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This would be one of the best explanations for US workers who are paid an hourly wage. US wages have not kept up with inflation in many jobs, and the majority of good-paying manufacturing jobs have been off-shored so there you go. Most people I know who earn an hourly wage and work a lot of overtime don't necessarily enjoy it--they do it because they have to do it. If they could afford to get by with working 40 hours a week, they would likely prefer to work just 40 hours.
I am paid on a salaried basis, so my check is going to look the same whether I work 20 hours or 80 hours in a week. The culture at the majority of US companies is not conducive to work-life balance and it is expected that management put in 40+ hours a week, particularly if you are interested in being promoted. Even if you are not interested in being promoted, it is frowned upon if you only do the minimum 40 hours since the impression is that you are not "dedicated" to the company.
I would personally be DELIGHTED with a cultural shift away from this mindset. I think that employees can be dedicated without spending their lives at work and are actually happier and more productive when allowed to have a life outside of work.
I am envious when I read about the average work weeks and long holiday periods of some European countries. I would love to work in Europe!
Europe seems to treat everyone there more like a human than a machine
Probably i should move there if it was easy
Yup i agree
I just ask this question because i would think most people would want to have a life outside of work instead of breathing work 24/7
Hopefully the US has this mindset disappear one day
If it is that expensive and you don't like it, you should move elsewhere.
I get the fact that jobs are consolidating in big cities around the country, however, there are plenty of cities in the country that have a much more suitable wage/cost of living ratio than the prestigious coastal metros. Here in Indiana, the unemployment rate is now low enough where there are actually worker shortages for many businesses. The cost of living is pretty low and a person can easily find a condo or probably some single bedroom homes for $100k or less in the city limits of Indianapolis.
While that is not everyone's cup of tea, it substantially beats never getting ahead in major coastal areas IMO.
I live in California
Not sure how it is here in terms of buying a house or renting an apartment
But it looks like its pretty insane the pricing here
And looks like you cant really buy a house here unless you live to work
Before I enter the work force i thou every work a 40 hour work week to simply pay the bills
Not sure if thats managable now without having to burn yourself out excessively
Part of what has happened is technology. As mentioned, at one time once you left work you left work, no cell phones or email.
Having said that, when I worked factory labor I never got called in on a day off nor did I work over 40 hours a week unless I was asked to do overtime.
Once I transitioned to management that changed a bit. Most days were 8 hours (well 8 1/2 because of lunch) but I did get called in for emergency situations.
As a teacher I could have taken work home every night. I didn't, but I did spend part of most weekends catching up. I would also get called in during the summer for various things that the Administration could have (and those things really were theirs to do) done.
Something I think is overlooked is that everyone wants to be in "management", hence they're now exempt employees. C'mon, you have 16 year old "Assistant Managers" at McDonald's.
Calling all business owners
Managers
Employees of all professions , trades, and jobs
Why do you guys not support the 40 hour work week?
I do not get this mind set and curious to discover why america does not support work life balance?
Do you guys really prefer being at work?
What about your family, friends, other things in life like your husband and wife.
Playing soccer
Mountain climbing
Boyfriend girlfriend time
Why do you force your employees or yourself to work long hours?
The human body is not built for that and people need time to cool off and recover
I dont get why america is a workacholic society
Cell phone, turn it off unless you are an emergency personnel on call
Overtime and emergencies should be kept to a minimum
When did this happen and how was american became a workacholic society?
Called me spoiled but i learn to appreciate my time off from work considering america is a workacholic society?
I know its unhealthy to be working long hours all the time
I thou 40 hours was bad enough
I thou there should be ways of getting ahead in your jobs and careers without buning out yourself out
Can someone please explain to me this mindset of work in america
I love my job. 40 hours is a joke. I used to work a job 60 hours a week and it would go from lunch time to 7pm in a blink of an eye. Playing soccer, climbing rocks are silly things for grown-ups to be doing when they could be saving the world at work. Remember what the CEO of Goldman Sachs said that his employees are truly doing the Lords work.
Calling all business owners
Managers
Employees of all professions , trades, and jobs
Why do you guys not support the 40 hour work week?
I do not get this mind set and curious to discover why america does not support work life balance?
Do you guys really prefer being at work?
What about your family, friends, other things in life like your husband and wife.
Playing soccer
Mountain climbing
Boyfriend girlfriend time
Why do you force your employees or yourself to work long hours?
The human body is not built for that and people need time to cool off and recover
I dont get why america is a workacholic society
Cell phone, turn it off unless you are an emergency personnel on call
Overtime and emergencies should be kept to a minimum
When did this happen and how was american became a workacholic society?
Called me spoiled but i learn to appreciate my time off from work considering america is a workacholic society?
I know its unhealthy to be working long hours all the time
I thou 40 hours was bad enough
I thou there should be ways of getting ahead in your jobs and careers without buning out yourself out
Can someone please explain to me this mindset of work in america
America doesn't work longer hours than some other countries, I've read. Some, yes. But some, no.
Americans don't like to work more than 40 hours, but they sure like the other people in their lives to work more than 40. Poor managers think that is good management.
I guess that explains why I feel I have enough money since I have a somewhat bare bores life style.
I work 40 hours a week and I feel thats already too much
As far as my money goes, cell phone bill cheap ( t mobile), dating ( meh depends I like to spoil my bf, Rent is 500$ home with parents, Car (cheap car as well)
Can't imagine having a house or Mortgage or even kids unless you live to work
Your a kid so I guess it will be a while before you understand. I do applaud your parents at having the incite to charge you rent. $500 in this day and age is about right. Do you also help out with a utility bill? You should. If you were going to rent a room in my city it would probably cost you more like $700 a month and you would have to share the cost of the utilities, all of the utilities.
I don't know how old you are but here is what I would do. If your employer has a retirement plan, invest in it. Do that for the next 10 years or so and then if you don't do anything again just let the money sit there and grow. If they don't offer you a 401K then get an IRA.
Here is the deal. Many of us love what we are doing. Not all, but many do love what they are doing. When you find that calling in your life, you will also love it. You will spend hour upon hour doing what you do and love it. Chances are you have not found what it is you love to do. I get that. You are living in your parents home and have them as a security blanket.
For those that do not love what they are doing maybe they are stuck because of having a family, or poor choices. Realize now that you do not want to do something that causes you to get stuck in something that you do not enjoy doing. You never want to settle.
Next is, work does not last forever, especially if you do not fail to invest and save. I have been working for the same employer for about 18 years now. A co-worker started here 35 years ago. When I started he had been here about as long as I have been here now. He is retiring in 6 months. This was not his first job. He had worked at another place before this place. Sometimes I feel like I just got here, other times I feel like I have been here a long time. We have people that have been here for 45 years. One guy retired after 51 years. When he got here he was like you a kid. He started here when he was 17, spent a year or so in Viet Nam and then returned to spend 51 years working here. It goes buy faster than you realize.
Before I enter the work force i thou every work a 40 hour work week to simply pay the bills
Not sure if thats managable now without having to burn yourself out excessively
It all depends on how much the job pays and how you budget and spend your money.
If you're working at Mickey D's, you ain't driving a Porsche, drinking top-shelf liquor and dining on filet mignon every night.
Nobody 'owes' you any particular standard of living. If your aspirations don't go any higher than "You want fries with that?", then you're going to have to share living quarters with room-mates, drive a beater or ride a bicycle, eat beans and weenies, skip the booze and forgo the cable TV package with 87,000 channels...and if you *do* want more than that, then you got no business sitting on your butt and watching TV anyway- get more education, work more/work smarter, save money...and stay away from the freaking credit cards, if you can't afford to pay cash for stuff you can't afford to be buying it on credit at up to 29.99% interest, you'll just be digging yourself a real deep hole.
And if your writing is anything to go by, then you'd better start working on more education and/or attention to detail right now, because if you work like you write, you aren't going to get very far.
Your a kid so I guess it will be a while before you understand. I do applaud your parents at having the incite to charge you rent. $500 in this day and age is about right. Do you also help out with a utility bill? You should. If you were going to rent a room in my city it would probably cost you more like $700 a month and you would have to share the cost of the utilities, all of the utilities.
I don't know how old you are but here is what I would do. If your employer has a retirement plan, invest in it. Do that for the next 10 years or so and then if you don't do anything again just let the money sit there and grow. If they don't offer you a 401K then get an IRA.
Here is the deal. Many of us love what we are doing. Not all, but many do love what they are doing. When you find that calling in your life, you will also love it. You will spend hour upon hour doing what you do and love it. Chances are you have not found what it is you love to do. I get that. You are living in your parents home and have them as a security blanket.
For those that do not love what they are doing maybe they are stuck because of having a family, or poor choices. Realize now that you do not want to do something that causes you to get stuck in something that you do not enjoy doing. You never want to settle.
Next is, work does not last forever, especially if you do not fail to invest and save. I have been working for the same employer for about 18 years now. A co-worker started here 35 years ago. When I started he had been here about as long as I have been here now. He is retiring in 6 months. This was not his first job. He had worked at another place before this place. Sometimes I feel like I just got here, other times I feel like I have been here a long time. We have people that have been here for 45 years. One guy retired after 51 years. When he got here he was like you a kid. He started here when he was 17, spent a year or so in Viet Nam and then returned to spend 51 years working here. It goes buy faster than you realize.
Hope you find the ideal gig in life.
19 an hour is how much I make now
After taxes I take about 600 dollars home.
I don't if thats good but at least my job does not take over my life.
Savings is where im putting the money as I do plan to rent somewhere in the future.
I love my job. 40 hours is a joke. I used to work a job 60 hours a week and it would go from lunch time to 7pm in a blink of an eye. Playing soccer, climbing rocks are silly things for grown-ups to be doing when they could be saving the world at work. Remember what the CEO of Goldman Sachs said that his employees are truly doing the Lords work.
Yep, this is your typical USA workaholic that claims the slave hours as a badge of honor.
Nothing wrong with working hard if you are self employed. However, if you work for someone else they love your dedication and lack of self understanding.
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