N1cky

I didn't telecommute in the UK, I work in finance so permanent desk. I would work out of a different office maybe 50 days a year, and then I would use one of the hot desks.

Here I work purely from home. My job was an office/desk bound job, but when we relocated for my hubbys work, my employers allowed me to work full time from home. I do still have a desk in the office, but that is only because if we gave it up we would never get it back. Whoever gets my job when I eventually leave will be office/bound again, so they need to hang on to the space. I only go into the office maybe 10 days a year.

Michael

That is what I've seen with all the people I worked with in the Silicon Valley. The girl from Boston was different since she had a PHD in encryption and covered all sites that needed help with government regulations concerning encryption so she only had an office at home and no where else. She really didn't have much knowledge about how to write code for encryption but knew how the government wanted it implemented and that is why she was hired. For example at that time, it was forbidden to have a separate encryption module and the code had to be embedded into the main code so that no one could call the encryption functions from another program. In other words, it couldn't be a dynamic linked library.

markwm

I worked in the city (in IT) for over 20 years but also did some time over here (both coasts) so was familiar with the work ethic and practices and have lived here previously. I have found the pace is certainly slower than London but everything appears similar.

Perhaps it's just the place I'm at but there seems to be an appreciation for work-life balance and they're happy for me to come in and leave early with no expectation to work more than contracted hours even though I generally do some extra time so as to be able to nip off early every now and again - exactly as it was in London.

I think your view is being colored by the place you work at: does not sound typical to me.

I do agree that driving standards here are poor but I guess that's my opinion/problem, not theirs.

Besides, you live and work in a beautiful part of the country: shame not to be able to enjoy it.

dlake02

Of all the things I've noticed, the fact that the pace of life is SO much slower than I'm used to is a shock.

It's not right or wrong - personally, I would prefer a little more urgency, more bustle, but that is a PERSONAL choice. But it is just as shock, because, as I put in my first post, I was expecting, given the perception of America and Americans in outside the US, that the pace of life would be quicker than in the UK.

Well, there I will agree with you. On Pier 39 last weekend in the sun, not a cloud in the sky, full of people and enjoying every minute of it.... SF is a beautiful city. Down on the coast tomorrow and can't wait to have my toes in the Pacific again...

Bootle

It's definitely a coastal thing and in particular a North-East vs the rest. Cali is a lot slower than NY and consequently London city. Be thankful you are in NorCal as a SoCal where life is almost comatose, much like a retirement community.

markwm

Well I'm in SoCal and I don't think it's that slow! I have lived in NoCal (many years ago) and loved it though I was north of the city and I did think that a slower pace of life than LA.

It's all down to perception: if the op was working somewhere else they might be seeing life quite differently.

Dan725

From my experience, I think this is a pretty fair comment. If it was actually funny, the healthcare thing would make me laugh - After 10 years I do still find it disturbing that here in the supposed land of the free, some people who might otherwise have been bright star entrepreneurs are unable to spread their wings because of fear of leaving their corporate healthcare plan.

I can also see where the OP is coming from regarding commitments, planned meetups etc - often cancelled, whether work related or not.

On the flipside, there are scores of truly insanely hard working people here; its hard to tar everyone with the same brush.

N1cky

It's amazing how healthcare ties people to jobs they don't give a shit about. We have a friend whose wife has published a series of books, the film is currently being made, some very big names are in it, so serious money. She is currently writing another series which she has already sold the film rights on. He is still working his job, that he doesn't really like, because they can't afford for him to quit and lose the healthcare benefits for them and the two kids.

Dan725

The other thing that, try as I might, but cannot get past, is the lack of vacation time. My last job, I was there for 4 years and had built up an almost UK like 4.5 weeks off a year. I've just been laid off, and the thought of going back to 2 shitty weeks off is pretty unbearable right now.

More than anything, this is likely to be my undoing with the US and cause a move. Again, I also think this is counter "Land of the Free" - the corporations suck people in to staying with them for years due to them building up a decent vacation allowance. To me that is very counter-"free" - if people knew they could move to a different job with another company and still get a standard 5 weeks off a year, there would be more movement and a much less "Working for the Man" feeling, IMHO.

AdobePinon

Thanks, OP, for giving me a laugh. A breath of fresh air, so to speak.

But I think most of it is your company and the people you deal with. I certainly have no problem getting hold of people when I need to - my only beef is that I keep getting sent emails over the weekend too, which I usually ignore until Monday.

Fridays can be kind of quiet for me, but since I work a 9/80 schedule, that's not surprising. It's considered one of the biggest perks of working for my employer, along with reasonable amounts of other time off. But hot desking without enough desks just seems like management failure to me.

Ordering..... can usually get next day delivery, but will cost a few arms and legs. At work, fast delivery can be an issue.

Driving here in NM is a mixed bag. Some really slow folks, and some super speedy ones. On the highway, things seem quite fast compared to the UK these days, since we don't have the speed cameras. In town, well, most people don't feel like smoking out from a light just to stop 20 seconds later at the next one. Situational awareness is certainly an issue though.

Chrisdc

Some thoughts that might help:

This is a foreign country. We Brits often perceive it as an extension of the UK, and get stressed when things don't quite run the way we are used to. There are many similarities with British culture, but beneath the surface there is a world of difference. The fact that we speak the same language is a complete red herring. Think of it more like moving to France, or China.

It's impossible to generalize work culture. With 300 million people, there are subcultures within subcultures within subcultures. I think it is human nature to try to generalize, to make sense of the world around us by summarizing. But honestly, it's too fragmented a culture. Best to focus on your own wants and needs, and find a workplace that meshes well with your personality. And if you cant, start a business and make your own culture. That's the one thing I never felt was in my power to do when I lived in London. I am grateful for the opportunity here.

I'm based in New York. the difference between the NYC commuter lifestyle and the Californian work culture is vast. I think you would find NY more akin what you are used to in London. We like to make fun of our LA clients because they go out for lunch... (ironic, I know.)

Before I came here, I always thought the the US was "ahead of us" or "the future," but there are some aspects to NY culture that seem positively antediluvian. Some work practices and technological systems are just prehistoric. Thank goodness they are finally catching on to SMS though ;-)

And I have to say, I will always love my American friends because they put up with me being a complete a-hole in my first year here... "Good grief, why do ATMs work so differently here - that is SO stupid... Why does no one send text messages, are they just technologically illiterate? etc. etc.. ad nauseum (for them)"

Bit of a ramble... hope it helps!

C

Bob

Sorry to hear that, no fun at all

Dan725

Thanks Bob....I know you're a man who knows how it goes!

Back to the land of applying for stuff and never hearing anything back....uuurgh.

Bob

Yeah, that does get old fast!

Good luck bouncing back with a new gig

Bluegrass Lass

Interesting observations here, I have to say. As an engineer myself, I have no choice but to be in the office everyday. Since I worked in manufacturing, I had to be in the building to do my job. For the fairly large companies I worked for, there was very little telecommuting. I usually had a laptop, but that was used primarily if I had to do some traveling, but that was in addition to my desktop PC. I hardly ever brought the laptop into the office with me. In my experience, everybody was in the office everyday, unless they were on vacation or traveling; and they were there by 8sh and were there at least until 6ish.

We could leave during the day for dr's appointments, since it was pretty well expected that we would make up the time. I myself would take my full vacation time, mostly a week at a time, and a couple of times I have taken 2 weeks off back-to-back. But not everyone would do. Mostly because of the mentality that if the company realizes they can survive without you, they'll just get rid of you. And if you are perceived as taking too much time off, companies just might get rid of you.

And I agree its quite sad that people are tied to jobs that they absolutely can't stand, just to keep benefits. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I worked with some right a$$holes, but I was pretty much stuck there for quite a while because I couldn't just walk away.

The other things you are probably suffering from is the whole west coast California laid back attitude. While it may be generalizing a lot, CA is known for their laid back lifestyle and 'beach bum' approach to life.

My advice is don't fight it, enjoy it! Stop and smell the roses!