Work Ethic
 

Can anyone advise me on how Canadians work ?

What I mean is, are they 'grafters' or 'steady away'? There is an expectation in the UK construction industry that you must stop 3 times a day for a cup of tea and your dinner !!!!!:mad::mad:

Re: Work Ethic
 

This is a good one... The statement you use is something that we talk about everyday.. WORK ETHIC does not exist in alot of Canadian Trades People or Construction workers. If I had to, I could get statements from at least every European I know in Vancouver that will agree that our opinion is that Canadian work ethics do not exist. It is difficult to even get someone that will show up for work. A big problem in trades and construction in Vancouver is to get people that can be relied on......Definetly not grafters...

Re: Work Ethic
 

I see from your profile that you're heading for Nova Scotia. I've never been to Nova Scotia, so I can't comment on it.

When I lived in Calgary (and that was until the middle of September 2008), I was astonished at how hard people in the construction industry worked. In the summer time, when it was light until late, I saw carpenters and the like doing renovations on the houses on either side of us till 9.00 p.m. and later.

I've only been on Vancouver Island for a short time, and haven't seen enough to be able to comment on the situation here.
x

Re: Work Ethic
 

In Vancouver it was very chilled. I miss that side of it a lot. In summer when work would dry up, I used to go down to Spanish Banks and fall asleep lying on the beach. I'd go back to work and nobody would ever notice i had been missing! Great stuff.

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I think the angle I am coming at here is that a good friend of ours in Truro(NS) has told me that you can be very successful in Canada if you are willing to work hard.

Well hard work is definately something I am not at all afraid of, but would find it difficult if the people around me were constantly horizontal !!:sneaky:

I suppose I will find out soon enough once we are there.

But if this is true, then an honest hard worker should stand out from the crowd and that can surely only work in my favour.:D

Re: Work Ethic
 

It surely could!!!

I have heard the same from some Canadians we know however that is the same wherever you go in the world not just in Canada. Look at how many dont want to work period in the UK.

Truro is a great place and i am sure you will love it. We go into Truro on a regular basis.

Good luck :thumbsup:

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sounds familiar to those who remember this film as I do

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_All_Right_Jack

Re: Work Ethic
 

I think it depends on how you get paid and how much you are paid. If you are on piece work, or hourly rates then you are might work harder to get more money, you are more likely to have to work long hours if you are paid a low hourly rate. Its not uncommon in this city for people to have two jobs. Also part time employees are often employed on a casual basis, ie no guaranteed work, so you work whatever you can when asked.

I work in a hospital and the work ethic there seems no different to hospitals I worked at in England. The only difference is that there is no afternoon coffee break, and lunch is 30 minutes. Which I prefer, as I would rather go home 30 mins earlier. For me the shift times are much earlier and later, starting at 7.30 to 3.30, 3.30 to 11.30, 11.30 to 7.30. In the UK it most shifts were 8 hours between 8 and 6 with much longer shifts to cover evenings, nights and weekends.

I think many people have to work harder here (Ontario) as there is little choice for them, employment law isnt as good as in the UK, so workers are put upon.

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I also think the general level of job security plays a role.

Some in the government employ who need to only show up for work and stay awake do not need a work ethic. Also those who are unionized with seniority are in the sane boat unless the company is in danger of going belly up or requiring layoffs.

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Yes, that seems to fit with what I have seen. A govt job is the way to go if you can.

Its almost impossible to break into a unionized workplace though.

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Many moons ago I was out of a job, thank GOD it only lasted a few weeks. I remember the attitude of this woman who was not easy to deal with, even condescending. Not exactly what one would expect when applying for so called benefits. I told this dame that if it weren't for people like me she would be out of a job too. I noticed a remarkable change in attitude.

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Hard Work will definetely be recognised here. One thing about Canadians is that everybody gets an opportunity. I have been at meetings where everyones opinion was listened to from the top managers to the garbage man. Everybody speaks up. A hard worker will be recognised and rewarded.

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I work for a crown corporation (Provincial Gov't) and the work ethic is slow, slow, slow. If it aint broke, don't fix it and no one is held accountable.

I work Mon - Fri, 8am - 4pm, with a half hour lunch. My boss had a word with me because he thought I wasn't having an equal work life balance as I had come in two Saturday mornings on the row :lol:

It's tough man ;)

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I think it depends on whereabouts in Canada you are. I've heard it said that in Toronto the talk over coffee on Mondays and Tuesdays is of how much extra work you did over the weekend. In BC it tends to be about how much mountain biking, skiing, hiking etc you did at the weekend.

In BC people work to live, definitely not live to work. People work 40 hours a week. It is very hard to get them to work more, even at premium rates.

I agree with the comments about government and unionized (often the same thing) jobs. It can be a gravy train once you are in, but you have to pay your dues (non monetary) to get in. Many people with get up and go would find the work environment in these type of jobs stifling, if easy.

You can prosper in private industry if you have a good work ethic.

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I have heard that too:

That in BC people are more laid back, really no different than QC which supposedly doesn't have such a strong work ethic.

(Thankfully i have never had to live or work in the centre of Canada's universe so I really can't judge).

Re: Work Ethic
 

I beg to differ that government jobs are a walk in the park.....

I have worked in two different municipalities in Alberta now and there is a lot of evidence of working unpaid overtime in the evening and at weekends, despite it being unionised. Also lots of chats around the watercooler regarding what time you worked till last night/all over the weekend, etc. I've also seen the other side i.e. there are a few who do 'work to rule' and do as little as they can to get by but this seems to be the exception rather than the norm. In fact I quit my first job here because the expectation was for more and more and I didn't want to come to Canada to work myself into the ground. Don't get me wrong, I work hard but even I have a limit!

I think life is easier if you aren't working at the main office...life seems a little more relaxed in the satellite offices where you are more 'removed; from the politicians and senior management.

The other half is in the provincial side of things and last week he did about 30 hours overtime! Ok, so its paid and he can keep me in the manner to which I am accustomed, but it is expected that he works long hours as he is out in the field a lot.

Just don't think that all government jobs will be a piece of pi$$!

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Hell yeah, that's about it. :thumbup:

Don't come to BC expecting big money and a career boost....just come here to do non-work related leisure crazy shit.

R.

Re: Work Ethic
 

Can anyone comment on Nova Scotia ???:confused:

I have seen evidence of varying attitudes to work just across the UK, so I am sure there is a different approach across a country the size of Canada.

It does sound great though from what people have said so far !!:lol:

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They have just 15 minutes for lunch, were they "nip oot" for fresh cockles.

It's a Maritimes thing.

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in my view everybody is really laid back hear. no coffee breaks where i work:L:L
any way i am in a work place with basically half canadian and half british mix of english 1 scottish (me) and the british defently work harder than the canadians although i work in far different conditions to you british def have higher standards.

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Fair enough. I admit it was a gross generalization. I said it because I know people who work for Crown Corporations, that are closed shops, in BC. They have to work hard, on uncertain hours that are not guaranteed, until they are deemed "acceptable" to the union and the employer. As far as I can see if you are acceptable to the union you are also acceptable to the employer though it doesn't work the other way around.

However, once they are approved for full-time work by the union they have a job for life at very good rates of pay and are not expected to break a sweat too often.

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[QUOTE=Erinbrooke;6866119]Can anyone comment on Nova Scotia ???:confused:

As long as you don't expect any work from them before their 2nd or 3rd timmy's they aren't that bad :) (although this is usually well after 1pm)

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In our office it's just assumed that everyone works on the weekend. The culture is such that no one mentions participating in something other than work. Having an interest outside work is not usual and admitting to one would baffle as much as offend. We work in a strange kind of bubble, for example, I've worked with colleagues since the eighties but don't know if they're married, gay, have children, communists, members of an organized religion, teetotal.

Mind you, it's the computer business so one would not expect much in the way of social skills.

Re: Work Ethic
 

I just remembered a comment that was made by our Canadian friend living in Truro......
He said that if an Englishman and a Canadian both went for the same job, the Englishman would get it everytime !!!:confused: He continued to point out his opinion that we were considered to be brighter, more intelligent people than our Canadian counterparts, by employers......:unsure:
Quite how true this statement is I am not sure, but judging by a few of the posts on this thread, there might be something in it?? But then again it may not be the 'grey matter' that employers are looking at but, in fact, work rate??

Re: Work Ethic
 

I am not convinced there is a need for govt. employees, be it federal, provincial, municipal, whatever, to actually have a work ethic.

Some do, others don't.

As to working overtime, well in the private sector it usually goes with the territory; however in government, it is usually well rewarded.

Also take into account all those 'sick' or personal days allowed. Quite generous. And, if memory serves, all those 'sick' days not used add up and are either paid out or accumulated so one doesn't have to show up for work, but is still paid full salary, a few months before official retirement.

I am not being critical of such employees but with relatively solid job security as one gains seniority, why would there even be a need for a work ethic?

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I am Canadian and I work as little as humanly and financially possible and all Canadians are exactly like me, even the ones who love to work, or have to work, a lot.

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That is strange. The current employer that is looking at me and also has a large presence in Mississagua (around 600 people) told me flat out in one of the interviews that if I could not manage my work-life balance properly then I would not be hired. They almost force you to have a life outside work, which is fine with me :)

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Not so.

dbd is not an employee

R.

Re: Work Ethic
 

If your prospective employer has 600 employees, the employer must be a real company, and it must be offering you a real job.

Dbd33 doesn't have a real job. He's a contractor.

There's a hierarchy in Canada (and I dare say in a lot of other countries too). At the top of the food chain are the real companies that offer real jobs (with salaries, benefits, etc.). Those companies contract out some of their work to almost-real companies with almost-real jobs (jobs with come with not quite such good salaries, not quite so many benefits, not quite so much job security). Those almost-real companies, in turn, sub-contract some of their work when they have too much on their plate.

Once you get down to this level, things start to get a little more dubious. Somewhere down here, people start being employed on a contract basis. They're only paid when they're actually working. At this level, there is not enough "fat" in the system that employers can afford to "carry" the contractors when they are not doing actual billable work (work for which the employer's client can be invoiced).

On the other hand, in some fields the hourly rate for contractors is higher than the nominal hourly rate that employers earn. So, if a contractor is given enough hours, he/she may earn pretty good money. The risk is that, when work dries up, it's the contractors who are dropped first. The employees who work in "real jobs" for "real companies" try to preserve the last remaining work for themselves.

To use dbd33's own term, he's a pimp. That is a slang term for someone who hires out bodies to companies, who is paid a fee for making those bodies available, and who turns around and pays the bodies less than he received for their services. He makes his money on the difference between what he receives and what he pays, just as the banks make money on the difference between the interest that they receive and the interest they pay.

Dbd33 also does some IT work in his own right, but he makes some of his money from the people who get their work through him.

By the way, there is no such thing as an "almost-real company." That was just my made up term to try to paint a picture for you. What I meant by an "almost-real company" was a company that was a little lower in the hierarchy. A company that is a little lower in the hierarchy may be one that operates in a slightly less profitable area or that supplies goods or services to a company that's at the top of the food chain in a profitable area.

I'll use the example of Calgary, which is the work environment that I know best. Exxon/Mobil would be an example of a company that was at the top of the food chain. Exxon/Mobil might hire a consulting engineering firm -- like Colt, Fluor or SNC-Lavalin -- to design a new facility for them. If, say, Fluor is awarded the contract, there may be bits of the work that are too much for them (depending on their current workload), and they may sub-contract those bits to smaller companies. Those smaller companies, in turn, may sub-contract bits of work to individual consultants.

I promise you that, once you get down into the smaller companies and the individual consultants, no one mentions the term work-life balance. They accept any work that comes their way, even if their lives are a sort of feast or famine rollercoaster ride.

When I previewed my message prior to posting it, I saw that Rich_007 already had responded. However, the additional explanation that I provided may be useful. I'll also respond to you in the other thread in which we were discussing Canada being behind Europe.
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Re: Work Ethic
 

My OH works in the trades and is the hardest working man I know - along with his partner (a Canadian) who matches him in having a VERY VERY strong work ethic. I think my OH has found here that you get the same as you do in the UK, people that will work hard and then lazy boggers that will do all they can to skive off!

Re: Work Ethic
 

I couldn't have put it better myself.

This is my first Canadian job and a real eye opener, we are so over staffed at the moment it's a joke. What do the managers do? they recruit more of us :confused:

If a job needs doing, they sub it out to external companies while we look over them and oversee the project. Gov't jobs are nice, great security and decent money but it would be nice to actually come home from work feeling like you've worked once in a while.

Re: Work Ethic
 

Trust me it wouldn't. Fancy a job swap ? ;)

R.

Re: Work Ethic
 

Not a bad description but the consulting, personal or as a pimp, is just jam these days. We make 90% of our income from software royalties, that is recurring fees for the use the of existing programs.

Re: Work Ethic
 

Oracle? If so then ask yourself how well Larry Elison manages his work/life balance.

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HI. I am confused by the above quote. I am still in the UK and work in a hospital here. I do not get coffee breaks and i only get thirty mins for lunch too, although, as i am not usually supervised i do stretch this occasionally.

I am supposed to work 8am-4pm but this is rare, i usually work later than 4.00pm and never work weekends unless overtime is paid.

I think, if you work and are prepared to put in extra hours you should be able to fit in anywhere. Is is hard or easy to get a job in a hospital in Canada - i am headed for NS, if my nerves hold out and i have been told i should have no problem, but with my kind of work/job being unionised is this harder still (Medical Secretary). Would appreciate any advice, as i do not want to walk away from all i have if i cannot guarantee some kind of job etc.

Emmjay

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Souvette got quite a shock earlier this year when she moved from military administration to public service administration. From what she says, people just don't give a shit. It seems prevalent at all levels. Her boss, a Director General, told her she'd need to go through a period of "detox".

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Like moving from a benevolent dictatorship to a democracy ? I guess the management style would be a change eh ?

R.

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Thing is, though, she turned the comment on its head. She is introducing her way of doing things and few people have the guts to stand up to her.

I have often joked that whenever she goes to a new position there is a need to hire extra cleaning staff, to wash the splattered egos off the walls.

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I empathise. Sounds like she kicks ass. It's tough working with the fragile ego's of insecurity, incompetence, and sloth.

It's hard to balance quality with efficiency, but it's a wonderful skill to be able to deliver such a beast to businesses.

I often describe myself as the guy with the laser beam; Switch it on, scan, analyse, execute, move on.

R.

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It's a combination of her character and 23 years in military administration. Say what you like about the military but they do know how to run organisations and their ethic is to do what they are supposed to.

Since the recruitment rules were changed a year or two ago, lots of military admin types have moved into the public service.