Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Hi, my name is Besarta Merturi. I’m from Switzerland and glad to have the opportunity to do my internship at Wf360, a Marketing company in New York City. Here I’m getting insight into American Business culture which is very exciting and interesting for me.

I’ve been in New York for more than six months and have had some interesting experiences, meeting people from all over the world and learning about different cultures. One of the things that has stood out to me is the positive attitude towards work here in the US as opposed to the slightly negative attitude in Switzerland.

I don’t want to say that people in Switzerland don’t take work seriously-- it’s just how they are engaged in their work. In my opinion, they look at work differently than Americans. For example, Swiss people love vacation days and holidays (not because they are religious, but because it means they do not have to work). In Switzerland, it is required for employers to provide their employees with 4 weeks vacation each year but depending on the company, they are given 5 or even 6 weeks off. The job is more appealing depending on the amount of vacation days. I feel that it’s not the job they love, but the amount of spare time. I don’t think I’ve met too many people in my country that love their job and love to work.

There are studies that show Swiss workers have sleeping problems from Sunday to Monday. The reason: the working week is about to start and people are extremely stressed. Just the thought of work makes people sick, especially since they are not used to working on a 24/7 basis like most Americans. Even though salaries in Switzerland are better than in other countries, Swiss people work as little as possible. No one would even think of going in to the office on a weekend because this time is thought of as time to relax, spending it with family and friends, and nothing else, especially not work. Another example of how the Swiss see work as simply work is the fact that it doesn’t matter if your work is done or not. When you have put in your 8.5 hours (the normal work day) than you just leave the office. The mentality is, “Who cares if it’s not finished? That is what tomorrow is for.”

It seems to me that this is much different in the US, especially in NYC. I’ve seen that many New Yorkers' lives are all about work. Full of ambition, they really care about their job, the company they are with and what’s going on with the economy. They take it seriously. I recently learned that the standard vacation time in the US is just 2 weeks each year and that they work longer hours compared to the Swiss. It’s not about putting in the 8.5 hours at the office but about finishing your work, however long that may take even if it means working all night. Also, I’ve seen that people here are so much more engaged in their work and they know how to enjoy it.

Maybe that’s one reason why American companies are more successful than European ones. They care about their business, their work which ultimately means they care about their costumers. It is obvious that the goal is to please the customer, no matter what it takes.

The differences I’ve seen are quite unusual and took some time getting used to. It’s been a great learning experience to see how one country’s view of work differs from another. I know that my experience of the US is mostly NYC (the city that never sleeps!) but being part of it gives me new insight about work that I will share when I go back to Switzerland.

So, what’s your attitude towards work? Are you working to live or living to work?