Americans work 25% more than Europeans

[prwraith]

Nothing could possibly make me work more than 40 hour weeks. I'm not materialistically greedy, and it's well enough to live. If it's not enough there, then that's the problem, rather than the first line of the article "addicted to their jobs". Hardly addiction if one is forced higher hours just to live.

I wish I could get all my work done in 40 hours a week.

I pull a regular 50-60 but I'm salaried so no overtime for me

[Mad_Murdock]

If you think 40 hours a week isn't bad you're conditioned to think so. It's a joke of a system having 5 days on and 2 days off just to survive.

Again, look at what I said. 40 hours isn't bad. 40 hours just to survive is bad. Huge difference really. So I am curious, if 40 hours a week is "absolutely terrible", what is acceptable to you? 20 hours a week? Anything other than Tue-Thurs, 9-3 isn't just slave labor?

[Ornerybear]

Does this mean Americans suck at their jobs? Since they work more than Europeans but have a smaller economy. Seems to me like they're less efficient.

it's because we are a country founded by puritans, and if you dont have a bead of sweat dripping off your nose then apparently you're not doing your job well...it's not that we suck (which is a nice blanket statement by the way, good job), but it is rather inefficient. some jobs do just require hours to produce something, and in those cases throwing hours at it just means more production.


What frustrates me about my job is that i work 45-50 hrs a week on salary, i can do my job in 20-30hrs spread through the week, but the owner of the company wants me here 40hrs a week 8am to 5pm monday through friday. I really dont need to work the number of hours a week but he doesnt see the world that way. plus he expects that i should be working past 5pm every day since im salary, which i try not to do because i dont need to. all my projects get completed ahead of schedule and under budget. I also run the design/engineering department. /shrug i need to start my own business...

[prwraith]

Does this mean Americans suck at their jobs? Since they work more than Europeans but have a smaller economy. Seems to me like they're less efficient.

Shouldn't we have a smaller economy? American is 1 country when you say europeans you're generally referencing all 28 countries linked in the EU.

[Deleted]

Working 7 hours and 24 minutes pr. day and that includes a 30 min lunch break.

Got flexible hours. I can safe up time (up to 60 hours) and spend them as a like. I can work 9 hours one day and go home early the next.

[Masark]

iWhat frustrates me about my job is that i work 45-50 hrs a week on salary, i can do my job in 20-30hrs spread through the week, but the owner of the company wants me here 40hrs a week 8am to 5pm monday through friday. I really dont need to work the number of hours a week but he doesnt see the world that way. plus he expects that i should be working past 5pm every day since im salary, which i try not to do because i dont need to. all my projects get completed ahead of schedule and under budget. I also run the design/engineering department. /shrug i need to start my own business...

Your boss seems like a high priest of the cult of presenteeism.

[Docturphil]

Exactly. It isn't an "addiction." It's the fact that wages are so low that one has to work more than 40 hours a week to get by. But we can't raise the wages because that'd be communism or something.

If you have a shitty job, sure. Anyone with a half way decent job will do just fine with 40 hours/week.

Raising wages for shitty jobs wouldn't help. Stuff would just end up costing more. If you have a pleb job, expect pleb wages. If you want to be better off then it's up to you to make yourself better off, not the government.

That being said, minimum wage should be adjusted over time but only enough to keep up with inflation. No more and no less.

[Azadina]

I'm not sure you do, because same pay for less working hours is actually a thing they accomplish. Unless you are talking on an individual basis.
They work differently in America for sure, because it seems like workers have nearly no rights there. Why they are still unorganized like this is really questionable.
Why is this not a thing there?

Because corporations lobbied unions to death, to skin people in the name of profit even further.

[Docturphil]

Amurican here, i work about 96-120 hours a week. i do get sleep and meal breaks though.

That's your choice. I'm sure you're raking it in, but there's no way you actually have a need to work that much.

[Mistame]

But when your country has next to no workers rights then it's easy to force everyone to do what the employee wants.

"Next to no workers rights"? Clearly a credible statement.

Just get rid of that At Will employment style where you can fire anyone anytime for any reason.

That's not exactly how it works. There are obviously invalid reasons (discrimination, etc). But an employer should be able to run their business how they want and if they feel an employee isn't working out or that they need to downsize, etc, that should be within their rights.

I'm not sure you do, because same pay for less working hours is actually a thing they accomplish.

In the US, unions are arbiters of sorts between employees and employers that help to reach mutual agreements on terms of employment. Unions don't and can't force either side to do anything as either side can refuse the terms of a negotiation, if they feel those terms are unfair. And they charge the employees for this "service".

They work differently in America for sure, because it seems like workers have nearly no rights there.

This is mostly hyperbole. Workers have rights. But so do employers.

[Deleted]

I work 40 hours a week and get 24 paid vacation days. I only get 24 paid vacation days which is minimal, because I don't have any children, any medical difficulties, etc.

[Ornerybear]

Your boss seems like a high priest of the cult of presenteeism.

you couldnt have hit the nail on the head any better. He gets mad when people take vacation or need to take personal time to leave work early for an appointment or family business. god forbid you call in sick, he assumes youre lying. I take 1 sick day a year usually, maybe 1 personal day worth of time, but i always use my 2 weeks of vacation. i've been here 5 years and i still only have 10 days of vacation. he doesnt give you an extra week until 10 years. i should also mention that when the shop guys started being late and slipping out early all the time he installed a fingerprint time clock, but he makes us salary employees use it as well.

[Deleted]

In the US, unions are arbiters of sorts between employees and employers that help to reach mutual agreements on terms of employment. Unions don't and can't force either side to do anything as either side can refuse the terms of a negotiation, if they feel those terms are unfair. And they charge the employees for this "service".

And if they "refuse"... it's over? Strikes? Why won't they tell them to stop working and add pressure? (will you get fired in the US for that?)

They are supposed to stop your employer from making a mint, while you slave your way into depression/death/illness without getting the pay you "deserve". Of course, the employer can say "no", but it's not like it's over after just that. They set standards, proof if your company can make a profit while providing these standards, and then they'll push for it.

It's also worth mentioning that not like only the employees get something out of unions btw.

[Docturphil]

it's socialism. socialism is scary. all hail crony capitalism where the poor stay poor for the most part and the rich get richer!!!

I think that has more to do with the culture you're raised in than actually having or not having wealth.

Wealthy people in America typically work harder. They usually work harder because they were raised to work harder. If you work harder you have more wealth.

On the other hand you have poor people. Poor people are poor because they're lazy. They're lazy because they were raised by lazy people.

This seems to be apparent with education as well. More educated people tend to have more educated children. Less educated people tend to have less educated children.

There are exceptions to this of course. Plenty of people who break the cycle for better or worse, but I think in general this is true.

[Masark]

I think that has more to do with the culture you're raised in than actually having or not having wealth.

Wealthy people in America typically work harder. They usually work harder because they were raised to work harder. If you work harder you have more wealth.

On the other hand you have poor people. Poor people are poor because they're lazy. They're lazy because they were raised by lazy people.

Indeed. Americans are raised in a culture that believes this kind of nonsense.

[Caelia]

I wish I could get all my work done in 40 hours a week.

I pull a regular 50-60 but I'm salaried so no overtime for me

Why wouldn't you get overtime just because you're salaried? I'm also salaried and if I work overtime I get compensated for it as is my right. But I guess it's different in the states.

[Azadina]

Indeed. Americans are raised in a culture that believes this kind of nonsense.

I bet he also believes that trickle down economics are gods blessing for the common workers, and only made in their interest in mind.

[zenkai]

Does this mean Americans suck at their jobs? Since they work more than Europeans but have a smaller economy. Seems to me like they're less efficient.

Working harder = you suck at your job. LOL

[Sliske]

I love how its apparently something to mock that Europeans have more free time than Americans.

No, you idiots. Thats not something to mock, thats something to be angry about.

Having less freedom than someone else but the same (or much worse in case of healthcare) outcome is sad for a first world country.

[Hellrime]

Exactly. It isn't an "addiction." It's the fact that wages are so low that one has to work more than 40 hours a week to get by. But we can't raise the wages because that'd be communism or something.

Most employees that would be affected by the minimum wage increase only work on average 32-35 hours. The wage increase wouldn't affect the majority of individuals the article is describing, which are putting in over 40+ hours to pay off ridiculous student loans so that they could start a career that would later seem stupid because they could have just complained and did half the work.