Doing Business in Austria 243Sie
In addressing one another, one’s boss is either Mr (Herr) or
Ms (Frau), followed by the family name. The boss is always
addressed with the formal ‘you’ (per Sie). If someone were
your elder, the same formality would be applicable. For your
colleagues, begin with the formal ‘you’ (per Sie) and then,
after a while, you should be able to use the informal ‘you’
(per Du).
In academia, Herr Professor or Frau Professor is used to
address a teacher. Frau Professor could also be the wife of a
professor, but the same would not apply to a man married to
a Frau Professor. The title Doktor is held by a PhD, a master’s
degree begets you a Herr or a Frau Magister, and for an
engineer (who, like Herr Magister, also has had six years of
university training), a Diplom-Ingenieur.
Colleagues
Most expatriates who work in managerial positions do
get along well with their Austrian subordinates. There are
differences in work ethics, but the boss is treated with
respect. For an expatriate with an Austrian employer, the
offices are comfortable to work in. The formality, however,
can be stifling. There isn’t much laughing or joking around.
The people you work with are all referred to as colleagues
(Kollege/Kollegin), meaning people you will only relate to in a
business or formal setting. Most often, you will refer to each
other by last name only. It is understood that colleagues are
not people you mix with on a social basis. There is a tendency
to keep work and social time separate and the company
doesn’t put pressure on its employees to get together for
social events.
The flip side of the stuffiness is that it serves to protect
one’s private sphere and keeps working relationships
uncomplicated and free of silliness, wounding gossip and ugly
bickering. The time it takes to get to know other Austrians
is valuable, as it allows a slow, peaceful and respectful
development of the relationship. A friend of Julie’s who is
now a professor at the Music School in Vienna appreciated the
transition between using the formal per Sie with professors