Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's amazing no one has mention Korea or Japan. In Japan and Korea people work much longer hours and take advantage of only half of their vacation time. For example, in Japan employees are given on average 18 days of vacation time, but on average employees only take advantage of 9 days. You can google the working conditions in Korea and Japan. Vocation time in Japan is calculated based on your seniority in the company. Here is a quick yahoo article and vocation time based on seniority.
Employees work longer hours in China, Korea, and Japan than in the United States, which makes their companies more competitive. China, Korea, and Japan are among the developed countries. Not all developed countries subscribe to a restrictive 40 hour weekly work schedule, two week vacation, and other benefits.
I don't agree with this thread. To me vacation time falls under employee benefits, which should be determine by the employer. Low skill works should not get the same benefits as a highly skilled worker. I favor a system closer to Japan or Korea with a hierarchy system that rewards people from the top down.
Who said vacation time has to be the same for all positions? 2 weeks minimum just establishes a minimum floor! All workers deserve to be treated with some respect and dignity and PTO to improve health and family connections is part of that IMO.
China isnt a developed country btw! Its not even on the level with Mexico in terms of GDP per capita. Japan and Korea have TERRIBLE stress and suicide problems. Just awful. Very unhappy societies. But Japan has actually moved substantially towards less work in the last 20 years and Japanese workers work far less than they used to.
Considering that the US has the least vacation time of any developed country in the world and the only country that doesnt guarantee workers at least some vacation time, do you support two weeks of mandatory vacation for all full-time workers in the US?
Not true. According to polls, HALF of all workers in America took no vacation last year. People are terrified! With no mandatory vacation, workers feel the need to work, work, work, or lose their job, their health insurance or not be promoted. Its a terrible rat race, and workers deserve a break. With a mandatory time off for all workers, the rat race becomes a little less extreme. It sets a minimum floor for vacation time and of course workers can negotiate for more.
Before we can continue, you need to post this poll. Lol!!!
Btw, do you really believe that this is really any different in European countries?
Do they pay for the full raising or just the birth?
You went and got yourself knocked up in Germany of all places.
Don’t panic! Due to the shrinking population of ethnic Germans the German government offers parents a generous amount of benefits to convince them to breed. The government really encourages having a baby in Germany because your bundle of joy will hopefully be a future tax payer and the foundation of its economy.
The benefits of having a baby in Germany start as soon as you tell your employer that you are pregnant. Once you inform your employer that you are expecting it is pretty difficult to get fired and it starts what is known as maternity protection. There has to be pretty extenuating circumstances to fire an expectant mother so go ahead slack off, take long lunches and leave at 3. Take the absolute ****!
Mothers must take a mandatory 6 weeks off before the scheduled birth and 8 weeks after. If you have complications, multiples or a c-section the time may be extended to 12 weeks after the birth. During this time you are entitled to Muttershaftsgeld which is 100 % of your salary paid mostly by your employer. Your public health insurance kicks in 13 EUR a day and you will receive that payment in a lump-sum directly into your bank account.
The baby is here….now what?
After 8 weeks after the birth you can either return to work (srsly who would do that?) or take what is known as Elternzeit, paternity leave. Elternzeit can be taken by both parents. During paternity leave you have full employment protection. It can be taken for a total of 3 years up until the child’s 8th birthday (If you chose to save a year for later this has to be discussed and with your employer). Yes that’s right you can take up to 3 years off of work to do parental stuff. Many parents take off one year and then work 2 years part time others take the full three year break and then return to work pregnant again. HA!
During Elternzeit you are entitled to a parental allowance called Elterngeld. Elterngeld is paid by the government and partially replaces lost wages while you are home with your child. Elterngeld can be paid for up to 12 or 14 months and is equivalent to approx 64% of your income. The 14 months can be split between both parents or taken entirely by a single parent.
This kid is eating me out of house and home!!
The German government gives an additional benefit to families regardless of income or need called Kindergeld. Kindergeld is intended to offset some of the cost associated with having a baby in Germany. Parents residing with a child in Germany are entitled to this as long as you are not receiving a similar benefit in another country (many EU countries offer their own version of Kindergeld) Kindergeld ranges from 184 EUR to 215 EUR, depending on the number of children per household. It is paid from birth and continues monthly until early adulthood (up to 18 or 25 if still in school)
But wait, there is still more!
Not only are parents offered generous employment leave but daycare and education is extremely affordable and in many cases FREE. Daycare is largely subsidized by the government and your contributions are based on your household income. Of course many parents opt for private daycare, schools or universities and those come with additional fees.
Keep in mind with all these benefits comes PAPERWORK. The one thing Germans love more than potential tax payers is friggin paperwork! In my district there was a six moth delay in the payment of Elterngeld because the application process is cumbersome. (THE STRUGGLE! ) There is a lot of hoop jumping and tail chasing but in the end it is all worth it. I am currently in my 11 month of Paternity Leave and plan to return to work in July. I can’t express how blessed I feel to have had all this time to share with my daughter.
Almost 9 out of 10 full-time workers get some combination of paid holiday, vacation, or sick leave.
The question is mandatory vacation time. I'd prefer to see two weeks of PTO mandated to be used however one chooses. I think it's awful that some places have no sick time and encourage sick employees to come to work. This is especially bad in restaurants and other places where the employees can make the customers sick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian658
You went and got yourself knocked up in Germany of all places.
Germany's Paradox: Family-Friendly Benefits, But Few Kids : NPR "Some analysts say the way many of the benefits are set up actually hurts women who want to have both a career and family, despite a growing shortage of skilled labor that has employers looking for ways to get women to return to work."
Plus much more. It seems it's still the cultural expectation in Germany that the MOM take care of the kids, at least until they're three years old.
Germany's Paradox: Family-Friendly Benefits, But Few Kids : NPR "Some analysts say the way many of the benefits are set up actually hurts women who want to have both a career and family, despite a growing shortage of skilled labor that has employers looking for ways to get women to return to work."
Plus much more. It seems it's still the cultural expectation in Germany that the MOM take care of the kids, at least until they're three years old.
Germans will soon become extinct. That is why they are accepting migration from Muslim countries. Pretty soon the entire German population will be OLD and they need young people.
I do not need the government to ensure I get two weeks vacation. I won't work for any company that will not start me off with at least three. However, I am no tyrant who wishes to impose my views on others. If some wish to work with no vacation so be it.
Quote:
Germany
According to statistics compiled by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), Germans work just 27.8 hours per week, one of the lowest standards among countries studied in the OECD. Although you might think fewer hours worked should mean a lower standard of living, Germany defies the odds. Not only do Germans maintain a high standard of living, but Germany also maintains one of the strongest economies in Europe. Thus, those extra hours each week translate directly into providing a healthier work/life balance.
Quote:
France
According to the OECD, French people work nearly 200 hours less each year than other countries in the organization. France is also a world leader when it comes to the number of paid vacation days: 40 in total, 30 of which are mandated and 10 of which are public holiday.
Quote:
Finland
Like Brazil and France, Finland is one of the world leaders in offering paid vacation days — up to 40 days a year, including 30 of which are mandated, and 10 more as public holiday. Additionally, only .04 percent of Finnish workers work more than 50 hours a week on average, an important indicator for a healthy work/life balance.
Quote:
Netherlands
No employees are on the job less per year than those in the Netherlands, according to the OECD. Workers clock only 1,378 hours per year, or 27.6 hours per week. Like Germany, however, the Netherlands maintains a healthy GDP and high standard of living in spite of fewer hours on the job. On top of that, they are given 28 paid vacation days per year, and 16 weeks of paid maternity leave at 100 percent of their salaries, according to Eurofound. As if that weren't enough, Dutch workers are also offered tax breaks on an additional 26 weeks of unpaid maternity leave if required.
And the response from the American right wing is:
We are Americans and they are Europeans. Or they say: "Move there".
They just don't get it.
It's amazing no one has mention Korea or Japan. In Japan and Korea people work much longer hours and take advantage of only half of their vacation time. For example, in Japan employees are given on average 18 days of vacation time, but on average employees only take advantage of 9 days. You can google the working conditions in Korea and Japan. Vocation time in Japan is calculated based on your seniority in the company. Here is a quick yahoo article and vocation time based on seniority.
Employees work longer hours in China, Korea, and Japan than in the United States, which makes their companies more competitive. China, Korea, and Japan are among the developed countries. Not all developed countries subscribe to a restrictive 40 hour weekly work schedule, two week vacation, and other benefits.
I don't agree with this thread. To me vacation time falls under employee benefits, which should be determine by the employer. Low skill works should not get the same benefits as a highly skilled worker. I favor a system closer to Japan or Korea with a hierarchy system that rewards people from the top down.
Yeah, and the suicide rate of those countries is through the roof, and Japan actually has a word for working oneself to death (karoshi).
It's also worth noting that there's generally much more job security in Japan than in the US.
If have no issues with struggling small business not been able to provide as much as the big boys. In this instance they should become a family business.
Expecting workers to slave away is never justified because these folks have NO CHOICES. When you say they can look elsewhere you are naive or pretend to be naive.
A good employer recognizes the enhanced productivity of workers that are treated well.
Here we go again with the "no choice" argument. It's not true and is no argument. Everyone has a choice. You have a choice if you are willing to work for someone who you think doesn't pay enough, doesn't "give" you enough, doesn't have a nice enough location, expects you to dress a certain way, whatever it is, YOU have that choice. The fact that people settle and don't try to find something better doesn't say anything about the company, it says that the person doesn't think enough of themselves to do better. You can't regulate poor self esteem issues and laziness.
And please spare me the tired rhetoric of "small towns in the middle of nowhere with no stores or anything" because you and I know that's a cop out answer. The majority of people in this country live in areas that they can get jobs, and have a choice of more than one single job. I don't know of any newspaper anywhere that only has ONE job opening for all the people in the area. Spare me that "it's hard for them to get to because (whatever excuse)". They need to suck it up. A lot of people go through long walks, bus rides, multiple bus changes, other modes of public/mass transport, bicycles, whatever they have to do to get to the job...thousands and thousands and thousands have done it. If you have enough self respect, you find a way to get there. Don't even try it because we know when you bring up all of this stuff that you think employers should give you, or you think should be handed to you simply because you were born, you aren't "fighting for that person in extremely rural America", you didn't even think about them. You were thinking only of yourself and used them to guilt people in to agreeing with you. Don't even start. You are asking for this stuff for YOURSELF, no one else. Case in point: You stated that you have no problem if a small business cannot give all these extras, but then you want to harp on "no choice"....there are no big fat corporations in the middle of nowhere that offers "no choice" to people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whogo
I do not need the government to ensure I get two weeks vacation. I won't work for any company that will not start me off with at least three. However, I am no tyrant who wishes to impose my views on others. If some wish to work with no vacation so be it.
Exactly...stop acting like tyrants trying to force people to do what you want. Others do not want what you want. You do not get to make that decision for me.
Yes, good employers will pay more to those they think deserve it, and they will offer benefits to those they think deserve it. No one is entitled to it, but you negotiate. Acting like you have no negotiating power says that a) you have nothing that makes you special b) you don't know how to sell yourself (there's PLENTY of places that will help you with that). Further, as has been said who knows how many times but liberals continue to pretend they didn't see it: If you allow things to work as they should, without government interference, you'll find that the PEOPLE are pretty good at "regulating" things themselves. The difference between libs and Conservatives is the libs don't think anyone can do anything and need "parent" government to take care of it all, while Conservatives have a lot more faith in people. Not a good selling point for libs.
Last edited by Three Wolves In Snow; 06-21-2016 at 10:55 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
