Americans Work More Hours than Europeans

[aeronut]

Hi JW,
The Czech is in the post

[KDSM]

My resources:(just a few)



http://minneapolisfed.org/research/sr/sr321.pdf
http://money.cnn.com/2003/10/06/pf/work_less/
http://www127.pair.com/critical/food-20.htm
http://www.worktolive.info/poen_vaca.html

[4_Series_Scania]

Hmm lets see, last week, 48hrs basic and 19hours overtime not including 3 overnight stops.......

[Paz]

It could mean that Europeans are more efficient, couldn't it?

[KDSM]

I totally agree....Whenever management asks me why im not doing my job the answer i invariably give them is "In order for me to do my job,someone else needs to do theirs first"

I like the European way of working, work till your job is done then you can go home or do whatever. here in the U.S. its "your done with your work? good heres some busy work for you to do."

In America management would rather have you scrubbing out toilets then send you home.If i can get my work done in 4 hours(which i can)why should i have to stay for 8 hours if i dont want to?

In reality i would rather stay home and care for my 3 year old daughter but when i tell my wife or friends this they just give me a weird look and call me lazy!

go figure

[Hagar]

I like the European way of working, work till your job is done then you can go home or do whatever. here in the U.S. its "your done with your work? good heres some busy work for you to do."

Don't get the wrong idea on this. I can't speak for the rest of Europe but in the UK it means work late until the job is done. In some cases you would not get paid for the extra time. The average Brit works longer hours than anywhere in Europe. In my experience (with some notable exceptions) management is generally as incompetent here as anywhere else. I speak from both sides of the fence from over 25 years as an ordinary shop floor worker & 10 as senior management.

[HawkerTempest5]

I work between 10-12 hours, 5 days a week and 5-8 hours every Saturday plus 5 hours on a Sunday if I want to. Don't know what that works out at, but it's a lot of bloody hours.
With very few exceptions, most managers I have worked for have been complete prats with no idea how a job should be done if it does not involve sitting at a desk looking at an Excel spread sheet.

[Paz]

With very few exceptions, most managers I have worked for have been complete prats with no idea how a job should be done if it does not involve sitting at a desk looking at an Excel spread sheet.

 Exactly, and they never pay any attention to the workers who are doing the job years on end when they try to bring up ideas to make things more efficient or to make the work flow easier, they just consider it to be the employees bitching about their jobs.
Most companies seem to enjoy paying overtime instead of improving the process to get the job done quicker.

 I've worked in quite a few different factories and all the management knows is what the supervisors tell them, which is almost always inaccurate just to make the supervisor look good and to prove he is a total suck-ass-yes-man.
 I have seen so many production reports turned in that are so far from reality that it is no wonder some of these companies are now shutdown or have lost most of their business, and it's really amazing how the upper management never catches on, they believe every word of bullsh*t that the foremen feed them, while those of us on the floor see this going on and can't do anything about it because the suits won't listen to anyone from the shop anyway, and if you speak up you are in danger of losing your job. Such is the life of a pee-on.

 The company I've been working for since July seems to have it's game together a lot more than the ones I have worked for in the past, I may stick around this one a while.

[aeronut]

Glad Britain ain't in Europe otherwise we'd be all unemployed, starving and playing Monopoly with Euros

[Craig.]

urgh overtime whats that?
Last christmas working for the Co-Op, i worked 4 straight 60 hour weeks, of which included 3 straight 12 hour days without a single break, all because management wanted to go home early. i had to go between doing the meat counter, the bakery, the produce department, checkouts, grocery and warehouse, while taking delieverys, all because we didnt have the staff, and management as i said took off early. saturdays i had to work freezers, while also supervising produce in the afternoon, and sundays,, i should have had off but had to go in a few times to restock Freezers, it makes me glad i have this post concussion syndrome and am unable to work right now. may be on verg of broke but hell none of that crap:)
oh and so you know the Co-Op has a strict overtime policy, so i worked those 60 hour weeks for the equivelent of 39 hour pay.

OOOOOH i am particuly Bitchy tonight:)

[Paz]

 CraigL, 60 hours work for 39 hours pay?? I think I would be looking for another job, I know I would. Remember how I said I have worked in quite a few factories? That's because if I figured I'm getting screwed by a company, or I don't like the way I'm being treated, I move on down the road.

[Craig.]

hi Paz.
I did, in the end, i was lucky to get paid 39 hours, due to my contract only being for 29 hours. and 39 was maximum overtime, i left in january after they bumped my hours from 29 to 45 without tell or asking me, and after we agreed that i could only do the 29 due to college requirements. add to that the regulary miss paying me and others what we were owed.
i got sick of it and left. another reason why management should never be trusted if they look incompetent

[Paz]

 Good for you man, screw these companies and their useless management that take advatage of the employees, there have been a few incidents where I have been demoted from certain positions due to the fact that once I've had enough, I don't always hold back the way I feel about incompetent management, they don't particularly take well to criticizm in most cases, maybe because they know it's true.

[Smoke2much]

Glad Britain ain't in Europe otherwise we'd be all unemployed, starving and playing Monopoly with Euros

Funny that, last time I checked an atlas we appeared to be in Europe.  I also distinctly remember voting in european elections.  We are not a member of the single currency though.

Will

[Craig.]

[quote]