[DesertCat]

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But this scenario gives the worker *more* freedom, not less. He can either choose to take his paid leave and have more free time, or he can work his paid leave and have more money. In the American scenario, if the boss says that you get two weeks leave a year and you decide you want four, you're out on your arse.
Ergo Europeans are actually *freer* than Americans!


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Well the problem is that your first job is probably the one you are most skilled at and highly compensated for. An auto worker who is given more free time isn't financially better off working his free time as a clerk in a convenience store. Clearly the more hours on the assembly line the more income they'll make.

Economically we all have our highest and best occupations. Being limited to doing that part time so you are forced to work a less lucrative occupation the rest of the time isn't freedom. And there is a great deal more flexibility in american jobs than you realize. At every company I've worked at flexible job arrangements were the norm, not the exception.


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There's an abundance of research that shows that we're only effective when we work a certain number of hours a day. Once you start to go over that number, you start to become less effective and less productive, not more so.


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This is somewhat true, though job dependent on how big an effect it is. But since you still produce more each hour you work, even if it's a lessor rate, that's still being effective.

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In the US professional workplace culture where everybody seems to work ludicrous hours simply because that's what's expected, regardless of how effective they are during that time period, employees seem to me to be both less happy and, once again, less free.

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I had forgotten how cheery the brits were with their working conditions in that documentary, "The Office". Clearly it's only americans who gripe about work.

My experience is it's simply a matter of motivation. Some of your workers will be very ambitious, some will have other priorities such as home life, the best management is to let each group achieve their own balance and reward each for their contributions.