When you “work black” over here in Germany you’re working without paying any of those ridiculously high German Abgaben (taxes, social security and pension costs and who knows what else). You know, instead of hiring a painter to paint your apartment and give you a proper bill, you hire him or somebody else on the side and pay half?

Well, every once in a while German government and media types pretend like this is a bad thing and get upset for a few days and talk about how, this time, for example, 30 billion Euros in revenue is being funneled away from the state due to this dreadfully immoral Schwarzarbeit (black work) stuff and everyone should stop doing it right now this minute honest and seriously we really mean it this time, folks. You know, be better people and all that?

The problem is that nobody here will even consider stopping hiring and working black, not as long as the German state isn’t prepared to reduce these high Abgaben of theirs, at least when it comes to work like this. And a reduction like this, of course, as everybody knows, is out of the question. Why, nobody knows. It just is.

A third of all Germans employ people this way, according to a recent survey. And the interesting thing, I find, is just who is doing the hiring. Some 39 percent of those hiring Schwarzarbeiter are retirees. The next biggist group with 28 percent is the childless DINK couple kind of people kind of group. But apparently only 18 percent of families with kids have the money to cheat the government out of, well, the money. They’ve given it all up by already having paid those Abgaben somewhere else, it seems.

„Allerdings plagt vier von fünf Bundesbürgern laut Umfrage keinerlei schlechtes Gewissen, wenn sie Schwarzarbeiter beschäftigen.“

Known for never ever giving up no matter what or at least not until the Frührente comes in, Germans everywhere were shocked to discover yesterday that the other Germans everywhere all around them have just as lousy an attitude about work as they do. At least when it comes to “motivation” they do, whatever that is.

 According to the latest Gallup poll, and there’s always a latest Gallup poll, nearly 90 percent of German employees asked don’t feel any particular obligation to the company they work for. The “Engagement Index 2008” indicates that only about 13 percent of those employed are still highly motivated whereas 67 percent prefer the tried and true Dienst nach Vorschrift (working to the rule, the minimum and no more) employee model. Every fifth German has already “quit inside”, although physically still present at work, in a way. Damn. Could this be a variation of what the Germans used to call “internal exile” during World War II, only different? Some things never change, I guess.

This phenomenon presents problems for companies we are told (duh). Less motivated employees tend to call in sick more often and, heaven forbid, even leave the company for another company where they can call in sick at. Unfortunately, with times being what they are, there aren’t that many companies willing or even able to hire these poorly motivated types anymore so they have to stay put and it’s just a vicious circle I tell you and very demotivating which does very little in terms of motivation.

And the real Hammer (doozie)? Experts say it actually makes no difference whether the economy is booming or in decline, it appears that Germans don’t like their work because they don’t like who they are working for. They don’t like working for other Germans, in other words. They’re not motivated enough or something, I guess.

 „Die geringe emotionale Bindung der Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland ist nicht neu. Bereits seit Jahren seien die schlechten Werte stabil.“