They work harder for the money

[homesick_american 1]

http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/07/news/ilo_s...sion=2007060715

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Blackberry messages at midnight, taking your laptop to the beach, eating lunch at your desk - you may feel like you're toiling 24/7, but hardworking Americans may not be putting in the most hours.

According to a report released Thursday, the U.S. workforce comes in sixth among developed countries surveyed when it comes to punching out late.

The International Labor Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, conducted a study of more than 50 countries and found that 22 percent of the total workforce surveyed (614.2 million people) worked more than 48 hours a week, an amount the ILO defines as excessive.

Among the developed nations covered in the report, ILO found that the countries with the highest percentage of workers putting in a longer than 48-hour workweek are:

* Japan: 39.3%

* United Kingdom: 25.7%

* Israel: 25.5%

* New Zealand: 23.6%

* Australia: 20.4%

* Switzerland: 19.2%

* United States: 18.1%

Among developing nations surveyed in the report, the highest percentage of workers putting in more than 48 hours are in:

* Indonesia: 51.2%

* Peru: 50.9%

* Republic of Korea: 49.5%

* Thailand: 46.7%

* Pakistan: 44.4%

* Ethiopia: 40%

* Macao: 39.1%

The expanded workweek for a segment of the working population is due to several factors, ILO researchers wrote, "including the workers' need to work long hours to ensure adequate earnings and the widespread use of overtime by employers to attempt to increase productivity rather than alternative approaches."

Moreover, it found that "[g]enerally, working time laws and policies often have limited influence on actual working hours in developing economies, especially in terms of maximum weekly hours, overtime payments, exceptions and exemptions, and informal employment."

While 40 hours is a standard work week in many countries, many others have longer ones. For instance, 48 hours is the standard in Peru, Thailand, Ethiopia and Pakistan, the ILO found.

In Switzerland, the standard work week is 45 hours, while it's 43 hours in Israel. In the United Kingdom, the law specifies a maximum work week of 48 hours, including overtime, but allows workers and employers to negotiate a longer schedule so long as the average number of hours worked per week does not exceed 48 over a given period, according to an ILO spokesman.

Of all the countries surveyed, France has the shortest standard work week at 35 hours.

The ILO study also found that men in nearly every country studied logged more paid hours on average than women, largely because women worked a greater number of unpaid hours caring for family members and the household.

[Alex+R 0]

But when you consider the vacation time...

[homesick_american 1]

But when you consider the vacation time...

And the vastly reduced salary....

My husband gets 31 vacation days a year. He rarely uses even half of them. Just because you get the days doesn't mean they actually let you take them.

[sereia 0]

i used to have 30 days paid vacation. sigh. should never have left!

[broma25 2]

In the UK they have to let you use them its the law!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Among developing nations surveyed in the report, the highest percentage of workers putting in more than 48 hours are in:

* Indonesia: 51.2%

* Peru: 50.9%

* Republic of Korea: 49.5%

* Thailand: 46.7%

* Pakistan: 44.4%

* Ethiopia: 40%

* Macao: 39.1%

A lot must have changed in Ethiopia since my wife left there, then.

[homesick_american 1]

In the UK they have to let you use them its the law!

Yeah...it's also the law that you can't discriminate against pregnant women and racial minorities, but that happens too.

[truffles 2]

I was under the same impression Broma - because i have worked for my employers for a considerable time and my contract accommodates increases for holiday at certain length of service years i am very fortunate to have 6 weeks holiday - i know i am going to miss it....as for discrimintation - the thread isnt about discrimination against pregnant ladies. I beleive some companies will allow individual to carry over unused leave to the next year ( usually it has a limit to how much) and i have heard of companies who actually "pay" for the unused leave.

[homesick_american 1]

I was under the same impression Broma - because i have worked for my employers for a considerable time and my contract accommodates increases for holiday at certain length of service years i am very fortunate to have 6 weeks holiday - i know i am going to miss it....as for discrimintation - the thread isnt about discrimination against pregnant ladies. I beleive some companies will allow individual to carry over unused leave to the next year ( usually it has a limit to how much) and i have heard of companies who actually "pay" for the unused leave.

Legally, you're entitled to take your vacation days.

Practically, a lot of people don't and are pressured or even (illegally) forbidden to take them.

There are a lot of things that you are legally "entitled" to do but in practice cannot. You shouldn't be able to fire someone for joining a union, but it happens. I've seen it happen. Discrimination and racist bullying are supposed to be illegal, right? Well, in practice it goes on every single day. Same with sexual harassment. There is a yawning chasm between what is supposed to happen in the workplace and what actually happens. This goes for every country.

Also, many companies in the UK use a loophole and count paid bank holidays as vacation time, or they just don't pay people for bank holidays at all. I don't know a single Brit who manages to use every single one of their paid days off at work, and the 48-hour rule is largely ignored in many professions.

This thread is about the work-life balance and the myth that Americans are the biggest overtime slaves in the world. Clearly, we're not. I was not surprised to see the UK slot in ahead of the US in this respect. I'm just glad to be vindicated.

[broma25 2]

I was under the same impression Broma - because i have worked for my employers for a considerable time and my contract accommodates increases for holiday at certain length of service years i am very fortunate to have 6 weeks holiday - i know i am going to miss it....as for discrimintation - the thread isnt about discrimination against pregnant ladies. I beleive some companies will allow individual to carry over unused leave to the next year ( usually it has a limit to how much) and i have heard of companies who actually "pay" for the unused leave.

Legally, you're entitled to take your vacation days.

Practically, a lot of people don't and are pressured or even (illegally) forbidden to take them.

There are a lot of things that you are legally "entitled" to do but in practice cannot. You shouldn't be able to fire someone for joining a union, but it happens. I've seen it happen. Discrimination and racist bullying are supposed to be illegal, right? Well, in practice it goes on every single day. Same with sexual harassment. There is a yawning chasm between what is supposed to happen in the workplace and what actually happens. This goes for every country.

Also, many companies in the UK use a loophole and count paid bank holidays as vacation time, or they just don't pay people for bank holidays at all. I don't know a single Brit who manages to use every single one of their paid days off at work, and the 48-hour rule is largely ignored in many professions.

This thread is about the work-life balance and the myth that Americans are the biggest overtime slaves in the world. Clearly, we're not. I was not surprised to see the UK slot in ahead of the US in this respect. I'm just glad to be vindicated.

When I was in the UK I was a HR Manager for a law firm, I had 25 days vacation and 8 Bank Holidays, I used all my vacation time for sure as did everyone else in the company.

Carry over is not allowed under the law, neither is pay out, the whole idea of introducing the legislation was to allow people time off!! Studies have shown that accidents decrease when people are not working excessive hours, and dont forget the right to paid vacation is Health & Safety Legislation NOT employment legislation.

I do not want to get into a big debate on who works longer UK or US but it is certainly my experience here that I work a longer working day 40 hrs v 35 in the UK, I get 10 vac days here as opposed to 25 in the UK.....please dont tell me I am better off here in terms of working hrs etc

[truffles 2]

[color="#A0522D"]LOL....interesting reply - however the flip side could be - perhaps they are more dedicated? more motivated and driven to suceed?...lol.....i just KNOW your going have to "chuck" your ten penneth in here HA....but remember ...before anyone gets over excited this is an opinion - i talk from personal experience as that is what i know best - i have never been pressured to work outside my contracted hours - any extra hours i choose to work are at my discretion and bank holidays are paid at 2.5 times normal rate. As an aside i work in customer services field and i can tell you when people want a service or they want a technician they want him/her NOW! .....no end of times i have to point out that people like have weekends off - apparently we live in a 24/7 society!

I can tell you that i have used every single entitled day off ! if i have never failed to use my leave i have had the outstanding leave transfered to the following year ( a week is the limit ) the most i have ever had to pass to next year was 3 days ....we have a strong union presence and i can assure you they are consulted on all changes.

Like anykind of survey - it would be interesting to find out what kind of people they polled - senior management - shop floor - ? and what kind of questions they asked. I work for a company who employ independant organisation to survey our customers ...it is deeply flawed and has been proven so!

and noone really takes the feed back serious because of that.

My ex is self employed and works a lot of hours but is his reward is considerable earnings - much more so than i could ever earn. He will tell you he loves his job has no problems putting in the hours - he will also qualify this by explaining if he didnt like he has a choice to stop - and find another job. There are a lot of factors to consider as i think the article is just a set of stats. It doesnt give any information on who was providing the data.

[/color]

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Seems to me that the time spent at work is a rather poor measurement to establish who works harder. Looking at my staff, those that work the hardest (in terms of getting the most done on a daily basis) are actually those that spend the least time at work.

[broma25 2]

Seems to me that the time spent at work is a rather poor measurement to establish who works harder. Looking at my staff, those that work the hardest (in terms of getting the most done on a daily basis) are actually those that spend the least time at work.

I agree!

[homesick_american 1]

When I was in the UK I was a HR Manager for a law firm, I had 25 days vacation and 8 Bank Holidays, I used all my vacation time for sure as did everyone else in the company.

Carry over is not allowed under the law, neither is pay out, the whole idea of introducing the legislation was to allow people time off!! Studies have shown that accidents decrease when people are not working excessive hours, and dont forget the right to paid vacation is Health & Safety Legislation NOT employment legislation.

I do not want to get into a big debate on who works longer UK or US but it is certainly my experience here that I work a longer working day 40 hrs v 35 in the UK, I get 10 vac days here as opposed to 25 in the UK.....please dont tell me I am better off here in terms of working hrs etc

Maybe you are personally not better off, but the article speaks for itself.

I'm glad the company you worked for followed the law. No company I've worked for in the UK has.

Seems to me that the time spent at work is a rather poor measurement to establish who works harder. Looking at my staff, those that work the hardest (in terms of getting the most done on a daily basis) are actually those that spend the least time at work.

I think US workers are more productive than UK workers; I read that in the Economist. The Germans and the French are more productive than both the US and the UK, and they work far fewer hours.

I don't think anyone has made the assumption that more hours worked = doing a better job.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Seems to me that the time spent at work is a rather poor measurement to establish who works harder. Looking at my staff, those that work the hardest (in terms of getting the most done on a daily basis) are actually those that spend the least time at work.

I think US workers are more productive than UK workers; I read that in the Economist. The Germans and the French are more productive than both the US and the UK, and they work far fewer hours.

I don't think anyone has made the assumption that more hours worked = doing a better job.

There's actually a direct correlation between the hours one spends on the job and the productivity. If you know you've gotta put in 10 hours every day, you will pace yourself differently than knowing that you can call it quits after 7 hours.

As for the equation, the very title of the thread actually suggested that spending more time at work translates into working harder. That's what I wanted to dispute. I have known people that were lazy as hell but spent very long hours at work. I do agree that no assumption has been made in this thread that more hours worked = doing a better job. I most certainly didn't make that assumption.