MarkG

Officially, our company conditions aren't great when compared to the UK. In reality, since overtime can be taken as vacation time instead of pay (and, in some cases, has to be taken as vacation time), it works out better. In the UK, I didn't even get paid for overtime.

We get sick pay, but I've no idea how many days each year. I've never gone over whatever limit there might be.

BristolUK

Ah, the old scare mongering argument against NMW and raises

AzLar41

All clear as mud hahahaha

scilly

Basically, you did get your answer plus a discussion on how much things can vary

You asked .............

I know this is a tough thing to call out, but what is a typical office working week like?

8:30 am - 4:30 pm, or even 5:00 pm

How much holiday is standard?

2 weeks, plus Statutory Holidays, plus days off in lieu of overtime in some places

Sick Pay?

No ....... unless you happen to work in a large corporation with strong union and/or negotiated sick pay and other benefits, eg university, college

School holiday cover if no holiday?

Up to you. No help given or provided by the company

Does it all depend on the company ?

Yes

Thanks

I hope that is now clear

Aviator

.. or maybe take a read of this
Employment Standards Act

Each province has their own. This is the minimum. Other than that, it will vary from employer to employer.

Munster

This is in Vancouver at a company of around 80 people. I'm eyeing the UK work life balance pretty hard...

dbd33

However, in the line of work the OP mentions, it's usual to be paid for hours worked and nothing else. I, for example, don't have paid holidays or sick days or any form of benefit. The typical working practice is what's called a "zero hours contract" or "the gig economy" in the UK.

JamesM

It's also frowned upon to turn up to work with a hangover here.

Rather than people giving you the respect you deserve for belting down a few pints, sleeping rough and rising early for the cause they will instead consider it to be disrespectful where your colleagues make weird faces at each other in response to your pitiful state. Friday is certainly not the enjoyable end of week day it was back in the old country.

BristolUK

That's terrible.

What about quaffing a few beers at lunchtime, breathing fumes over people in the lift and being half-cut in the afternoon and having to make regular visits to the toilet to pee. Surely that's okay?

Linotype

Sort of like this:
Who Had The Worst Job Ever? Chris Pratt vs. John Bishop - The Graham Norton Show

DandNHill

Hahaha that's so funny. Sadly it was similar to that.
I actually think the six sigma management methods are responsible for a lot of this kind of crap. In the U.K. I worked for a large corporate for a while and one of the questions at our annual review was always "what are our five winning ways?" I could never remember.
I'm so not a model corporate employee.

Shakyuk

I'd imagine it was hard not to inform them that by asking the question they had actually become a loser...

DandNHill

Well I might have been known to mutter "corporate bull...t" a few times.
I just don't get that stuff.
They also sent all their new staff on a residential course to learn effective customer service...like answering the phone within three rings or smiling when you answer as people will hear it in your voice! It was just so ridiculous. Yes perhaps some people who had no people skills maybe needed that type of training but the question should have been "why employ those types in the first place?"

BristolUK

I'm reminded of a great line. "Team building course? The others might need that but I don't."

JamesM

Talking about beer in the Canadian work place is a faux pas.

One is not supposed to "unwind" but carry the charade of being busy.