244 CultureShock! Austria
of hers while she was studying, to the informal per Du with
the same teachers after she herself was accepted as an equal
doing the same work.Human Factors in the Working Environment
A lot of thought is put into trying to make employees happy in
their working environment. There is an awareness of human
factors such as natural lighting, spacious room (no cubicles) and
plenty of ventilation. Bathrooms in offices are enclosed and
provide much-needed privacy.ATTITUDE TOWARDS BUSINESS
Austrians are not known to pursue their career aggressively.
However, they are very aggressive against equal or lower
ranks. They want to maintain and protect their job and
salary (which they never speak about to one another) from
younger, aspiring colleagues. It could be equated to a cat-
and-mouse game.Wheeling and Dealing
Austrians are thought of as businesspeople who don’t like to
have things in black and white, but who rather enjoy the idea
of bargaining and trying different ways to get what they want.
There is a saying, ‘In Wien beginnt der Balkan ...’, literally
‘the Balkans begin in Vienna’. In a sense, the old-fashioned
marketplace is still at work.The Private Businessperson
The average businessperson is content to get the job done. It is
very rarely that one puts in overtime or works on the weekend
to do more than expected. In general, management doesn’t
create enough incentive to encourage a faster pace of work,
or to bring out the full creative potential of its workforce.Social Security
Every Austrian is covered by a comprehensive social
security system that ranks among the best in the world.
In addition to welfare benefits, a pension plan and health,