Are Poles workaholics?

It's about Polish work ethic, jon
Look where you are going and not where you have been.

In Poland for decades.

One thing I've noticed is a big difference between the work ethic among Poles in Poland and those who've travelled to the U.K. for work.

Well, a plumber in Poland is not the same as a Polish plumber in the West.

Nothing unusual about that.

You move to a country where Englishmen are living in homes they own, a country where they were educated, where they met their significant others, and so on. Meanwhile, you are a Pole with a naked ass. No home, no English education, and no girl will talk to you.

Solution?

Work like a slave on a galley.

In Poland, where you have parent's apartment, are considered quite well educated, and can actually manage a conversation with a girl - why would you work so hard you nearly kill yourself in the process?

I was in that situation. The solution: change countries. Voila...
In "America", never came to work before 8 and never left work after 5. Frankly, I don't even know what "working hard" is. Longer hours? More coffee?

What does it look like with paid leave in America? And continued payment of wages in the event of illness?

In NY state, this is the law:
"Sick Leave Requirements
Employers with 100 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours of paid sick leave per calendar year. Employers with 5-99 employees must provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per calendar year. If net income is $1 million or less, employer must provide up to 40 hours of unpaid sick leave."

So, the largest companies have to provide 7 days a year (56 hrs / 8 hr work week).

As regards Paid Family Leave, New York is sort of ahead of the rest of the rest of the country. Our governor adopted a new law in 2021. As an employer, here's what I am looking at:

1) I need to get Family Leave coverage for each of my employees.
2) I have to collect contributions from his/her salary to pay for the cost of coverage.
3) Process some BS form, and file it with the government.

Personally - I hate all of these things. Sick Leave, Family Leave, Worker's Comp, Disability Insurance, Unemployment Insurance, etc. It makes life miserable for small businesses, while being completely irrelevant in some other industries (like mine).

Though I'm sure it looks different from an employees perspective.... However, if I were an employee I would have preferred my employer just give me the cash equivalent of what he's paying various insurance agencies and the government.

Usually the bookkeeper does all that or nowadays in the U.K. an app does it.

How much are the normal holidays in the US? I've heard some horror stories about only 3 weeks or some such. In Poland, it's 25 working days plus statutory public holidays. I get 90 days and am trying to negotiate it to 120.

Three weeks sounds... generous.....

There's nothing like national (federal) law on vacations, that's left up to the states and the employers/employees....

I've heard different stories. IIRC a two week period was mandatory at some point and there were a few 'personal' days also allowed.

I've also heard of workplaces that give employees a set number of free days for anything (including sick days....) and it's not a huge amount.

I once worked three straight months full time without a single day off (including holidays) and then was forced to take 7 days away (paid for 5).

That's f*cking outrageous. In the US, the norm is two weeks paid vacation.

Some companies, including mine, have implemented unlimited paid vacation time. It's a great gimmick, because then people begin taking even less vacations - haha! They start grumbling about others who in their view "abuse it", and in the end it leads to a cutthroat environment where everyone tries to outdo the next guy by taking even less vacation days.

American work culture is brutal.

Crikey. I'd need Prozac in that situation.


I've done that by choice in a crisis however it was public sector in the U.K. so I could carry over a certain amount unused leave to the first part of next year.

I quite like the situation in Poland. The time off is just about right and some employers insist you take a two week break at some point with of course cash (or vouchers) from the Social Fund.

I've worked for 13 years without a day off.

I thought that slavery was illegal...

Not when you enslave yourself.

I don't feel like I need a vacation, honestly. I mean, maybe sometimes I do... but it passes.

I don't work at the lumber mill, or on an oil field. My work is talking on the phone to a bunch of bozos, and then occasionally meeting them for dinner or lunch.

Technically, I have joined people on their vacations, but I was still working throughout.

and probably also writing on PF?

Like all of us here. The question is: why do we do it? If I ever find out, I'll let you know.

A Chaos Magician would describe PF as a "strange attractor".

Is this someone from this forum?

For unstable people that need free mental therapy to let their demons out.
Everyone included, like a big family of psycho's as you know who would put it. ;-)

There are a few who like chaos however as far as I know, no practising Chaotes.

A good one could certainly use the forum's Egregore to do dark things. Probably very easily, since there's plenty of malicious energy, a few fake Xtians and several million posts.

Maybe something to add: I found that workaholicism is definitely a thing in Poland, it's largely self imposed. It's seen like virtuous behavior in a sense, as those working long hours often get promoted. But I've never seen anyone who got a negative comment for leaving at 5 PM. I've been working in Warsaw since 6 years so perhaps it was different in the past. Also perhaps a generation thing, as the higher ups told my the nineties were more brutal with come in first, leave last mentality. We work now with interns and quite a few of them refuse working longer than eight hours

Apparently, Generation Z is no longer so interested in work.

One of the biggest problems I have with interns lately is them turning work in late.

They keep texting me (they never call which is irritating) and ask if they can deliver stuff after the weekend because they are sick, grandma is ill, have exams etc.

I now started telling them sure, they can deliver late and I will pay them late - it has been far more effective than moralizing.

Cmf, very good attitude of yours. Teach those rascals proper working manners at last if I wasn`t able to. I always admonish my students that they have to hand in home assignment on time coz that`s how they learn carrying out their duties at future workplaces. Some students don`t care about what I tell them coz they always know better. So, you, as an employer, it is last resort educator. Teach them well with delayed or lowered wages - you have my full blessing for that. :):):)

My staff (or some of them, anyway) are in late, out early and every little thing is a drama.

I'm giving them the hard word on Tuesday and looking forward to it.

I actually have flexible working hours and I still arrive on time. However, I try to leave work during breaks and simply leave the building.

You have staff? LOL!

Yeah, right!

The behavior you describes sounds like the pigeons and stray cats you hang out with for company when you are not on the road hustling for work.


Your mangy animal friends are only enticed by your food scraps not you. Stop the food and you will no longer be of any use to them.

Everywhere likes those. I feed them; don't you?


Rather a lot even....

Now run along and read something online.

How long do you work in Poland on Friday afternoons? I'm asking because looking at the traffic jams on German highways towards Poland, I have the impression that all Poles working in Germany flee to Poland around noon on Fridays.

Till 6.10 pm. Why???


Lucky guys to leave so early. :):):)