The Chinese have only 10 days of vacation on average, but that isn't necessarily due to a stronger "work ethic" in the "Chinese character," I don't think.

The problem with Italians is that they don't exactly fuck a lot. In fact Italians are the people in Europe who get laid the least. I don't have the figures, but I read it in the papers, so it's true.

I submit that 42 days of vacation and very little fucking certainly is evidence of a very meager leasure productivity, at best.

But hey, the fucking that Italians do accomplish counts for waaay more.

sunlore wrote:I don't have the figures, but I read it in the papers, so it's true.

Eating Noddemix wrote:

galanter wrote:Is this evidence of a stronger work ethic being part of the American character?

No. Absolutely not.

I think it's just that in American culture we like to squeeze as much as we can out of people. Not in every instance, but certainly more often than not.

This particular set of statistics may not be all that conclusive but my actual experience of working for corporations, small businesses (not to mention the service industry in general) is all the fucking evidence I need.

I suppose this suggests to some that Europeans enjoy a better quality of life than Americans. I don't think it means shit.

Including paid holidays, I have about 30 paid days off a year. If you add up all the fucking around and goofing off I do, it'd be considerably more. I just have to physically be here.

Well it's nice that you've found a job like that.

galanter wrote:Or are they? Statistics I found on my way somewhere else...

Average Number of Vacation Days Around the World Per Year:

Italy 42 days
France 37 days
Germany 35 days
Brazil 34 days
United Kingdom 28 days
Canada 26 days
Korea 25 days
Japan 25 days
U.S. 13 days

http://www.lovetoeatandtravel.com/Site/Tips/Travel/vacation_days.htm

Is this evidence of a stronger work ethic being part of the American character? Or have American workers been duped by runaway capitalism? Or is that the less chance for social mobility the less incentive there is to work hard? Or is it that Americans work harder, but others work smarter?

I'm not really sure...but thank God it's Friday!

It's a symptom of a Capitalistic society run amok. Workers should get more than 13 days to relieve stress, be with their family and just enjoy life. I think depression kicks in when people realize they'll be working their ass off for the next forty years with little compensation. Shit, I know I'd be a better worker if I had more days off. I get stressed easy and sometimes I fuck off at work because I'm exhausted.

Happier workers mean more productivity. In America, that kind of thing is frowned on unless you're a CEO making the multi-millions. It's totally ass-backwards. Thirteen is the average. I'm lucky, I get 15. In one more year, I get 20. But it stops there. I don't have a family and I'm not married, but I still could use a vacation more than once a year.

Eating Noddemix wrote:Well it's nice that you've found a job like that.

I'd rather have more to do. It's been my experience at many of the companies I've worked for the more you advance the more you're paid to do less. A year ago at this time I worked twice as hard for half the money. I'd swear there are people here who make twice what I do whose only function is to receive reports from me and send them somewhere else.

My father is a productivity expert, streamlines factories and such. He worked in a factory in France for 3 years, trying to get it to operate in any reasonable fashion.

By the time he left, not getting anywhere near where he actually wanted to be, the factory had doubled it's production (they built tractors) with no increase in hours worked or square footage under roof.

That is to say, simply by working smarter, you can do more with less. That is something that both Japanese and (increasingly) American labor does very well. And something that Europe really struggles with.

America has a large backstock of puritanical and agricultural heritage, neither of which allow for down-time. There are a lot of lazy fuckers around here, too. But by-and-large we are a hard-working culture.

I generally feel guilty when i'm not at work, and usually have to be told by my boss to take a comp day. In the last year I used 5 of my 12 vacation days, and most of those were for tour. I took 3 sick days (flu-) which were the first sick days I'd used in 5 years. I generated about 20 days worth of comp time (informal), and used maybe 5, most of those for tour. I guess that's just the way most of us work-because I'm certainly not out of the ordinary.

BadComrade wrote:

Rog wrote:get back to work...peasants.

I have 26 weeks of vacation a year! I'm about to go to a pinata store right now! On a Friday afternoon!

Suckers!

BFD; I have every Thur., Fri. and Saturday off.