Adjusting to life in the states.

[ChasUno 101]

This is totally off topic from chocolate but im genuinely curious if my experience so far is the norm in terms of cultural differences. Has anyone noticed a big difference in going to work in the UK ill and going to work in the US ill, my experience was in the UK you get sympathy followed by a pat on the back for being a trooper n making it in whereas here Ive found you are received with fear over whether you are contagious followed by anger at you being selfish enough to work with germs on you lol. I went to work with a cold thinking 'this will show Im a dedicated worker' only to have colleagues bitching about me being ill around them and even had one colleague get openly angry at me and telling me to go home. I could maybe understand if I was unhygeinic and sneezing into the air but I was discreet and in the UK you can hardly call in sick with a cold!

The difference as well, in the UK you are more likely to get paid sick leave. If you work for the civil service/ NHS, paid sick leave can be very generous so you never have to worry about taking a few days off every now and then because you're really under the weather.

In the USA, I've heard it is much different as you get much less sick leave, and in some jobs, none at all. You call in sick, you lose pay. It's a short sighted attitude because many sick people feel forced to go in to work, risking spreading germs to their co-workers and causing even more people to be off sick and/ or cause reduced productivity.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Yep exactly. but good on ya for going on in. I do as well but I don't like to waste my paid days off lol

[Cam54 84]

Yep exactly. but good on ya for going on in. I do as well but I don't like to waste my paid days off lol

Dropping from 4 paid weeks off a year plus 10 public holidays to just 1 week has been an eye opener too lol took way too many things for granted in the UK

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Yeah I understand. My fiancé worked shifts so he didn't get all those days off lol but at my job I get one pot of time off to use as I wish. Funeral leave, sick leave, vacation etc. Plus we do get a few holidays off as well. But not near like you guys do.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

I went from 6 weeks paid vacation in the UK to 2 in the US and apparently even that is good here. It was a bit of a culture shock! I get personal days too but I have to use them if I get sick so I'm really hoping that I don't get sick lol. It's definitely a different work culture here and I've noticed the "stay at home if you get sick" attitude here too, can't really blame people when sick pay is not as common though.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Hotter Otter