The American Work Ethic: A Blessing or a Curse?

You know that pre-fever feeling where you start to feeling a pressure in your head, as a growing chill in your torso makes you begin to shiver? That was where I was at last night, and had to make the call to take a sick day today. Thank God that I work at a company that has a decent sick day policy.

Now I believe that America is one of the most productive and successful countries in the world in great part due to our indomitable spirit and work ethic to be better than yesterday and to leave the world a better place. This has manifested itself in a pride of working hard, not sleeping well, and coming in (or working from home nowadays) when we are sick.  I even considered it last night, thinking "Maybe it's not so bad, it's probably not contagious, let's see if it actually is a fever."

This is something that people in some European countries would find absolutely disturbing. In fact, in countries like Germany where I have plenty of family, is is common to have 4+ weeks time off, while in the USA, 81% of employees get less than 4 weeks of paid time off. Although this is not something that Americans can just blame their employers over. What makes this all more interesting is that almost half of Americans don't even use all of their vacation days, and 37% feel guilty for taking more than a week off largely because of their workloads. These statistics should say something about our work culture. 

One last statistic for all of you before I make some closing thoughts. According to Time Magazine, even though Americans work some of the most hours per week in the developed world (33.6 hours), they are only the fifth most productive, countering claims of highest productivity in the world. That honor goes to Luxembourg, the country that works the least amount of hours per week in the developed world (29 hours). 

I'm not here to make a lengthy speech on the excesses of capitalism or unhealthy work addiction, far smarter people than I can argue those merits out in the halls of wisdom (and the internet). What I think is important is that we know the upsides and downsides of our work culture, and find positions that are healthy for us. I am blessed to work for a company with an excellent PTO and sick day policy and a boss who does not make me feel guilty for taking this time off provided that I make up or prepare for my time off. My flatmate didn't have any sick days for the first six months that he worked with his company, and that put him in some difficult situations. 

Don't resort to a company that doesn't take care of you and be critical of the work culture and ethic at your companies. remember, when you are interviewing for a company, it is a chance not only for them to figure out if you are a good fit for them, but also if they are a good fit for you. Ask questions about more than just pay and qualifications. Find out if their office is a good match for your values.

This turned out to be a bit of a longer post than I expected, but I hope that my thoughts were concise and understandable. If you have something to contribute to this topic or disagree with my take, feel free to take to the comments below. But until next time, this has been Kevin's thoughts on Kevin's Korner. Have a wonderful day and we'll meet again the next time my pen hits the paper. Goodbye!