The Power of Punctuality

I still remember the moment I realised Germany wasn’t quite what I had assumed. It was 2011 and the first day of a new job. Knowing the importance that Germans give to time keeping, I left home early to catch the train. My German was pretty poor, so when the first announcement came over the station tannoy system, I didn’t really pay much attention. It was only when the people next to me began making exasperated noises as the announcement was repeated that I suddenly realised something was wrong. I asked in my basic German what it was saying. Noticing my nervous speech and overall confusion, a member of the group replied in English ‘The train will be late’.

It seems stupid looking back on this moment, but I remember that I couldn’t really take in what was being said to me. ‘Late?’ I stammered. ‘Yes, 20 minutes late they say’ came the reply. I still couldn’t get my head around it. Up until that point, I had truly believed that all German trains ran like clockwork - after all, punctuality was an immutable truth in Germany. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of that day’s lesson on the realities of life here.

Arriving at the office, I headed to a meeting room that had been reserved for my English class. I was training a manager at a large industrial company, and as I set up the room, I wondered what my new student would be like. I sat patiently as the clock counted down to my first real lesson, but as the appointed time arrived, there was still no student. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. After twenty minutes they still hadn’t turned up and I was growing increasingly certain that I had gone to the wrong room. I even opened the door to check the room number. Eventually, the door swung open and in walked my student. He introduced himself and proceeded to take a seat, and only later would I realise that my new student hadn’t even apologised for missing almost half the class. I was dumbfounded. First the train and now this student? How had everyone been so wrong about German punctuality?

When I think about that moment, it’s hard not to laugh at my naivety. What I know now, but didn’t back then, is that German timekeeping is not as straightforward as simply being on time. Like most intercultural assumptions, how important punctuality is depends not just on culture, but upbringing, region, and most importantly of all, power dynamics. For example, getting a doctors appointment is pretty simple. I call, they give me a time, and I arrive at my doctor’s office a few minutes early, clutching my insurance card. They scan the card and then I wait with all the other patients that have also been given exactly the same time. There is no indication how long the wait will be, nor in what order patients will be seen. Sometimes I’ll be first, sometimes last. Sometimes I’ll be waiting 5 minutes, other times 25. You would assume from this process that being a little late wouldn’t really matter. You’d be wrong. Arriving late, even though we may have to wait, risks a scolding by both the receptionist and the doctor. Punctuality in a doctor’s office is what the doctor says it is, after all, they have the title, so they make the rules. If you don’t like it, tough. 

On the flip side, whenever my wife and I are invited somewhere and we arrive early, we’ll often wait in the car or outside until it reaches the exact time we were invited. Every person I know with a German partner has gone through the same experience, and more than one has had the same argument about taking time keeping too seriously. What does it matter if we’re a couple of minutes early? Apparently quite a lot, and actually it’s dumb question, or so I’m frequently told. For British people, there’s nothing worse than arriving on time to a party, even invitations to dinner don’t necessarily require punctuality. We have the concept of being “fashionably late”, a simple excuse that converts an inability to turn up on time into some glamorous personality trait.  

Germans don’t celebrate lateness in the same way. Being on time is generally considered to be polite and a sign of respect to others, which isn’t so different to the how the British see punctuality. However, the difference in Britain is that the window of lateness can extend to more than five minutes, whereas in Germany, anything after a minute will require and apology. Equally, the type of excuse you use is important. In Britain, traffic is an accepted reason for arriving late, and doubles as a handy small talk topic once someone arrives at their destination. In Germany, traffic is not an acceptable excuse, in fact, avoiding traffic should be a reason someone arrives on time. “You should have left earlier” is a common reply to the traffic excuse.

Sometimes the traffic excuse is accepted, but that often depends on the power dynamics in play. For example, some of my students are late to my lectures, and will sheepishly apologise for traffic or train timetabling, even if they’re only two minutes over. In the case of the student/lecturer relationship, the lecturer can seem benevolent if they choose to ignore the punctuality rules and not admonish a tardy student. In some instances it can improve the student/lecturer relationship and also create a relaxed learning environment. Conversely, punishing late comers can be a way to maintain order over unruly classrooms.

Punctuality can also be a weapon. In the corporate environment, turning up late to a meeting can be a way to show how important someone considers themselves to be. I’ve known managers and team leaders who regularly join meetings late in order to emphasise their own importance to a group of employees. It’s very much a “do as I say, not as I do” process. Punishing people for being late is also a common power move. Even within families, complaining directly about a family member's time keeping is a way of showing the familial hierarchies. In both cases it may be considered a form of bullying, especially if the time transgressions of one individual is singled out over the poor time keeping of others.

In the end, the rules of German punctuality are far more complex than I had assumed, way back on that platform in 2011. As a rule I try to be on time for everything, whether a family lunch, classes, or meetings. However, I can understand why many non-Germans find the German concept of punctuality difficult. The rules aren’t uniformly applied, and neither are the punishments for transgressing. Being told off for being late, even if only a few minutes, can seem unnecessarily harsh and nitpicky. The ultimate truth of German punctuality is this: being on time is vitally important, and Germans are always on time, except when they’re not.

Proofreader: @ScandiTina

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