Young Adults In The Work Place

I think it is sad that we as Americans don't demand more paid vacation time off.

Americans work 137-140 more hours per year than Japaneses workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than the French.

The U.S. remains the only industrialized country in the world that has no legally mandated annual leave.

In every country included except Canada and Japan (and the U.S., which averages 13 days/per year), workers get at least 20 paid vacation days. In France and Finland, they get 30 – an entire month off, paid, every year

Then there’s this depressing graph on average paid vacation time in industrialized countries:


In general more work leads to more stress, less of a social life, and lower quality of life.

Without time to unwind, take care of your home, spend time with loved ones, enjoy our hobbies, connect with friends, and generally live a more balance life. Stress is the #1 cause of health problems – mentally and physically. And there are few things that stress us out on a consistent basis like work does, especially when it takes away from all of the other things that life has to offer. Originally Posted by Guilty Pleasures

Not to depress someone , but its 5 weeks (not only four) ........and great articles you found there!!! That is all because of the social system. We also get paid 2 months salary holiday season money. (yay to that). So its not only bad if you pay more taxes. But as i said it has drawbacks too, for example if you have your own company: its ridiculously taxed. A friend of mine just got broke (and no . he is not an idiot - he is a medicine doctor who studied at harvard) with one of his shops and had to quit them, because it would not pay off.

So if you want to be an employer its perfect to be in europe, if you want to be your own boss , the USA is the place to go.

My European counterparts are lazy and arrogant. In at 9, out by 5. They simply will not work past 5. Conference call? It will be during European working hours - Asia and US be damned. They hate the Americans but any progress is made by the US. The EU is simply the gatekeepers of the process. BTW, we have to work 10 years at my company before you get 4 weeks vacation, in EU they get 4 weeks right off the bat. Originally Posted by gnadfly

Absolutely! Some - read most - of the Europeans I’ve worked with complained about the demands the American divisions were placing on them to produce. They are very much in at 9:00 and are a 5:01 society. Further, when transferred to the States where they had to conform, they inevitability complained not just about being expected to conform to the work ethic, but about America in general.

Today's young people seem to believe the lies of Disney, the Kardashians, the Democratic party and Nike. They are identifiable by their tattoos. If you graduated in the upper part of your class or have a special talent you'll likely do OK. But there aren't many factory jobs paying $40 an hour anymore. Nor can you make 80K a year dealing blackjack in Vegas. If you were 22 working a miminum wage job and knowing the 8% in FICA taxes your paying you'd never get back how would your work ethic be?

Now get off my lawn. Originally Posted by gnadfly

The current crop of children and young adults grew up as children of the Me Generation. And they actually believe that equal opportunity equates to equal outcome. Well it doesn’t. No matter what they learned in no-score-keeping soccer.

Gosh you guys sound like my grandparents. Talk about post-war generation. Work Work work. Performance pressure. I don`t know such people you are talking about, neither americans nor europeans not from any other kind of society. I only know hard working people who mostly have a university education and a regular job education. I wonder how someone even could survive in the US-system being so extremely lazy.

It seems to me that old men have a problem with the younger generation in generally...... Originally Posted by ninasastri

Nina, not sure why you quoted me back there but, did you just call me an old man?!? I sure hope not but if you wrote it, it must be true....sigh......

Oh, they'll never amount to anything....next thing you know, they'll be the adults chatting on some Adult Content Forum... Originally Posted by Ed Highlight

ROTFLMAO

But generally speaking: Cars? Suck in the USA (i mostly get seasick from this way the people drive and the cars are build - gas stop gas stop - i mean Jesus christ?? - learn to use sticks for heaven`s sake! Originally Posted by ninasastri

All my cars have manual transmissions. Wanna drive my stick? Some American cars are very good. The engineers and designers are excellent. Sadly the marketing, and financial people wash down the good stuff. I saw a Corvette Z06 Carbon over the weekend. That car screams "SR Only." Anybody got $109k they want to give me? I'll show up late and text and surf adult forums while I "work" for you.

Streets? suck too. drive as fast as i drive in europe and you have the feeling the car falls apart. Originally Posted by ninasastri

What are "brakes?" Like WC Fields might say: "I never touch 'em." I have heard that the German Autobahn is now more construction than high speed roadway.

Subways and technics ? Are from the 40ies mostly - suck plenty. I knew a guy who got hired to ( i think he does that now) renovate the NYC subway system, he said its a freakin mess and as a european you cannot even begin to grasp where this mess starts because it would never happen like this in europe. Every single meter is a different method of technique and its like a lousy patchwork carpet instead of anything useful. In europe you at least use one technique or rebuild and renovate the whole system and not patch it together like old rugs and then complain when it all sucks. Originally Posted by ninasastri

The NYC subway system is a mish-mosh of century old technology and current state of the art. The cars are newer. The cars from the forties are gone (some of the old "Red Birds" (IRT line) have been placed off shore as places for aquaculture and divers to use. But consider the melting pot of people who use the subway, it is amazing it runs the way it does. (I gotta defend NYC).

Then talking about lazy and arrogant: Ever been shopping in the USA and wanting to get a T-mobile card? It takes AGES - i mean literally speaking AGES - until the customer service moves their precious behind and manages to plug in a SIM card into a phone - and THAT only to reveal that number has been used before and she has to exchange it. Originally Posted by ninasastri

Those employees are expendable and treated as such. They get minimum wage and not much more. I might not care either if I was in their shoes. But then again if I had a customer like Nina walk in, I would jump into action or go slowly to spend more time with her and see where a conversation might lead.

dp

Further, when transferred to the States where they had to conform, they inevitability complained not just about being expected to conform to the work ethic, but about America in general. Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

Really?!? How mummy dearest of them!!! How dare they??? Because complying to foreign work ethics is something ANY american would do with a blink of an eye right ??? This scenario couldn`t possibly happen the other way round, this is something so extremely distinctive of europeans and europeans only.......character.....and complaining about America in general, oh my god!!! Because americans would never complain about Europe, right? And if then not in general ...;-)....(just kidding of course...)

What are "brakes?" Like WC Fields might say: "I never touch 'em." I have heard that the German Autobahn is now more construction than high speed roadway. Originally Posted by SR Only

The ex-DDR streets used to be that way, not anymore. .... But at least you are free to drive as fast as you want on any german autobahn. Yeah!!! ;-) (btw: i drove BMW in the USA with stick, my ex had a habit for german sportscars... but it was annoying to drive within the city because of the ... full gas - full stop - full gas - full stop ....habit the people have, who drive automatic and therefor have NO clue about motors and how they work. Smoooooooth baby , smooooooooth..... Makes it impossible to drive stick without gettin annoyed. I am talking Washington DC city traffic.

Those employees are expendable and treated as such. They get minimum wage and not much more. I might not care either if I was in their shoes. But then again if I had a customer like Nina walk in, I would jump into action or go slowly to spend more time with her and see where a conversation might lead. Originally Posted by SR Only

exactly, same in europe. I never got a golden medal either for working as customer service assistant. Minimum wage here too. Mostly exploited students. ..... Oh, the customer assistant was a woman, and she was barely looking at me. ;-). I would have shown her my boobs anytime if that made her service quicker and more efficient.....

Nina, not sure why you quoted me back there but, did you just call me an old man?!? I sure hope not but if you wrote it, it must be true....sigh...... Originally Posted by Ed Highlight

No, i did not call you an old man :-) I was referring to the people who complain about youngsters and sound worse than my grandmother :-) (besides i have a fetish for old men, but don`t tell anyone....)

Really?!? How mummy dearest of them!!! How dare they??? Because complying to foreign work ethics is something ANY american would do with a blink of an eye right ??? This scenario couldn`t possibly happen the other way round, this is something so extremely distinctive of europeans and europeans only.......character.....and complaining about America in general, oh my god!!! Because americans would never complain about Europe, right? And if then not in general ...;-)....(just kidding of course...)

Originally Posted by ninasastri

I don't want to get into a sarcastic oh ya, you're worse than we are argument. Let's just say I was an exec for a small division of a VERY large oil field services company. If you work for an American company, you should conform to the American business model / work ethic unless it is a collective agreement to convert to a 5:01 work ethic. Needless to say it wasn't. So, if you want to get the big pay of working for an American company, you take the good with the bad or go work somewhere else. It's the American way.

There is a basis in history for this hard work ethic; it is called the Protestant Work Ethic. Some call it the Puritan Work Ethic. This country was founded by Puritans, and their philosophy is that through hard work you can achieve your personal salvation. Agree with it or don't agree with it it is still an historical fact.

Secondly, I absolutely HATE it when people from other countries come over here to make more money, pay less in taxes and enjoy a dramatically reduced cost of living and then turn around and bitch. Go home. Earn your living in your own country, pay the non-American taxes and cost of living. Sorry, I have no patience or sympathy for those individuals.

Your comment about our bad cars and driving almost merits no comment except I drive German - with standard transmissions - and have for over 15 years. I agree. BMW is the ultimate driving machine.

I'd be more than happy to discuss fast cars or historical / psychological basis for Modern Era behavior and ideas, but this is absolutely the last word I'll have on the emotional matter of us verses others' lifestyles. I have the utmost respect for other cultures and how they choose to conduct themselves, care for their poor, care for their citizens and spend their taxes, etc. It is also acceptable for me / us to expect the same in return.

This quote...attributed to Socrates...makes one realize that all youth fall well short of the expectations of their elders.

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for
authority, they show disrespect to their elders.... They no longer
rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents,
chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their
legs, and are tyrants over their teachers."

I'm not sure they are any better...or worse...than we were. It just seems that way becuase we have now become the Crumugeon.

I drive German - with standard transmissions - and have for over 15 years. I agree. BMW is the ultimate driving machine. Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

Thread jack (MA give me some points)!!!

Too bad BMW keeps making their cars so heavy. I'm in a '05 Three Series and still on the original clutch at 104,000 miles. It's all a matter of how one drives.

To Nina and Olivia, let's jump in my car and go for a drive. I'm buyin' lunch!

Thread jack (MA give me some points)!!!

Too bad BMW keeps making their cars so heavy. I'm in a '05 Three Series and still on the original clutch at 104,000 miles. It's all a matter of how one drives.

To Nina and Olivia, let's jump in my car and go for a drive. I'm buyin' lunch! Originally Posted by SR Only

Only if we go parking too!

Only if we go parking too! Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

Done!!! We'll go to the beach and "watch" the submarine races.

Think about it folks.

Absolutely! Some - read most - of the Europeans I’ve worked with complained about the demands the American divisions were placing on them to produce. They are very much in at 9:00 and are a 5:01 society. Further, when transferred to the States where they had to conform, they inevitability complained not just about being expected to conform to the work ethic, but about America in general.

. Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

I don't know when this thread morphed from a discussion of age to culture, but I my experience is different.

The Europeans that came here on there own came because they want to be here whether it was to live "The American Dream" or something else. So they don't complain.

The Europeans that come here as ex-pats sponsored by their employer may complain privately but quickly adapt. Then again most of them are seen as "high potential" employees that are more concerned with career advancement.

Conversely US-based expats going to Europe will confide that it was like a vacation: they got U.S. pay + a cost of living adjustment + a bunch other bennies + all vacation/quality of life bennies of the country they were stationed

Different cultures different habits. Vice Versa a lot of europeans tell a lot of stories about how arrogant americans are when they work in their countries, and some regulations are just more than different and ridiculous. So what? Either you like working with many different cultures (and many of my friends and clients do) or you don`t. One of my best friends worked (now he is in pension) with japanese , americans and arabs and he always used to tell funny stories about how interesting certain cultural habits were.

Its just that, nothing more. A little understanding is a bit better than bashing different cultures and europeans as lazy. Because - to be honest - i am the one defending americans when europeans do this gross stereotyping. I hate that. If people work cross cultural and cross national i expect them to have a fluid personality and not only see everything on how it would be done in their country.

There are many pros and cons and - frankly - i don`t see why it would be such a bad idea to work 9 to 5 (yes employees, because CEOs usually don`t have such working hours .- they work anyway 24/7 also in europe) , get a high living standard, have 5 weeks and more vacation time per year and no one pushes you to work more hours.

The drawback is the financial income. In europe - if you are not born rich - you have a hard time getting there. There are some jobs that get you there, but frankly - me as psychologist? forget it! The USA is way better for that. I have my reasons why i came here. But i don`t think i would bash cultures therefor. Not everyone lives for their work and i see that point too.

The friend i mentioned before (arabs, japanese etc.) was offered a job in the USA for the same company he worked for in Austria (international they are) and he said there is no f-ing way he ever would take that offer, because its paid not enough and he has to work way more hours AND pay his own insurance. So maybe that is arrogant, but maybe its also just because people have a choice. The american health system and how its managed is a big turn off for anyone that wants to profit financially and not work THAT much. Of course - participants of the tea party see anything contribbuting to society as bad, but they are also incapabe of seing the long term benefits that can arise.

All in all i see a mixture between USA and EU as not such a bad idea when ti comes to marketing strategy. Just my POV. Lazy is a point of definition. Originally Posted by ninasastri

arrogant Americans - may take is ex-pats of all nationalities often come across arrogant. I attribute it to two things: 1) some people are just assholes & 2) (most common) they are good people but have been coached that they need to demonstrate confidencce & competence to be effective and due to cultural differences come across as arrogant

the 2nd bolded statement - about the health care system & not have to work much...if that is a widely held sentiment I say GREAT! I'm not sure if it is accurate or not, but I'm not sure we want them here if they won't want to work hard.