Pharrya

I'm 8-5 with an unpaid hour for lunch, and I usually make a point of leaving the office for lunch, even if it's for ten minutes. Any time over that I get comp time, which as some have said can seriously add up your vacation - 2 hrs a week gets you an extra 2 weeks a year.

I get 21 vacation and 'personal' days plus 11 public holidays. Oh, and in the current climate, 3 mandatory unpaid days.

coopa_troopa

You mean there's still some workplaces where you can smoke?!

There's a no smoking policy where I work. Can't even smoke outside, or even in your own car in the parking lot.

lj2

I am salaried a 40 hour week (9 per day less oten non existant lunch breaks) no payments for overtime. In reality, I work 12 - 18 hour days regularly and travel weekends or evenings in addition very often but I am treated like an adult - if I have something outside of work to take care of I do, and there is no reporting of hours to anyone. I get my work done by the deadlines set by clients, I do decent work, and I am available 24 hours.

If I want to leave at noon on a Fri, I will if i fits my schedule. Much better than the UK where people moaned at me for coming in at 9.15 every day...

22 days vacation and personal days (need to use up to 5 if sick for a week or more) and 11 holidays - again far far less than I am used to back home, but I have no problems working from home whenever I ned to whereas back home that was kinda frowned upon...

Plus my salary was the same when I moved here and the exchange rate was 2:1. Overall, I prefer it here.

Juswus

Yep, that's how they keep us in line

I miss fag breaks...I want to smoke again for the breaks

Kaffy Mintcake

I'm supposed to get into the office sometime between 8:30 and 9:30am. When I'm really busy I might be there at 7:30, but that's not common. It's not a big deal to come in late due to a doctor's appointment, or to leave early if you have something going on. Most people who do that make up the time on their own some other time in the week. It's also perfectly acceptable to work from home now and then.

Lunch isn't paid, but you could work 9-5 if you didn't take a lunch, or 8-5 and take an hour lunch. Noone is watching over your shoulder as long as you're getting your work done. Oftentimes I eat at my desk, sometimes I go out with co-workers and we're gone for two hours.

Generally I work about 45 hours a week. Four weeks paid vacation, plus I buy one week (so unpaid essentially) so I have five altogether in addition to public holidays.

Patrick Hasler

Oh I wouldn't say that ! .... I get one amazing week a year for the first 3 years, then 2 weeks for the next 7 after which I get 3 weeks !

companies here are so giving

HighSpeedGrandma

I know how you feel. I do payroll at my company and we have many employees paid different ways. We have to deduct half an hour lunch from anyone who works more than 6 hours. They're expected to take a lunch break and it is assumed they did. If they work through lunch (with permission from their supervisor, and have their timecards signed that they didn't take the lunch break we don't deduct it.
Myself, I have to work 8 hours a day. My hours are 7:30am till 4pm, because I have to sign out for half an hour lunch.
Used to work 37.5 hours in England. Lunch HOUR was paid.
They are stingey in the US.

tonrob

Is going for a poo allowed at work?

Toontje

Management, salaried, 5 days a week from 6:30am - 4pm. I'm supposed to take one hour for breakfast/lunch/whatever. The bonus is as many smoke breaks as I want to (employer is a smoker too!)

First year no vacation. After one year 5 days, after 2 years 10 days and after 5 years you get a whopping 15 days vacation.

srah

Keep going mate...your leave allocation may change.....as the American gal AmerLisa says "It's not always that bad".......

Kaffy Mintcake

To be fair, AmerLisa has a point. I have a decent holiday allowance as well. You can't really only pay attention to the posts that reflect a poor holiday allowance. It's less consistent here.

srah

There are more posts regarding the poor leave allowance if you read through as I can't be arsed to hi-light them all. Overall the leave allocation is pretty bad in the USA certainly compaired to Europe.

frrussre

The USA work rules are simple:
If you leave before your boss, you are "Not a team player"

Some might say, the USA has longest work hours, least amount of vacation/holidays & yet worst productivity in the world.

USA = lot of disgruntled workers, long hours, no breaks, crap vacation, but do as little as possible while you are there.

We live in Florida, one of the worst workers rights States, 40 hours, before they have to pay overtime, even if you only work a 36 hour week. Fire at will, for any or no reason.
My wife a veteran NYC nurse, constantly gets told "Slow down, your working too fast", "Theres no rush, don't get paid extra"
Reg. Frank R.

scrubbedexpat099

From when I wake up to when I fall asleep.

We pay fairly and I expect people to work when there is work, but have no issues chilling when there is not.

AmerLisa

It isn't....and I'm not the only one saying it.....or have you only learned to selectively read? I gave an example of my husband's working hours.....but of course you didn't take that into account. Blue collar workers usually always get the crap hours and holidays.....I found that out in the UK when I had 4 weeks off a year but had to plan it all out at the beginning of the year or lose them.