Live to Work?

I just returned from my employer’s facility orientation. One of the presenters made a general statement alluding to how we as Americans don’t live to work, but that we work in order to live. I have to question whether that is really true.

I first pondered this subject several years ago when on a week vacation. I met a couple from Holland who was on “holiday.” I asked how long they were here in the U.S. They proceeded to blow my mind when they answered “three months.” They were actually touring both the U.S. and Canada during that time. I of course assumed they were either retired or independently wealthy. They explained to me that this length of holiday was very common for many Europeans. They were so sad for me who was only on vacation for a week. They then concluded the exact opposite of what I heard at my orientation. They said, “Americans live to work and Europeans work to live. I of course wanted to counter with “oh yeah, I guess that’s why we’re the richest country in the world.” But I knew my nation’s wealth measured up very poorly against freedom to be with family, friends, and to actually live life. This “live to work” mentality seems to be echoed by some of our country’s domestic policies.

If there is ever a time when one needs ample paid time off, it is just after giving birth. Here is a short list of paid maternity leave in other countries (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/parental_leave).

Germany – 14 weeks
Canada – 15 weeks
France – 16 weeks
Italy – 22 weeks
The U.K. – 6 months
Norway – 12 months
Sweden – 16 months

Now here is the big shocker. The U.S. does not guarantee any paid maternity leave. The U.S. allows employers to decide for themselves on this subject. My wife’s employer guaranteed her 3 months off without losing her job. But less than half of that was paid. The rest she had to fill in with the sick leave she had earned and had to file for short-term disability. From talking to friends and family members, their employers offered them no pay. Any pay they got was just from sick leave and short-term disability. Very few usually have more than a week of sick leave accumulated and short-term disability is only 60% of usual pay. I am all for employers making their own rules about maternity leave, but when those rules become irresponsible, the government should step in and protect the health of the American family.

In 1993, the U.S. did take a step in the right direction by passing a law called the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This act grants eligible employees up to a total of 12 work weeks of un-paid leave during any 12 month period for any of the following:
-Birth and care of newborn.
-placing son or daughter up for adoption.
-caring for an immediate family member in serious health or caring for themselves if in serious health. (www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla)
In 2005, a heated debate about FMLA began. Some argue the law is too vague and subject to abuse. Those people want to fine tune the law. Others site a 2004 study, which showed employers lost $21 billions due to FMLA. Those people want major changes, hinting at doing away with the law all together. Fortunately, not everyone in Washington has the “money over family attitude.” Some people want to better the law and actually provide some pay during that time off. Stating that, “people should not have to choose between their paycheck and caring for a sick family member.” Currently in Washington, those who value family over money are out numbered by those who claim to be pro-family, but want to severely limit FMLA.

I am sure none of us actually think that we live in order to work. But I do think that if we look at where we spend most of our waking hours, we would have to ask ourselves this question: How did the “American Dream” evolve into this? Most people work 8-5 Monday – Friday with a long commute. They get weekends with family and friends if they’re not resting up for the next work-week. Most get maybe two weeks of vacation per year to which I have heard many say they stay home on their vacations just so they can get stuff done around the house. My hope is that our government create some policies putting people above money and that employers, especially big corporations, realize the power they have. They have the power to either make lots and lots of money for their presidents, vice presidents and share-holders or they can pay back their employees. They can pay back the people who make the company work and allow them to have a meaningful life outside of work.

But guess what, this is only part of the problem. The other problem is the materialistic drive we all have, which I discussed in my first essay. We all want everything bigger and better. Few people these days live within their means. Home foreclosures and credit card debts are at an all time high. If the rest of the world consumed as much as Americans do, we would need three more planets to fit all our stuff (Stiles).


References:

-www.wikipedia.org/wiki/parental_leave
-www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/
-Is the American Dream Killing You? By Paul Stiles