Feierabend: when work ends, it ends
Feierabend
After work, Germans have "Feierabend": free time that colleagues and bosses respect. By law, workers get 11 hours of rest.
Feierabend is the moment work ends for the day. Colleagues say „Schönen Feierabend!“ when they leave.
Calls and messages after work are much less common than in India, and many people do not answer work emails in the evening or on holiday.
The working-hours law (Arbeitszeitgesetz) says that after the working day, employees must get at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest. A normal limit is 8 hours of work a day.
Holidays are protected too: full-time workers get at least 20 days a year (with a 5-day week), and many contracts give 25 to 30.
You may hear
Schönen Feierabend!Have a nice evening (after work)!
India and Germany
In many Indian jobs, a call from the boss at 9 p.m. is normal. In Germany it is unusual, and you can usually leave it until the next morning.
German words for this
- der Feierabend · end of the working day
- die Überstunden · overtime
- der Urlaub · holiday
- das Wochenende · weekend
Sources
- § 5 Arbeitszeitgesetz (11 hours rest)
- § 3 Arbeitszeitgesetz (8 hours a day)
- § 3 Bundesurlaubsgesetz (minimum holiday)
Last checked: 9 November 2026.
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