What is your opinion on American "work culture" and working conditions?

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Do you mean that in Iowa employers screen for the individual’s character? I just thought of something. In Earling, Iowa long ago a woman was possessed by the devil. It took a while to rid her of it. Imagine going into an employment office to apply for a job, and suddenly facial features change, curse words are flung around, the applicant levitates.

All joking aside, it’s a two-way street. I once worked for a company where suddenly they weren’t paying me. I spoke to the boss and she kept insisting I would get paid. Once she gave me a check and it bounced. I quit, and believe it or not, she asked me to come in in the afternoon (free of course) to answer her phones. Finally I sued her. I did not want to do it, but it was necessary. It took over a year to get the back pay. In that respect it would be hard to keep solvent.
 
It always seems to me (I’m from the UK) that Americans live to work, they don’t work to live. One of the things that put me off moving to the States back when I worked in casinos was the shocking lack of paid holidays and the crippling expense of medical insurance. It also surprises me that you have no provision in law for paid parental leave, surely this stuff could be paid for from general taxation instead of pumping yet more money into defense?
I am an American who feels the same way. It can really burn you out.
 
I have no experience of American work culture and working conditions , but in assessing these issues in whatever country a Catholic needs to take on board the Church’s social teaching .

In the area of work the Fathers of the Second Council of the Vatican expressed some principles of the Church’s social teaching .

They taught , " Human labour which is expended in the production and exchange of goods or in the performance of economic services is superior to the other elements of economic life, for the latter have only the nature of tools.

"This labour, whether it is engaged in independently or hired by someone else, comes immediately from the person, who as it were stamps the things of nature with his seal and subdues them to his will. By his labour a man ordinarily supports himself and his family, is joined to his fellow men and serves them, and can exercise genuine charity and be a partner in the work of bringing divine creation to perfection. Indeed, we hold that through labour offered to God man is associated with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Who conferred an eminent dignity on labour when at Nazareth He worked with His own hands. From this there follows for every man the duty of working faithfully and also the right to work. It is the duty of society, moreover, according to the circumstances prevailing in it, and in keeping with its role, to help the citizens to find sufficient employment. Finally, remuneration for labour is to be such that man may be furnished the means to cultivate worthily his own material, social, cultural, and spiritual life and that of his dependents, in view of the function and productiveness of each one, the conditions of the factory or workshop, and the common good.

“Since economic activity for the most part implies the associated work of human beings, any way of organizing and directing it which may be detrimental to any working men and women would be wrong and inhuman. It happens too often, however, even in our days, that workers are reduced to the level of being slaves to their own work. This is by no means justified by the so-called economic laws. The entire process of productive work, therefore, must be adapted to the needs of the person and to his way of life, above all to his domestic life, especially in respect to mothers of families, always with due regard for sex and age. The opportunity, moreover, should be granted to workers to unfold their own abilities and personality through the performance of their work. Applying their time and strength to their employment with a due sense of responsibility, they should also all enjoy sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social and religious life. They should also have the opportunity freely to develop the energies and potentialities which perhaps they cannot bring to much fruition in their professional work.”
 
Improvements can be made. But remember European countries have better work benefits because everyone pays higher taxes. On the other hand, I am sure working conditions are worse in China. And some people still die of work exhaustion in Japan.
 
I think it would be nice for America (esp corporations and large companies) to offer more vacation time and holidays. The use it or loose it vacation policies are often a pain.

However, we also have to remember that America was founded with the idea that if you work hard, you can become your own boss and/or become financially independent.

This was the American Dream that brought many immigrants over from Europe and the Far East back in the 19th century. No one expected a hand out, though some did receive awesome land deals to move West.

The American work week used to be 6 days a week, with only Sunday off. The 5 day work week didn’t come about until sometime around the end of World War II (I believe).

For me, there should be three or four different sets of standards (which normally I would never say this, but I do think it applies for benefits).
  • One set for big businesses and publicly traded corporations
  • A second set for small businesses and privately held businesses
  • A third set for non-profits
  • A a fourth set for government jobs
I break it out into 4 because some benefits which big businesses, govts and non-profits can easily provide (like more paid time off) can be very damaging to small businesses. While other benefits - like awesome health care plans - can be easy for govt and large corporations (though many large businesses have been going cheap for many years, but can potentially hurt some small businesses and non-profits.

So there really cannot be one standard. However, the culture can help to make life balance & health care better.

God bless
 
Personally, I’d like to be paid $30/hour and have a 4 day work week 😎 I’d also like 5 weeks of paid vacation.
 
I think parts of Europe has nicer family leave. Maternity leave in the US is not very generous. Now I’m not saying the government should pay me to raise my child but I almost feel penalized for being a full time mom since after birth my option is zero pay for 12 weeks with FMLA. We are now getting 50% of our pay for 8 weeks under a new law.
Sweden gives new moms a full year of fully paid leave i think.
 
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There are plenty of people who have this life–$30/hour, 4-day work week, 5 weeks of vacation.

But often those people decide they want $40/hour, a 3-day work week, and 7 weeks of vacation!

Remember the story of the Fisherman’s Wife? 😄
 
There are a lot of issues that make Paid Maternity Leave difficult for many companies.

I think that Trillion-Dollar companies like Amazon and Apple can afford to have awesome Maternity and Paternity leaves–BTW, that’s one of the problems. In the U.S., we are fixated on “equality,” and when a woman wants “Maternity Leave.” a man wants “Paternity Leave.” There are practical and health reasons for giving a new mom some time off–healing from the birth, sleep issues, and above all else, breastfeeding. But there are practical reasons for encouraging Paternity Leave–helping Mom with chores and the other children in the family, etc. (It used to be that female relatives helped Mom with chores and other children, but so many people in the U.S. do not live near their parents.)

The big problems with Maternity Leave have to do with staffing needs. E.g., I work in a hospital, and we are chronically short-staffed as it is. When a woman leaves for even an 8-week maternity leave, no one steps in to fill her place! We worked short for three months this winter during the height of the Flu Outbreak when one of our co-workers gave birth. We were all thrilled for her and supportive of her time off–but it was grueling for us. I gained at least 20 pounds this winter from stress-eating (12 hours days meant going out to dinner and buying cafeteria lunches much more often), and of course, the lack of off-work time meant little time for working out or SLEEPING (lack of sleep can lead to weight gain).

We made it, but it was pretty rough. If she had been off a year, we probably would have hired someone else (although in the winter, it’s almost impossible to hire new lab staff). But then she would have come back and her job would be gone. Or the new person would be let go, which is awful.

A lot of companies are in that situation–they simply can’t do their work without their staff! A few months is nightmarish for the staff left behind. Sorry, pregnant moms out there–I rejoice with the addition to your family, but I cringe thinking about another winter like last year!

I sometimes think that in the U.S., companies demand much more of their workers, but then, I have never been out of this country, so I may be very wrong about that. But I get the impression that in other countries (at least those in Europe), things are much more laid back, hospitals don’t do nearly as much with their patients (perhaps family steps in to provide a lot of the hands-on care?), and lunches are long and languid with cute little foods (not burgers and fries) and a glass of wine sipped slowly. And lots of conversation instead of everyone staring at their cell phones.
 
What European countries have in life/work balance many Americans would not consider “more” IF they actually saw how they live. Much of the American view is based on how much someone has. Sadly, we’re consumed by consumerism.
Many of their homes are communal (a French apartment) they are not living in the American McMansion…They are ahead of us on many issues such as energy conservation and have reduced emission standards…they’ll ride a bike to work or have the ability to utilize mass transit, socialized medicine (they are not working that extra shift to cover the cost of the family medical care) and they don’t see a communist in every closet.

They have learned to live “together” and since more resources are pooled they have more time with family. Me and MIne is more of an American concept, one they don’t want and why should they? I wouldn’t either with 1 month annual vacation.
 
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Exactly. When Americans demand more vacation time to be like Europe they are really showing their greed. They want it all. I think most Americans would never trade their personal material wealth for more time off.
 
When a company begins it’s focus of course is their product. At that time the product comes first and the employees second. Employees should be willing to sacrifice during this start up time for the company. Unfortunately for most companies in the U.S. once they are established they remain stuck in an attitude of human sacrifice for the production of material goods to the market. I would like to see companies see their purpose shift from a focus on product to a purpose of providing for the good of human life… It would be good to see that shift in purpose be the ultimate goal of successful companies. That the reason the company exists isn’t primarily to provide material goods to the market but to provide goods for the life of their employees.
 
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It’s not other people’s money though, it’s a collaborative effort from everyone, and those who have the most are required to give more so those that have less can live. What is the problem with this? The US sacrifice everything to the almighty dollar, and F everyone else because you want more.

Europe has a better balance, European corporations are still free to make billions of Euro’s profit, but are required to treat their staff fairly and pay their share of taxes. In the US corps are free to run roughshod over everything and get tax breaks for the privilege.
 
Americans work harder and work longer hours. They receive less pay and fewer benefits.
The American economy is strong. Those at the top are making a lot of money. These people just recently received a massive tax cut.
It is time that more Americans shared in the prosperity.
Minimum wage should be raised to $15 per hour.
More vacation time should be extended to American workers.
 
I agree.

I worked for a German biomedical company and they really treat their employees well.
 
Do you think the system rewards sociopaths?
 
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Some people do get rich by being sociopaths. Not having a conscience can help maximize profits if you do not care how your actions will effect your employees, your community, your country and the greater good in general.
 
Minimum wage was never meant to support a family. It was meant for teenagers to get work experience and earn a little cash to buy soda pop and records.

When minimum wage is raised, the cost of the product increases. Consumers often opt to no longer purchase the product. The company either replaces the employees with automation to reduce expenses, or they go bust, company closes, and all employees are out of a job.

In the U.S., many of the fast food companies are replacing real people with kiosks. In a way, it’s a great improvement–many real people are very poor at their work and the consumer ends up with a gnarly McRib instead of a salad with apple slices. The kiosk never calls in sick, never goofs off, and never gets smart with a customer–and most important, it doesn’t demand more money for doing a high school level job.
 
A company that exists for the people that produce its product rather than the product will be a more efficient producer not less. It’s not an either or thing.
 
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