Exercise 11

Exercise 11

Despite the fact that Germany is one of the richest countries in the world, many German people are sick: “Burnout” is an epidemic problem in Germany. Many workers suffer from debilitating stress. Reason for this, among others, is that Germans work more hours a year than people in any other member nation. A 35-hour workweek is standard in Germany´s manufacturing sector. Experts see Germany´s culture of hard work as a culprit behind burnout. A survey form Gallup, the polling organization, found that as many as 4.1 million of the 40 million German workers have experienced mental or emotional distress. The car maker Volkswagen blocks emails after office hours and releases them to workers´ inboxes the next workday, to support the work-life balance of the employee. Another company called Daimler has a social counselling office for time of personal crisis. Although minor effects can be seen, there is still a long way to go to reduce the appearance of burnout in German society.