Work life in Europe

[FinnFox]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

 

[german hick]

I have no Contract, too. ;o)
Since 20 years in the same company as civil engeneer.
But if you have no contract in Germany, it´s often better than if you have one, because if you have none, the legal rules count and they are mostly better. ;o)

I have 6 weeks of vacancy

 

[WCH]

How much of that money do you get to take home?

 

[Mycroft]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

After I skipped her five minutes of disclaimers, the first thing out of her mouth was about "at will" employment. She correctly described this as allowing both the employer and the employee the right to terminate their employment relationship at any time, for any reason, without notice. But then she dishonestly describes this as "pro-company, anti-employee". Yes, an employer can terminate employment, but so can the employee. "at will" doesn't give the employer any advantage over the employee.

Either party doing this can be devastating to the other party, but either party can suffer if they are forced to continue an undesirable relationship because of a contract. At will allows both parties to make choices that benefit themselves.

Anyway, for this lady to be dishonest from the get go, I judge it'll be a waste of time to watch anymore of her video.

 

[Helix]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

No, I think that the way we do it in the US is ****ing stupid. I didn't even get a day of paternity leave to bond with my kid. Had to use a week of PTO, which is what I have to use for sick days and everything else. I don't know how I'll pull off a family vacation when he gets older without buying PTO, which I can't afford. Our culture of hard work or whatever has been used as a weapon against workers.

 

[PeteEU]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

There is an old saying. Europeans work to live and Americans live to work. And it is true.

Despite our long vacations and all that, we are happier and more than often more productive than Americans.



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[Drawdown]

Taking 6 and a half minutes to get to the first point was a but excessive with this video.

Most employers are not going to fire you without a reason whether that reason relates to your actions or a business decision having nothing personal to do with you.

 

[FinnFox]

There is an old saying. Europeans work to live and Americans live to work. And it is true.

Despite our long vacations and all that, we are happier and more than often more productive than Americans.

That saying tells a lot. Work is like meaning of life for Americans? If you don't get decent vacations, how you enjoy your life and spend all earned money on nice things?

I'm working as much as needed, but not going for workaholic style of living - less stress, more happiness. Denmark and Finland are similar in many ways - maybe biggest difference is Sauna (we have those around 3 million here).

 

[FinnFox]

I have no Contract, too. ;o)
Since 20 years in the same company as civil engeneer.
But if you have no contract in Germany, it´s often better than if you have one, because if you have none, the legal rules count and they are mostly better. ;o)

I have 6 weeks of vacancy

Great. I took 3½ weeks and some random days so far in this year.

 

[beefheart]

I have "unlimited" vacation where I work, but it never works out that way. My partner only gets two weeks so that mucks things up. I just got her on my free flight benefits, but we haven't been able to use it. We are doing a 3 day jaunt to California this weekend, but we are driving, the stand-by gods aren't blessing us, and the hotel is non-refundable...LOL.

Lots of companies are moving to unlimited vacation so they can eventually write off all the accrued PTO from their employees. We changed, then gave everyone the week of Christmas off for the last 2 years to get all the accrued time off the books. This way, when someone quits or is fired, the company doesn't owe them anything above hours worked.

 

[german hick]

@ FinniFox: I have to admit I seldom manage the doggy life I would apreciate. I work 11h a day in office and on the evenings I have a small farm to manage. But thats out of necessities and not because I think it should be that way ;o)

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

Europeans know how to enjoy life more than we Americans do.

There's a reason the US isn't even in he top 10 on the world happiness surveys, And European countries make up 8 of the top 10..

We work too hard, for too many hours all for 2 weeks off every year. And because of our out of control health care and education costs we are in HUGE debt.

Lucky us.

 

[HumblePi]

Americans should be able to manage working 40 hours a week on one income. Those were the days of the 1950's, and long gone. Now it takes two paychecks and some overtime to manage. But compared to the average Chinese worker that works 12 hour days 7 days a week with one day off every month, I guess it's great. But it should be better. Nobody should have to work their lives away just to survive paycheck to paycheck. People should be able to work to pay bills and still have enough left to enjoy a few days vacation every couple of months or at least 2 solid weeks a year off.

The heaviest millstone around the necks of most families are their insurance costs. Health insurance of course is the biggest nut to crack but there's others like life insurance, city taxes, automobile insurance, home insurance. If we had nationalized healthcare, it would take a tremendous burden off families.

 

[ElChupacabra]

That saying tells a lot. Work is like meaning of life for Americans? If you don't get decent vacations, how you enjoy your life and spend all earned money on nice things?

I'm working as much as needed, but not going for workaholic style of living - less stress, more happiness. Denmark and Finland are similar in many ways - maybe biggest difference is Sauna (we have those around 3 million here).

For the record, I'm an American who works to live. I've always found the "live to work" mentality odd; of course we have to work in some manner to sustain the quality of life we want, but to not balance that out without enjoying the fruit of ones labors.

 

[Drawdown]

Americans should be able to manage working 40 hours a week on one income. Those were the days of the 1950's, and long gone. Now it takes two paychecks and some overtime to manage. But compared to the average Chinese worker that works 12 hour days 7 days a week with one day off every month, I guess it's great. But it should be better. Nobody should have to work their lives away just to survive paycheck to paycheck. People should be able to work to pay bills and still have enough left to enjoy a few days vacation every couple of months or at least 2 solid weeks a year off.

The heaviest millstone around the necks of most families are their insurance costs. Health insurance of course is the biggest nut to crack but there's others like life insurance, city taxes, automobile insurance, home insurance. If we had nationalized healthcare, it would take a tremendous burden off families.

Not really. It is supply and demand. By working 2 jobs and having dual income households, you are taking wage pressures off labor. People are greedy. The more hours they are willing to work to get more, the less valuable their labor becomes.

 

[ElChupacabra]

How much of that money do you get to take home?

Even if it's less, they're not dealing with the stress of what happens to their healthcare should they find themselves out of work; or how they're going to pay for their children's college. It's a matter of what a society chooses to make easier for itself.

 

[PoS]

There is an old saying. Europeans work to live and Americans live to work. And it is true.

Despite our long vacations and all that, we are happier and more than often more productive than Americans.



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More productive? The American economy is stronger than any nation in Europe, and the EU is falling apart.

 

[chuckiechan]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

Didnt your government just collapse over medical costs?

 

[german hick]

More productive? The American economy is stronger than any nation in Europe, and the EU is falling apart.

because you say it and promote it?

 

[chuckiechan]

Americans should be able to manage working 40 hours a week on one income. Those were the days of the 1950's, and long gone. Now it takes two paychecks and some overtime to manage. But compared to the average Chinese worker that works 12 hour days 7 days a week with one day off every month, I guess it's great. But it should be better. Nobody should have to work their lives away just to survive paycheck to paycheck. People should be able to work to pay bills and still have enough left to enjoy a few days vacation every couple of months or at least 2 solid weeks a year off.

The heaviest millstone around the necks of most families are their insurance costs. Health insurance of course is the biggest nut to crack but there's others like life insurance, city taxes, automobile insurance, home insurance. If we had nationalized healthcare, it would take a tremendous burden off families.

The biggest millstone is an excessive number of lawyers and excessive regulations for each side to sue about. I’d wager 25% of every dollar you spend is liability insurance rolled into everything you touch.

I don’t think Europe has that problem as much.

 

[FinnFox]

Didnt your government just collapse over medical costs?

Nope. Do you mean resignation that happened once? Government tried to build new social security system (including healthcare) and it was unconstitutional - so resignation was last thing (and only) to do. This wasn't that bad for any of us. Current healthcare system works just fine and better is coming when they can make it right.

 

[PoS]

because you say it and promote it?

Nope, facts:

Countries by GDP: The Top 20 Economies in the World

#1 USA

 

[Litwin]

I didn't know that you guys work in US often without employment contracts. In my bubble I was thinking it's just impossible. My guess is that some people in US may think that people in Europe are lazy (paid & long vacations), but I in my eyes it's good and needed to relax from work. Here in Finland 5 weeks paid vacation is normal and some people have even more (you get more days by working longer in same place).

Do you think that people in Europe are lazy because of longer vacations?

Finns are most hard working people on the planet . Europe are lazy , sound like a joke to me . ask Arabs, Africans, etc

 

[HumblePi]

Not really. It is supply and demand. By working 2 jobs and having dual income households, you are taking wage pressures off labor. People are greedy. The more hours they are willing to work to get more, the less valuable their labor becomes.

I don't understand what you mean by 'taking wage pressures off labor'. I don't know when the last time was that you had 2 kids in daycare and worked 80 hours a week. There's a good bit of pressure in that situation. People aren't as greedy as they are spoiled. People are accustomed to owning a home and having two cars in the garage. So, if that's their choosing then they'll have to work hard to maintain it. The number of hours any one person works has nothing to do with the actual value of their work.

 

[FinnFox]

Some Americans still working hard after moving to Finland. For example this guy:



It's hard as it gets, but somehow this guy keep going.