lifeisgreat

Hi there

Just wanting to get some comments regarding your work experiences in the US compared to the UK. I would be interested to know the following:

Do you find that you work more, the same or less hours each week?

Does it bother you that you get less holiday (if you get more holiday time, please say), or does lifestyle compensate in some way for this?

What have you found different about the working culture in the US? Good? Bad?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Lifeisgreat

Jabba1

What nonsense is this? No-one works in the USA!!!!

That's the American way of life!

Manc

the streets are lined with gold.

Fitz750

Somebody said to me before i came to the US

"they work long hours and achieve very little"

Couldn't have put it better.

Anyway back to work

Angry White Pyjamas

Paved I think you'll find it is.

Anyway, im just off to collect some more nuggets and then buy another yacht.....Sanchez! More pina colada my man.

CitySimon

I think that a lot of it depends on which area of employment you are looking at getting involved in.

I worked as a System Admin in England and am now working as a Software Engineer and can say that the hours are generally about the same, although, in the US, unpaid voluntary overtime is more than accepted (sorry, the word here should be "expected").

Vacation... In England I was on 26 days of vacation a year as well as a generous TOIL package and also flexileave into the bargain (I think I had about 35 days leave in my last year there, not including national holidays). Over here, it's 10 days leave a year (increasing after 5 years), two personal days, and 12 flexible holidays (obviously including x-mas, new year, 4th July, ThnxGiving...etc... with the option to reassign if I end up working on set national holidays)

My sick leave in England was seperate from vacation (about 10 days a year)... In America, sick leave comes out of my vacation time (then unpaid leave if I have no vacation left).


Working conditions... again it depends on the field in which you are looking for employment... Most companies offer benefit packages to cover employees with regards to medical/dental insurance (always worth asking this at an interview), retirement (401(k), 403(b), Simple IRA, Sep Ira ...etc..) and other pre-tax medical benefits (premium only and Section 125). Very few companies pay for these in full and expect the employee to pick up the tab a certain extent.

Be wary of Employee Handbooks. They are put across as a contract between the employer and the employee. However, the vast majority of employers use them to insurance against being sued by former employees for wrongful dismissal. If you are presented with a document setting down the working procedures/"what is expected of the employee" sort of thing, read it thoroughtly prior to signing it and stick to it. A lot of companies have an instant dismissal policy written into handbooks with regards to breach of working procedure. No 30/60 days notice like back in England. It's "Clear your desk and leave, now!"

Working environment... depends on field...etc... I work in a cube farm with no view out of a window from my desk Bummer.

Based on my (limited) experience... More seems to be expected of employees working in America than England. It's very much a sink or swim situation with many people being expected to do the jobs of two or more people.

Sarah

Working over here is bollocks.

lifeisgreat

Thanks for that CitySimon. This is the information I was trying to get by starting the thread.

I am so grateful that my husband and I have the choice of living either here in the UK or there in the US. This situation, great as it is, does leave an almost never ending question between us of 'which place is better for us'. When considering this, it's helpful to bring up quality of life issues and work is definitely one of them.

Thanks again.

L

Angry White Pyjamas

The US is great if you are
A) Young
and
B) Loaded

However the UK is better if you are not both of the above but you
A) Want a more relaxed lifestyle
B) Dont want to be so caught up in the rat race
C) Like cheap holidays. And plenty of them.

ladylisa

I agree 100% with citysimon. My husband is expected to work far more hours for the US division than he was for the UK division. However he frequently has problems finding US staff to put the work in, they do the hours alright. He was lucky because he was able to bring most of his UK holiday entitlement as it was a company transfer. However I would say its a tougher work environment here over all, no one is expendable. It seems working in the UK is more cushioned for the employee. Its certainly been a learning curve for us both however because he does work hard his efforts haven't gone unnoticed. He has been promoted twice in 3 years and is looking at possible getting a 3rd promotion when the company restructures itself. I would say over all though that he has become far more cynical of corporate America since being here.

geordiegirl2

I worked for the NHS in the UK, so had 31 days paid holidays plus 8 bank holidays, my sick time was seperate as was my maternity leave, I had the protection of a professional body the then UKCC, here i get 2 weeks paid vacation and sick time comes out of that too, I'm in Arizona, which is a right to work state which seems to mean employers have all the rights, I have seen people sacked in an instance with no means to argue.My working conditions were much better at home.

elfman

Yes it bloody well does

woodsey

I don't do work but my hubby does and its far better over here..
No staying late, no weekends, no up til 2 in the morning doing e mails, no travelling, he does a nice regular 8 hours day 5 days a week and thats it. He's usually home by 5 to sit out in the sun for the rest of the day or maybe put some washing in...
Yes he gets less holiday but overall I think he works far less hours here than back in the UK even taking into account he had 3 weeks more holiday there, in fact I can't remember the last year back in England he actually got to take his full holiday entitlement..

Angry White Pyjamas

Im guessing Eskimo is one of the rare lucky ones whose workilife is actually better here.

psb182

think you will find you get at least 2 times as many holidays in the UK.....been working in the workforce 27 yrs and still have not had 1 single days paid vacation .......it's very competitive in the US and many of your co workers you will find have a brown nose.....you probably will be expected to work longer hours as well ......good luck