Should Europe work more, or America less?

[coyote]

Should Europe work more, or America less?


Labor and leisure

Americans are materialists, Europeans civilized; Americans hardworking, Europeans lazy. Old stereotypes die hard on both sides of the Atlantic, and now they have taken on a new dimension: work time. Last week the International Monetary Fund made headlines by calling on Europeans to work more as a way to combat high unemployment, low job growth and comparatively low income levels. The recent attempt by the German company Siemens to roll back the 35-hour week was met by a chorus of "I told you so."
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Meanwhile, a recent report in this newspaper showed that Europeans continue to pride themselves on being less materialistic and more focused on family and community than their American counterparts ("Continent guards its right to leisure," July 19).
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There is, of course, an element of truth in these stereotypes, but as descriptions of two supposedly different cultures, they are far too simplistic.
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more...............


http://www.iht.com/articles/533367.html


Very good article.

[MaryH]

1. In Ireland and Scotland

we were made fun of - because we were on the go all of the time. Americans can't stand to be relaxed.

Compared to what I saw - which wasn't a whole lot - we do work harder and faster. I know we were up and on our way before anyone else.

I'm not sure we enjoy our lives that much - we just kind of race through them.

[BiggJawn]

2. We work harder, but do we live better?

I don't think so.
And it's a truly American problem. Un-employment is high, yet worker productivity increases? "We don't need to hire anybody, we're getting more work out of the people we didn't fire..."

I don't think we, as a culture, are so materialistic as we are "firm-wired" against "sloth". It's in our culture. We got it from the Puritans, I think. "Idle hands are the Devil's Playthings", "It takes HARD WORK to succeed" and all that crap.

My girlfriend digs at me once in a while to pursue an Advanced Degree. "Why?" I ask her. "So you can get a better job" says she. I told her that with my present management, my job would suck more if I had a degree, because I'd be closer to the flaming idiots at the top...

I cherish leisure time, and people consider me "lazy" because of it.
It's a Murkan Thing, I guess.

[Suziq]

3. At My Company . . . .

located in New York City, we work a 35-hour week (7 hours per day). Most feel compelled to stay really late. Kind of an unspoken rule that we really are required to work a 10 hour day.

Not me! I have been with this company 30 years and never felt like I had to stay until an ungodly hour. Most feel it helps promotion wise, I guess. Never seemed to hurt my chances.

:hippie:

[MadHound]

4. Yep, the go go Puritan American work ethic

And all of that stress is killing us, literally. Most people work at least forty hours a week, and if you are either poor, or trying to get ahead in the corporate world, fifty to eighty hours a week is the norm. And only two weeks vacation a year, if you're lucky.

I cherish my leisure time, and work hard to preserve it. Yes, I could probably be making much more money, but there are things in this life that are vastly more important than money. Some people go to their early stress induced graves never understanding that concept.

[rman]

5. Europeans are going to work less..

due to outsourcing. In The Netherlands corporations get subsidies to go and make more profit in cheap labor nations.