![\"Joe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_1759895386782_1759895394794.jpg\" "\\"Joe")
Joe Baur moved from the United States to Germany in 2016(Facebook\/@BaurJoe) Job security<\/p>\nAn American man who has spent nine years living in Germany says the European country scores higher when it comes to employee wellbeing and work-life balance. Joe Baur spoke to Business Insider about his first-hand experience of living and working in Germany, comparing job security and employee perks vis-\u00e0-vis the United States.<\/p>\n
Joe Baur moved from the United States to Germany in 2016(Facebook\/@BaurJoe) Job security<\/p>\n
Baur said that in Germany, it is more difficult to fire an employee than it is in the US<\/p>\n
He explained that after the traditional six-month probationary period, it can be tough for an employer to fire an employee. \u201cMost businesses in the US operate under at-will employment, meaning employers can generally fire anyone for any reason, without warning,\u201d Baur told <\/a>Business Insider.<\/p>\n Germany, on the other hand, tends to favour employees over employers. It has several safeguards in place to ensure that companies cannot fire workers on a whim. Instead, the aim is to work with employees and sort out any issues.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, a company here needs to provide a termination notice and prove with documentation that they had a legitimate reason to fire someone. Or, prove that it was financially unable to maintain a certain position,\u201d Baur said.<\/p>\n Mandatory holidays<\/p>\n For Joe Baur, the \u201cgreatest perk\u201d of working in Germany is federally mandated vacation time, which the US doesn’t have.<\/p>\n Employees working a standard 5-day workweek must take 20 vacation days in a year.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, workers are encouraged to use them, too. Employers here are also supposed to notify employees of unused vacation days and encourage them to take them, though they can be rolled over until March 31 of the following year,\u201d Baur revealed.<\/p>\n He added that some companies offer additional mental health days on top.<\/p>\n Better work-life balance<\/p>\n Unlike in the US, where employees tend to feel chained to work 24\/7, Germans take vacation time seriously.<\/p>\n Baur revealed that many Germans close their inboxes and do not read work emails after logging out for the day. \u201cWhen someone here goes on vacation, I don’t expect them to email me back, either,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n All in all, employee-centric laws ensure that employees can balance their personal and professional lives better.<\/p>\n