Working conditions in the USA

Michael Now for something completely different: What I've always wanted to get off my chest about the working conditions here: As is well known, Americans are content with a lousy two weeks of vacation a year. And, since there is no state religion here--unlike in Germany--but rather a colorful mix of cultures, everyone is allowed to define three additional holidays on top of the few public holidays in the year (New Year's, Martin Luther King Day, Thanksgiving, Lincoln's Birthday, Independence Day, President's Day, Labor Day come to mind). This way, the Chinese can celebrate their New Year sometime in February, and all the many religions, Mormons, Baptists, Scientologists, and whatever else there is--everyone gets their due.

Faced with this question, I would naturally choose February 19th--the death anniversary of Bon Scott, the singer of my favorite band AC/DC, but I usually take some Friday or Monday to extend a weekend. And regarding the working hours: My colleagues regularly laugh themselves sick when I tell them that in Germany the 35-hour workweek is actually the norm. In computer companies like AOL, there's no punch card, but everyone logs the hours they work on a project into a computer program, which allows the company not only to determine how much a project costs but also how many hours an individual works in a week. If there are only 40 hours logged, you can expect the boss to drop by and cautiously ask if you're still satisfied with the work and so on. The norm is more like 50 and sometimes 60 hours--and overtime is, of course, not paid; it's just a sign of how much you enjoy working.

So it's no big deal to work until three in the morning if there's a serious bug in the system or to work over the weekend if a project needs to be finished by Monday--totally normal, right! If there's a fire, you put it out, and just going home would be an absolute faux pas and unfair towards your colleagues. On the other hand, you have to see that in Germany hardly any employer would allow me to work from home two days a week and come to the office whenever I want. By the way, people are always in a good mood at the office; being "annoyed" or complaining is considered completely unacceptable. "No problem!" or "That's ok!" is the standard response to "Sorry." This is true for all situations: Even if someone accidentally poured a bucket of water over your head, the response would still be "Don't worry, that's ok!"

Anything else would be downright rude. "Socializing" in the workplace is emphasized; you talk to people you don't know yet, ask a few questions about what they're working on, and maybe crack a few jokes, even if you only see them briefly. One thing I always notice with visitors from Germany: You don't just say "Yes" or "No," you always add something. When the server in a restaurant asks if you want another coffee, it's not "No," but "No, thanks, I'm just fine." Or not just "Yes," but you say something original like "Yeah, sounds great!" or "Coffee'd be awesome, dude!" The latter, of course, only if you're dressed like a snowboarder :). At work, it's similar: If someone asks something, you help, even if you actually don't have time. This can be totally annoying when you're working on something and someone keeps coming by wanting to know something silly. And if you, like me, work in a cubicle, you're never really alone; there's always something going on. Since everyone gives their cubicle a personal touch, I'm planning to put a chair in soon so my visitors can sit comfortably. No kidding! I already have the chair at home; I just need to bring it to the office.