 In their private life, they're more relaxed.
04:12 But what about the public life? Let's say if I take a trip somewhere.
04:15 Hold on. Isn't it weird that the train is not here?
04:24 No, not really.
04:25 This isn't typical for Germany at all.
04:28 Ten minutes? That can't be true.
04:35 To be honest, that happens all the time. Just relax.
04:38 Our trains are fairly unreliable by EU measures.
04:41 We're in 19th place out of 27.
04:44 Surprised?
04:45 But that won't work. Then we'll be late to our meeting.
04:48 Don't worry. I factored that in, of course.
04:50 We will still arrive on time.
04:52 The train is delayed by 35 minutes.
04:55 And now?
04:56 Well, now we've got it.
04:57 The truth most probably doesn't bear up the cliché.
05:00 Although we do love being on time.
05:03 Totally. Germans hold punctuality in high regard.
05:06 And it's all firmly rooted in German culture and history.
05:09 How punctual are you? Share it in the comment section.