Californian Reacts | British vs American Workers' Rights

Massive differences between workers' rights between the British and Americans.
Sick Leave, Holiday Pay, Unlimited Paid Time Off, Bereavement Leave
Video created by - / @evan
Sit back and enjoy! I'd like to hear your stories on these topics!

[@californianreacts]

How much time do/did you get off per year? Holiday! Let's quickly compare - in the UK, you are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks paid annual leave (28 days for someone working five days a week), whereas the average American worker gets 11 days of paid vacation per year. In the private sector, the average number of paid vacation days after five years of service increases to 15 days. I mention my experience a lot, but I received 10 days off for my first year of work, and I felt happy about it comparing those who I knew working with less at times. After my first year of work I received 15 days per year which was incredible (being 11 days as an average for paid time off in an entire year). Please let me know your experiences!

[@lailachopperchops9290]

ive still got 2 weeks to take before end of march then ill have another 36 paid days hilidays to use from april 2024 to april 2025 . Also i had 4 months off sick after motorcycle accident got sick pay and still had my hilidays to take once i went back ,

[@grahamsmith9541]

Part time workers, temporary contract, and gig economy workers like Uber drivers. Also by law get paid holiday. Proportional to the number of hours they work. Plus paid sick time.

[@nbclaymore1861]

I've been retired for 9 years but, when I was working, I had an annual leave entitlement of 30 days, which could be taken in blocks or individual days, whichever suited best. And, of course we were paid in full when we were using our leave days. Also, don't forget we had 11 public holidays (bank holidays) each year in addition to annual leave.

[@inegom1735]

I'm in the uk and work far a large anerican company. I get 25 days plus the 8 bank holidays so 33 total. However, I 'buy' another 5 each year taking a little salary drop so I have 38.

[@user-TonyUK]

Although I am now retired from work, in my last job I was entitled to 6 weeks Paid Vacation time per Year with statuary days (Easter, Bank Holidays and Christmas/New Year totaling another two weeks). Now I am retired I get a total of 365 days off per YEAR. Not only that but part of my Monthly salary while I was working was stopped from my wages from the age of 17 to 66 yrs old and that income is now being repaid to me plus interest and that pays me a Pension via the UK Govt, making me $191.11 per month better off than when I was working. I think Maybe the UK should NOW be known as the Land of the MORE FREE than the USA.

[@harlequinems]

Slavery never truly ended in America, it just changed tactics 😅

[@paul1979uk2000]

Yep, they target almost everyone apart from the elites.

[@Metalmassacre07]

Perpetrated by the same people also, the one tribe you cannot criticize no matter what.

[@MazzaEliLi7406]

Wage slavery is the term.

[@NPCONSULTING247-jy3pz]

@@MazzaEliLi7406 And the civil war

[@fredschepers5149]

As in the UK! Exploitation is key in the UK. Hence the slowly disappearing or reducing of workers rights. The UK is one off the worst in western Europe concerning workers rights and social safety nets. One off the worst branches where exploitation should be publicly known by now, are the delivery platforms. A regular Just Eat driver make about £7 per hour. Lovely system of self employment (contracts are one sided under the slogan "if you don't like it than pee off" and can change monthly). Low income below minimum wage, responsible for your own petrol, insurance, and car maintenance... And all for £7 per hour. I know drivers who stopped their regular work to do this full time. Nowadays they call this branch a gig economy. But with proper work weeks 5 years ago, their was nothing " gIggy". And as long as the colonial conservative government is not willing to set standards, also workers rights, in this branch, it's exploiting drivers who went from £18 per hour all the way back to an hourly income well below minimum and in just 3 years. Btw... Exploitation is slavery... It just a name change.. 😅 Slavery and exploitation is what both UK and US thrive on... For centuries!

[@angiesosuk5877]

🇬🇧My example, my mum went into a coma and I was asked to leave the office that day, the next day I returned and was taken to a coffee shop, offered food and drink and told not to come back. I was allowed back 5 weeks later because I lost her and had to use the free bereavement counselling services provided by my employer as well as so much care. I lost so much, got paid in full and was so grateful for their care. UK any time.

[@smartchip]

That sounds about the minimum, after listening what our American cousins go through, it's definitely abhorrent, really really upsetting, we are humans not a number on a employers work sheet, In a country that's so rich and powerful make you wonder how can they get away with it, it's liķe being a bonded slave!!

[@serenityinside1]

@@smartchipever wondered how the top strata got …” Rich and powerful “? Standing on workers like a wine grower stands on grapes 🤨

[@Melvinious]

This is insane. I currently work for a company where my mother is my direct supervisor. If this scenario happened to my wife, my own mother would be forced to make me either come back to work after day 3 or let me go... and 3 days is GENEROUS

[@grahvis]

I think one problem in the US is that a large percentage of the population have no idea how workers in other countries are treated, and so there is no resentment and pressure put on employers and government to do anything about it. Also, the constant drip feed of propaganda claiming anything left wing amounts to dangerous communism has created an easily controllable work force.

[@lowwatthalo1654]

There's also a BS narrative floated that US workers are paid what they get to subsidise the 'over pay, T's & C's' that EU countries mandate. All US companies in the EU are profitable or they wouldn't be there!

[@thehamster2301]

A lot of Americans, especially men, see themselves as heroes working 60 - 70 hours per week and never taking a day off. I feel so sorry for their families. I am semi-retired and now work 2 days in 8. This gives me 11.5 paid holidays a year.

[@ElderNewt]

The average American is like a frog in a well.. they don't know the world is bigger

[@serenityinside1]

Americans gave no idea of how other countries operate generally- as they gave no interest cos “ America is the best …” and other bullish*t . Partly their own fault imo .

[@robertlonsdale5326]

Socialism is not a dirty word, it's about thinking about your fellow man. Do unto others......!

[@MrVillamike]

In the EU it is illegal for an employer to use employees holidays as sick days. Also, I was sick while on my holidays and sent in a docs note which meant I retain my holidays as I was sick.

[@reinhard8053]

At least in Austria (and probably other countries) it is also illegal to pay out holiday days, except if somebody leaves his job and can't take the rest of the time off. I can use my yearly holidays in the following year. So I could go on a 10 weeks vacation (plus Christmas time). This year I will try to get 6 weeks at a time. I had the "pleasure" to get ill during Christmas time, so 5 days of vacation "saved".

[@skasteve6528]

@@reinhard8053 In the UK, an employer can pay out holidays if it offers more than the statutory minimum holiday days, and then, they can only do so for those days above the statutory minimum.

[@kerrybutcher283]

That happened to me a couple of times. Just submitted my sick days and got my holidays back. Last year I had a month off sick. No problem just submitted my doctors note. Nothing said, only my boss wanting to know if I was okay to return to work and that I can have more time off if I need it.

[@bellshooter]

@@reinhard8053 in UK it is legal at the request of the employee, but highly discouraged.

[@reinhard8053]

@@bellshooter I found some infos from Germany that it can be done if both parties agree but it is not really legal. The employee can still request his vacation days even after being paid.

[@tmac160]

On bereavement leave, I'm retired now and have never worked for a company that put any pressure or time constraints on such leave. It's always been "Come back when you feel you are able". Much the same following an illness. The vast majority of employers take the "reasonable amount of time" rule seriously. 🇬🇧

[@californianreacts]

If only all companies were like this and trusted their employees! That is wonderful, come back when you feel you are able. I'm not sure if an American company has ever said something like that, especially for bereavement leave.

[@87CVH]

​​​​@@californianreactsgenerally UK / West* European culture, rules and society is kind of based on trust

[@alicetwain]

There is also the fact that "reasonable" can be anything. In some cases it's a few days to organise the funeral, if your loved one lived abroad, it can be a few weeks, or you may need to be completely off the job for a week to organise the funeral, and then have to take a few extra days off here and there to empty out the house etc. Or yet you may have a breakdown because you lost a child and be unable to work for a couple of months, and then go back to work part-time and have to do a bunch of therapy. Grief isn't a one size fits all.

[@jacquieclapperton9758]

When my mother was dying, I had two weeks off, she then died at the beginning of my Christmas holidays. After New Year, my manager and other employees drove the three hours north to attend her funeral. I went back to work a week or two after that.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

All paid leave generally too.

[@frankdoyle9066]

I was working for a company. I had been there 2 months when my mother who lived 100 miles away was rushed into hospital. She was dying. I spoke to HR and they said just go and do what you have to do. I said take it off my holidays. They said no. I rang them after a couple of days and said my mother has died and I have to stay and organize the funeral. They just said we are so sorry, do what you have to do and come back to us when you can. The company then sent flowers. I came back 2 weeks later. It did not cost me any holidays or any loss in pay. That was in 1994

[@brianduffin5405]

Slavery was supposed to be abolished in the USA

[@philiprice7875]

abolished, then the lawyers got involved, and changed it to "corporate policy"

[@Nickbaldeagle02]

It just changed its costume

[@paulm2467]

Have a look at the private prison system in the USA, it’s slavery by another name.

[@grahamstubbs4962]

When we set-up our UK company branch in the US, we had UK citizens there. You can't treat employees differently, so the US employees were stunned at the annual leave and the benefits.

[@californianreacts]

That's great! Hats off to you and your company for the time off here which comes off as very generous here in the US. A friend of mine specifically looks for companies who mainly reside outside of the US to get employed by due to their much better benefits.

[@streaky81]

All our US employees (of a UK company) have the same benefits as UK employees - ironically the flip side is all the UK employees also get private healthcare.

[@susanlee5508]

It's like how long is a piece of string. If someone dies and you are grieving and sorting out there property . How can you know. But is fair. Just don't abuse it..

[@stephenlee5929]

@@streaky81 Private healthcare (company wide) in the UK is not expensive. When NHS was set up, the same Act (of parliament) setup BUPA, there are others now. Many companies stopped providing private healthcare in UK when it started to be taxed as a benefit in kind.

[@streaky81]

@@stephenlee5929 absolutely, but it is far from guaranteed.

[@Binarybook_chill]

All the "benefits" Europeans have are things that we have fought for, often at a great cost, not saying that the average American not should have the same benefits, but you have to stand up and fight for your rights, meaning voting every time, be active in workers rights, things don´t just drop into your lap, you have to do an effort to make it happen.

[@duckseatbread104]

Also they need to start unionising more

[@twisted2836]

Legalised bribery AKA lobbying needs to be outlawed also, but that would mean starting a new political party with the will to remove the current career criminals/parasites from office.

[@cjmillsnun]

This is very true. It's one reason I am a union member. I recognise the rights I have were fought for and I want them protected.

[@Sydneysider1310]

Good comment. They also have to stop buying into the corporate line of unions being evil and anything left of far right ideals as socialism. Paid annual leave is normal down here in Australia.

[@Sydneysider1310]

I find it amazing that Americans are amazed by what the rest of the developed world take for granted. They’ve been so cocooned and basically lied to.

[@ticketyboo6435]

I’m a civil Servant in the UK I get 39 paid days leave including Public holidays. If I was off sick covered by a doctors line I would get 6 months full pay then 6 months half pay.

[@isobelstark2853]

At a UK university and it is similar although I only have 35 days in total. Many employers also have better benefits than the statutory minimum. Most universities offer contractual maternity leave although often these rights only kick in once you’ve worked for 12 months. So for my second child, I had 6 months maternity leave at full pay, then 3 months at SMP, and 3 months unpaid as long as I worked for my employer for 12 months once I returned. Like all UK employees I accrued annual leave during my mat leave, so I had 70 days annual leave to use during my first year back.

[@russc788]

I think you public sector guys get better retirement plans too.

[@yurihuffles]

My brother (who I was hugely close to) sadly passed away almost 2 years ago. I ended up being given 2 weeks "to start" off work, and had to have a phone meeting with my manger for him to be willing to let me return. Even then, my manager made it fully clear that if I then felt like I had returned too soon, or was feeling emotionally unable to work - then to let him know and he would be happy to give me more time off.

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

That's great (that you were treated so well) sorry about your brother :/

[@kwerk2011]

I have pretty much the exact same story, except that two years after my brother died, my mother did too. I was given even more time after Mum, owing to the short amount of time between them.

[@pipercharms7374]

Honestly I was shocked when I heard how little holidays US get off.

[@californianreacts]

Yeah.... benefits here are very low compared to probably every other western county. I was basically jumping in joy getting a nearly unheard of 3 weeks off per year after year 1 of work. I need to find a British company to work for!

[@arnodobler1096]

​@californianreacts In Europe, these "benefits" are rights for everyone, regardless of job.

[@californianreacts]

@@arnodobler1096 I'm hoping over time the US moves towards Europe in these matters. Very slowly, some things are improving such as maternity leave, not sure on the other fronts.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@californianreacts I hope so too, but I have my doubts.🤔

[@WestieWestie]

Me too. And no legal right to holiday time.

[@user-zu6ir6kj5g]

You asked for our thoughts - here are mine: What an inhumane, and frankly primitive environment in which to live, work and bring up a family. The much lauded American concept of "freedom", when applied in the world of largely unregulated business employment policies and practices, is a freedom I can do without. In a zealously capitalist society, the employee quite obviously needs mandated protection from unscrupulous employers. With no choice but to work, pay the bills and put food on table, employees are entirely at the mercy of employers, who are bent at all costs, on short-term profit. I've never quite understood how the American people have allowed this situation to occur without much complaint - perhaps it's some remaining trace of that "pioneering spirit" - some sort of pride in independence against the odds. The USA now is so far behind the curve of G7/modern countries (in many areas other than employment law), I can't imagine what the country will look like in 30 years - or how the rest of the World will view it.

[@capitalb5889]

When you have unregulated "freedom", the strong is able to take advantage of the weak. The weak may technically have the same freedom, but in reality, they have next to none.

[@donkeysunited]

America is a 2nd world country. With an incredibly good military. They will never be 1st world as long as corporations are protected while they screw over the American people. And that's fine as long as you know you're being screwed over. Workers' rights. Healthcare. Medicine prices. Education and college debts. Police training. Homelessness.

[@marylynne9104]

I worked for my last company (I’m retired now) for almost thirty years. I had two days off every week, but every fourth week I got a long weekend Thursday evening to Monday morning off. Fully paid sick days were unlimited, and no-one abused that, and on top of that we had all the usual Bank Holidays and 28 days paid annual holiday, which were mandatory. If you called in sick, it was up to your manager to arrange cover as is standard everywhere except the US it seems. Bereavement leave: when my son died unexpectedly, I was told to take all the time I needed, and if I needed to stagger my return to work, a few hours at first to see how I coped, that would be fine too, just to let them know what I needed once I got over the first shock of grief. As you can imagine it was a great work environment, loyalty to the company was off the scale, as was performance. I loved that job. From 🇬🇧

[@jochakram2363]

So sorry to hear about your son.

[@marylynne9104]

@@jochakram2363 - thank you. It’s been a long time now, but it was hard to bear for a very long time.

[@marylynne9104]

@@jochakram2363 - ty ❤️

[@nadeansimmons226]

Here in NZ I was told that I was showing signs of stress. Take some time off until you are feeling better. I was off for 5 weeks and was paid in full for all 5 weeks.

[@KoeiNL]

Dutch here, my CEO took half a year off due to stress and being on the edge of a burnout. Another colleague has just started her reintegrating after being away for 5 weeks. HR told me to use my holiday days and not just work.

[@paul1979uk2000]

@@KoeiNL I remember when I was a kid that my brother took 8 months off work in the UK, he was paid in full for 6 of those months and at 80% for the other 2 months, when he got back to work, he was heartier and more productive than he was before that. Regardless of the reasons are, whether it's stress or just need to collect your thoughts, sometimes you need some time off just to get yourself back together. This wouldn't fly in the US, for one, taking months off is a no no, two, you're not likely going to be paid during that time, so can't afford to take time off, so you just have to go into work, get more worked up and stressed out, which could lead to a break-down of that person or even crime, after all, desperate times without any help can lead to almost anything.

[@dohadeer8242]

yup, agreed. NZ is one of the few countries where mental health of workers is baked into our Employment Act, making employers potentially liable for creating or failing to manage and minimise work-related stress.

[@isobelstark2853]

British here. I’ve been off for 15 weeks now and am preparing to go back for a phased return for next week. All on full pay.

[@geoffmelvin6012]

It's a trade off though isn't it? In Europe we have the right to healthcare and decent working conditions whereas in the US you have the right to own guns.... 🙄

[@deniswatts4574]

Haha

[@joaocardoso9031]

You also have a right to firearms in europe. In fact we pretty much have a right for everything here. Except for crime, shootouts and 16 years old driving like crazy in the streets. You need to be 18 to drink or drive

[@johndowds5770]

You can own guns in the UK , but there are rules . This never used to be the case as guns were as easily purchased in the UK as in the USA . The laws were changed some time after ww2 .

[@johndowds5770]

You can own a gun in the UK .

[@seandrake7498]

Thats jokes, well played sir😂

[@krissyg7026]

Americans: we don’t want to pay more tax. Also Americans: why don’t we get sick pay/maternity pay etc.

[@iandodds5448]

Also Americans, 'why are we paying the most total tax of the developed world?' when you add up the insurance premiums and sales tax.

[@kathrynhobbs8874]

Hmm….here, we pay no income tax until you earn over £12k. And of course all medical visits to doctors and hospitals are free. You do pay for medicines….£9.65 for each prescribed item ( usually 3 months supply of each drug) unless it is for an incurable disease.My husband and granddaughter have diabetes and are prescribed injectable insulin . This being an incurable lifelong condition it makes the prescription free to all ages. All prescriptions are free to state pensioners of all incomes. VAT is 20% on certain products but not all. Averaged out, I believe state deductions are around 28%…… covering all illnesses, doctors visits, hospital stays, and treatments…ie X-rays, scans, MRIs, cameras up and down where cameras are not expected and anything else medical you can need and of course, your State pension. And yet many still vote conservative and are not the least socialist.

[@old.not.too.grumpy.]

An American earning $100k per year on average, their take-home pay after tax is $240 per year more than some on the same pay in the UK. In the UK, that will cover your medical insurance, too. If you look at all taxes that's local, state, and federal, most Ametican have a heavier tax burden than in the UK. Of course, these figures vary by state, but it's only a handful of states where the total tax burden is less than the UK

[@kathrynhobbs8874]

@@old.not.too.grumpy. I should make it clearer, we have three main taxations. The first is income tax, deducted at source and dependent upon income. The second, national insurance, again deducted at source. These pay for the services detailed above, and government spending on things we may or may not approve of, but get bugger all choice…as in most countries. We also have a local tax, based on the value of the house you live in. If it is a flat, total taxis split up by the owner of the whole and split between the subdivisions. The rate can vary depending on where you live. We have ‘voluntary’ taxes…in the sense that you only pay them in circumstances you can choose to avoid. Car tax,and petrol tax (which is vastly high ..a litre of petrol is about £1.75 with diesel a bit more…4.5 litres =a gallon) We pay VAT/ sales tax @20% on most things, and is included in the display cost in the shop, but essential food items and children clothes are exempt

[@old.not.too.grumpy.]

@@kathrynhobbs8874 I am British

[@circus-jf5kr]

I worked for an American owned company in the UK. I phoned regularly with my US collegues. One Christmas Eve a US collegue said he would phone again on the 27th - I said I would not be at work - he asked who else he should talk with - I said there was nobody as the company did not go back to work until the 3rd Jan. He thought I was joking - I often wondered if he phoned every day to check.😆

[@elliesconcerts]

"Lucky to have 10 days a year off"..omg I'm dead 😂😂

[@Hellomynameis93]

Ridiculous 😂😂

[@RedPhone-mz5lv]

First world power ,third world workers rights never thought I would feel sorry for Americans but after watching a few of these videos I do

[@2727rogers]

It isn't just third world workers rights. Imagine living in a country that doesn't have universal health care. Now that is some third world BS.

[@steemlenn8797]

@@2727rogers Or where the death rate by guns is higher than in countries with an actual civil war. Not to mention the death machines on 4 wheels.

[@dianacasey6002]

@@2727rogersOh and to make it even worst they have a clause that allows slavery in the prison system. Not joking, wish I was but they have prisoners working for big companies for pennies.

[@2727rogers]

@@dianacasey6002 That is what happen when your prison system is also a business. In my country the Government runs the prison system so tax payers money is funding it. We also don't keep our prisoners in prison as long. Even murders get get out early and are never executed. Even with that some how our crime rates are lower as well. It could be our social safety nets help desperate people enough that they don't have to turn to crime.

[@dianacasey6002]

@@2727rogers My county is not bad but same old same old minority groups, indigenous ppl make up the bulk of incarceration. Wish it was better but it’s the same in most countries not just mine. Statistic tells me this. No matter what type of government there will be higher incarceration rates among minority groups and higher % of men than women everywhere. The highest incarceration rate being the US. Fascinating land of the free.🤣🤣

[@Betty_Virago]

I worked for one company in London and they had duvet days. Not sick days or holidays, days when you just needed a day off for your own mental health. Paid days to stay at home in your pyjamas and mooch because, hell I just need to.

[@1889jonny]

As soon as most Americans hear the word "social" they think "communist"! Social, Liberal Democracy means, having a work/life balance. For example, Germany has some of the most stringent employment laws and the highest amount of paid holidays, yet they are the second-highest exporter of goods worldwide, the first being China (China population just over 1 billion, compared to Germany with 80 million). God bless the unions in the states, I for one, hope they can win through

[@peterdarnell9183]

It make sad that our cousins across the herring pond can't tell the difference between social socialist 😢

[@aletha460]

Ive worked for the NHS for over 10yrs. I get 33 days paid annual leave. When i was ill and took a long time to recover, i took 6mths off sick -fully paid. After 6mths off sick, my pay wouldve reduced to half pay. Recently, i needed to take a day off as an emergency. This was recorded as special leave, which did not come out of my annual leave and was fully paid. Compassionate leave is discretionary.

[@wendypeterwendywendy]

Bereavement leave - when my dad died it really affected my mental health. My employer said whenever, we have your back. It took over three weeks... And when i did go back it was initially for two then three days, not a full week. I was so grateful.

[@gillianrimmer7733]

When my mum died, I was paid a week's bereavement leave and then told to go to the doctor to get a sick note ( so they could pay me) for as many weeks as I felt I needed to get over it.

[@spyro257]

all first world countries, beside USA, has paid time off, starting at 4 weeks... here in Denmark, it's 5 by law, but many get 6, and some even get 7...

[@user-ch5zx9wn7x]

I work with a someone who miscarried her child, she was off for several months all paid and just before she returned, the company set up a meeting/course for our team so we could help support her when she came back.

[@shortiebrunetti]

In the NHS a couple of colleagues went through something similar sadly and it was basically sick leave or maternity leave (not sure which) but upshot was that the management ensured staff were covered and they squared it

[@pogglefishii6807]

Speaking as a manager for a large British employer, I don’t particularly want people to come in if they are sick, they won’t do the job as well as normal and they might spread the illness to others. The firm pays sick days at full pay and only starts asking questions or demanding doctor’s notes if the illness is going to be long term or there have been many instances in a short time. (And even then they’d be asking questions out of concern for the employee’s health).

[@cjmillsnun]

You sound like a good manager.

[@Rottnwoman]

In Australia, coming to work while sick is considered the height of rudeness, and colleagues make that VERY clear!

[@fionacowan2426]

Only in america do they not give you sick pay for being off work but charge you a fortune for medicine to make you better 😂😂😂

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

When my family and I moved to the US for six years on a contract with two universities, I had to negotiate a special deal to allow me the leave to which I would have been entitled within the EU. I also insisted on comprehensive healthcare plans for my family, and a substantial contribution towards my children's weekday-boarding school fees, as I was a widower required to work unsocial hours Mon-Fri. My US colleagues never knew of the special treatment I was given.

[@glacieractivity]

As a scientist who worked in a high-end institute that recruited from all over the world (ca 40 different nations) Americans (usually post-docs from MIT and similar brainy places) were the only ones who needed "the talk" (often several times) as they could not stop feeling they were being set up for failure by messages like "if you are ill, see the doctor and come back when you feel better" or "No, no, no you legally must stay away from the office/laboratories during your 28 working days off per year". It was also one of the ways that we could "steal" really good talents - as we presented them with salary national taxation rules, free public health insurance, full children's daycare for 200 USD per month, one year of paid maternity leave (also including 3-month leave for the father), "free" childbirth and similar things and let them count the beads for a while. This way it was simple to hold on to really good scientists in the most productive phase of their career for 5 to 10 years (before noting that some just chose to go native over here since they also saw that school funds and college funds were not a thing to worry about while allowing their kids to pick and choose from high-end universities all over Europe when those times arrives. To our credit, we also did good work on our side in making sure that the partner of our desired candidate (often also having all the degrees) got as relevant work in their field of expertise, something that can be difficult even in Europe as everyone having toured the Post-Doc circuit can qualify.

[@Rottnwoman]

A number of our friends (from Australia) have worked for Google, Microsoft or Amazon. All got luxe conditions but left after they had seen the USA from coast to coast. A working holiday to them!

[@bunjitsu7046]

I think the logic of the "reasonable" time off for grief is because each person and situation is different. We had a colleague lose their brother unexpectedly and they wanted to come back the day after as being not distracted and at home was hard, they were told they could leave at any point and if they felt overwhelmed to just let management know, the only other day they took off was the funeral. On the other hand another colleague had an elderly mother with dementia who was hospitalised and they took time off / reduced hours to visit and go to appointments, then when they passed, took 3 full weeks off to deal with family, grief and funeral plans. Our employer basically says "tell us what you need" and supports us through it. We are very lucky

[@bevausterfield431]

I work in the UK, my base holiday is 26 days, but I am allowed to buy up to a further 5 days each year if I want (salary sacrifice) In addition we get an extra 'wellbeing day' which is an extra day to take for our mental health which we're not allowed to just tack onto our holiday, we have to take it as a separate day for self-care, whether that be a day at the coast, a walk in the park or just a day under the duvet. Then we have 2 volunteering days, where we can take a paid day to do charity work of our choosing. In addition I get 12 weeks sick pay as a minimum at 100% pay, with further weeks at a minimum of statutory sick pay, but am likely to be paid full pay if it is warranted - e.g. cancer treatment at my manager's discretion. One thing that tends to not get mentioned in these videos is notice periods. I have a contracted 2 months notice period, so I have to give that much notice - but to protect me, if made redundant, they have to give me the same 2 months notice period, or 2 months pay in lieu of notice. They can also not just sack me for no reason. There has to be a level of misconduct (pre-defined in the staff handbook), poor performance tracked through a performance improvement plan, or the role genuinely becoming redundant otherwise you have a claim for unfair dismissal.

[@laurenbrogan9238]

Wow! That's insane! I'm British and truly thankful (after watching this) that I can recover from a sickness without worry! It's truly insane.

[@robertlonsdale5326]

Reasonable is what it says. If a company takes care of it's workers, it works and that's throughout Europe and a lot of the world.

[@elizabethc1039]

I'm Australian. We have paid annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, sick leave, carers leave, bereavement leave, long service leave and the lowest paid workers receive a living wage.

[@colonelfustercluck486]

Same as a New Zealander. Australian and NZ workers pay more taxes (Just one lot though, to central government...) where I understand USA workers pay State and Federal Taxes seperately. Australian and NZ workers get all these benefits with their leave. The basic jobs get a minimum hourly rate, nationwide. So as their hourly rate is OK, there is no tipping. There never has been, in these countries. That is why British, Australian or New Zealand tourists look confused, walk around with a calculator and generally get it wrong with tipping in USA... that is so totally foreign to us. And our slightly higher personal taxes, 'cover' us, for when we are off work for whatever legal and socially acceptable reason. That way, we have a steady income stream... yes a few $$$ down as we pay the slightly higher taxes, but our income doesn't vary, or get cut off (unless you are severely out of benefits or leave) It saves so much hassle, just knowing that you are covered (in most circumstances)....

[@Rottnwoman]

@@colonelfustercluck486 You forgot city taxes and TIPPING!

[@kirstygeorgans9575]

In Australia we have long service leave - 13 weeks paid holiday after 10 years with a single employer , a hangover from the time of a 6 week boat trip back to the home country to visit family - its awesome

[@user-tx9uq5kv8x]

I was at work (in Sydney, Australia) when i got a phone call telling me my father had just died. It was completely unexpected. He and the rest of the family were in Adelaide, 1500km west of Sydney. As soon as I told my boss, he told me to apply for bereavement leave immediately, then referred me to QANTAS to get a bereavement ticket for the flight to Adelaide. This was a scheme they have where if you have to fly unexpectedly for a funeral, they sell you the cheapest possible ticket. My boss told me to call him after the funeral and let him know when I would be back. "Take all the time you need" he said. I didn't take any more time than was necessary but appreciated that his immediate concern was not how he would cover for my shifts while I was away but how he could help me at a difficult time. In my experience this attitude is common in Australia and other countries which care about workers' rights. When I was working, I'm retired now, I worked shift work as my office never closed. If I worked on a Sunday, I was paid double time. On top of that, if I worked ten Sundays in a year, I got another week of paid holiday leave on top of what I was already getting.

[@Rottnwoman]

I had a similar experience with QANTAS, my Dad died in Brisbane and I lived in Canberra. A really cheap ticket and I was upgraded to First!

[@simu31]

I think I'm at 39.5 days per year of vacation time. The reason Europeans have rights is because we've (or at least our ancestors have) fought for it. As a Brit, it's in my nature to mock the French at every given opportunity, but their strikes (of which there are many, regularly, including right now by farmers, taxi drivers, and [probably, because they usually are] public transport workers) bring results. You may not get 100% of what you've demanded, but even if you get 50%, that's still more than 0.

[@ams1897]

Exactly right, I have minimal sympathy for Americans as a group, as you need to create the political will for these things to change, and most Americans just don’t want it enough. It's not something that was given to us, it was fought for.

[@traybake1]

From the UK. When my dad died a few years ago i was off work for 2 and a half weeks. I came back because i didn't feel like being off any longer would help me but my boss was very clear that it was fine if i needed longer. I know people who have been off for 2 months when their child died and no one batted an eye.

[@briancampbell179]

In Australia before retiring, I had 20 days per year of recreation leave. The standard work day was 7 hours 21 minutes not including lunch. Recreation leave was actually allocated in hours rather than days, so you could effectively take two hours off. Recreation leave was accrued fortnightly with your pay so people had some leave up their sleeve from the day they started even though it was very little. Recreation leave was cumulative so what you didn't use one year rolled over to the next. The bean counters didn't like people accumulating too much, so if you got to about 8 weeks, the boss would be strongly encouraging you to take a holiday or alternatively, excess leave would be paid out. We had 10 days of sick leave per year. This too accumulated but with no effective limit. A guy in my group got seriously ill and had enough sick leave up his sleeve to go almost a year. When I was a manager if a group, I didn't like people coming to work with a cold, and this was pre-pandemic. They were virtually useless at their desk and achieved nothing more than making everyone else sick which hurt the company even more. We also had long service leave. The was a reward for staying with the company and was intended for extended holidays. After 10 years service you got 3 months of long service leave, then accumulated 9 days each year after that. The long service leave included weekends and public holidays and had to be taken in 3 day blocks. You could take it on half pay effectively doubling the amount of leave. I used mine for a holiday to the US and Canada and almost got blocked from entering the country by US immigration officials who couldn't wrap their tiny brains around the concept that someone's boss would allow them to go on a 7 week holiday.

[@Powelus]

The company I work for in Ireland went from fixed 20 days of paid holidays to Flexible PTO. Essentially meaning, you MUST use minimum of 20 days, and all after that is still paid, as long as you don't abuse the policy, and of course it's per managers discretion. We were stunned when we heard this. I can take if I want 45 days of holidays per year. And they're all paid

[@alanfairbrother890]

@powelus what’s flexible PTO, the minimum compulsory holidays is 20days, companies can increase that ,as part of someone’s terms of employment or extra days for years of service. You can have flexi time,as in every time to work more than your core hours, those extra minutes, hours add up. And you can use those hours to take time off.

[@paulm2467]

It’s a con, they’ve found that people take less holidays under your system because of the uncertainty and they use holidays when they are sick. I get 36 days annually and if I don’t use them they are carried over.

[@RanFire]

I worked a bottom level supermsarket job and I got 7 weeks paid holiday a year. and 3 months full pay paid sick pay in the UK

[@joanmackie1735]

It’s not just the UK. In France, the standard working week is 35 hours. A worker who completes 35 hours in 4 days can claim a day to add to his holiday time. So, since there are also 11 public holidays, you could add 4 of your saved days and be on holiday from Saturday to a week from the following Monday - 9 consecutive days, without affecting your entitlement to 3 or 4 weeks of annual leave.

[@Kate-qq3ez]

Y law in France the minimum annual leave is 5 weeks - fully paid - and in some companies it could be more.

[@joanmackie1735]

@@Kate-qq3ez Thanks for that info. I’ve lived in France since my retirement, but never had a paid job here, so I’m not really up to date on labour laws. It may be worth adding that the majority of French people spend the most of that holiday time in their own country, whether it’s at ski resorts, beaches, lakes, or visiting/ receiving family members and friends. France has so many wonderful and very distinct regions to explore, and these visitors are the backbone of a healthy tourism sector and public transport.

[@danowen79]

So much made sense about the US when I discovered you only have 10 days off a year - like the lack of overseas travel, etc. I have 32 days + public holidays (10?). I can’t imagine only having a few weeks. I’d rarely do anything unusual or even visit extended family that often. Insane to me.

[@JohnVilla1960]

I worked for a large American company here in the UK. When the Americans who worked for the same company came over to the UK they were shocked at our benefits compared to them.

[@wietseterpstra8295]

Here in the Netherlands a big PC assembly company from the USA opened a factory Heerenveen in 1997, they started of by implementing labour rules like they were used to back home, didn't last long nobody wanted to work there and they had a lot of legal trouble they were not happy to be forced to implement the Dutch labour laws. That factory lasted a little bit more than 4 years.

[@NannyMcfanny]

When my mum became ill I called my boss to tell him she only had a week or so left. He told be to call if I needed anything. That was it no pressure at all and when she died 8 days later he told be to come back when I was ready. No pressure at all. I took a month off. And when I called to say I’d be back on Monday he asked if I was sure. I loved that boss

[@KathyBarnett-mv5vg]

I retired when I was 55 and that was from a factory job. I worked there for 20yrs and every 5yrs you got an extra days holiday every year as a loyalty bonus. The pension is good and I can more than live on it until I get my government pension on top. On top of free health care I live a comfortable life and I'm truly grateful for it.

[@4svennie]

In UK, my employer states two weeks for immediate family members (parents, sibling, etc...), and one week for non-immediate family members (aunts, uncles, grand parents, etc...). I have a boss that tried to make me go back in soon as there was an issue with releasing my mother's body for burial. But I spoke to another boss under him and said I just won't be in and he said that was perfectly fine and he's pay me for it anyway and to let him know if I needed more time off.

[@paulbromley6687]

So do American companies not get the concept of illness transmission to other workers which may be better if you contain it by having those who are sick to stay at home.

[@philiprice7875]

illness transmission will not be a factor in the US untill there is a class action against the food place that made a worker work sick and transmitted it onwards. so lets say 500 caught it all 500 sue for loss of wages, medical bills, :) cost will soon add up

[@ronyagpd]

In the UK, worker's rights are balanced by one's responsibilities. If colleagues think someone is swinging the lead, thereby putting additional pressure on them, they will make their feelings known in no uncertain terms!!!

[@davidmalarkey1302]

Zero worker's rights in America as simple as that.

[@davidgrice9270]

It's like freedom is an illusion

[@churchill378]

I’m in the UK working 5 days a week full time. My paid leave is 37 days a year including the public holiday which are guaranteed paid time off. 37 days when including public holidays in fairly typical for most workers in the Uk. Also I had bereavement leave in 2021 and I was off for 3 weeks Paid.

[@capitalb5889]

25 days is the standard at most companies, plus bank holidays. 37 days is exceptional.

[@churchill378]

@@capitalb5889 28 days the statutory annual leave required for full time in the uk. Its then uk to individual employers whether public holiday are included or not so I guess it depends on employers it’s just a case than most people I know have somewhat similar leave as me but I guess there’s many that will only get 28 days.

[@capitalb5889]

@@churchill378 Yes, that's 20 days leave plus 8 bank holidays. I get 26 days (25 of which are contractual) plus the 8 days. I have never had a job with more than 25 contractual days leave and that's over 5 employers in my career.

[@churchill378]

@@capitalb5889 wow okay. Interesting to hear. I’m the opposite I’ve never had public holiday included as part of my holiday leave it’s always been in addition to it but I guess I’ve just been fortunate then.

[@capitalb5889]

@@churchill378 - Yes - you are definitely fortunate. All of mine have been blue chip employers - you will almost certainly have heard of them in one way or another, including a public service employer, but none over 25 contractual leave,, plus public holiday. I can't complain - that's still over 6 weeks a year added up

[@twigletz7384]

When my father died a few years ago, I was a teacher. The headteacher told me to take as much time off as I needed. I ended up taking a month off work and was fully paid during that time.

[@garywilson6047]

I’m 60. In the last ten years, I’ve had open heart surgery, a brain tumour, and suffer daily with inflammatory bowel disease. I work full time, but take a lot of sick time. In the uk, if you have any medical issue that is likely to last more than 12 months, it becomes a disability. This then gives you much more protection from the government. The company would have a very difficult time getting rid of you. They could give you ill health retirement but it’s a legal minefield for them, so they tend to make your job easier to give you an easier time and a chance to work more often. In my last job at British Gas. You get 12 months paid sickness.

[@nicksmallwood8828]

Some years ago when my wife was dying of cancer, my employer told me to take off whatever time I needed. Then told me not to come in at all, all on full pay.

[@kevins2961]

I work in the Uk and get 30 days plus bank holidays. Plus sick pay so if I am sick I don't lose holiday. When my father died I got 5 days leave, in my case he was very old and it was not unexpected. I have known people who hae had unexpected breavement of a partner or child and have been given longer paid leave

[@californianreacts]

That's incredible! I'm sure normal in the UK but for us to hear that is something else. Two weeks is just about normal here for time off, including sick and vacation/holiday. Would always dread asking for time off in my old job and I know many people feel that way here.

[@seppokarjalainen2409]

​​@@californianreactsI work In Finland and get 30 days of vacation per year + about 9-11 holidays (amount depends on if holidays hit weekdays or weekends). I have had 2 longer sickleaves due to injuries(on free time), first lasted 5 months and other one lasted 3 months. First 2 months I got 100% salary and the rest of the sick leave 70%. Sick leaves do not affect the amount of vacation earned.

[@arnodobler1096]

​@@californianreacts In Germany and other countries, if you get sick while on vacation, your vacation days will be credited to you. But you need a sick note from your doctor.

[@dib000]

35 days plus bank holidays. I live in UK.

[@user-gf1jt2hp4m]

I fell at work and broke my wrist,I was off for 6 months with pay and the company had to find cover

[@jerry2357]

There is another aspect of workers' rights in the UK. To sack a worker there needs to be good cause, otherwise the worker can take the employer to a tribunal that can award compensation. If a company is making workers redundant, there must be a fair process to decide which workers leave, and there is statutory redundancy pay that the company must pay to the worker (this depends on length of service etc). Organisations often offer voluntary redundancy with enhanced payments etc to avoid difficulties. So for instance I was once offered 18 months salary to leave a job, based on 12 years' employment with the organisation.

[@alexgill2455]

A friend was made redundant after 10 years with her company, her pay out was enough for her to travel the world for nearly 2 years.

[@jeffreykyle8587]

I’m an American living in England now. I’ve given a member of my staff a total of 8 days for grieving, split over 2 weeks. They were ready to return, but then needed to go away for the funeral. We adapted and there was no undue stress on my colleague.

[@helenwood8482]

For both my mother's and brother's deaths, I only took off the day of the funeral. In both cases, my manager asked if I were sure that was enough. She would have happily given me a week or more off. I needed to work.

[@delskioffskinov]

I was given 2 weeks paid leave for grieving. UK

[@johamlett27]

My husband passed away in 2021. I was on compassionate leave for 2 weeks on full pay and then worked reduced hours at home for another 2 weeks before I went back to full time (50/50 between working from home and in the office). I was also told that if at any time I felt overwhelmed to just let them know and I could have more time off.

[@junebartlett7494]

New Zealand. 3 days minimum paid bereavement leave. Including for pets. At least 10 days paid sick leave. Minimum 15 days annual leave but most have 20, some more. And if you don't take your leave you are told to. You either book the days or they will allocate them for you. Has happened to many people I know. Including me. My daughter and others I know have unlimited paid sick leave.

[@haydentrudgill]

I'm British. When it comes to bereavement leave (or sometimes sick leave for that matter), we tend to operate on an unspoken 'gentlemanly rule'. There's no harsh deadlines or pre-agreed time off; it's mainly a case of "You take care of yourself. Take as much time as you need, and in return, just don't take advantage and extend the same courtesy back". When you deal with people like this, you instantly don't want to put your employer in a bad situation of having to work without you, with the respect given, you feel obliged to come back when you can. All of this done without the government or any laws getting involved. That's why our laws use words like "reasonable". It's woven in our DNA.

[@lynettemahoney1710]

In Australia we have Holiday pay with loading.Thats 17.5% extra on top of your wages.Also we get long service leave,that is you get an extra 6 weeks holiday after you have been with the same company for 10years.After 10 years you get an extra 2 weeks holiday every year.

[@Bobbydazzlla]

Just a little lurk I used before I retired. We could also take time off without pay, so I'd take 17.5% hours off the paid leave I was taking and take the 17.5% as time without pay. This saves more paid time off to use later on. so for 2 days off (16 hours) - 13hrs paid leave 3 hrs without pay. Giving you close to same pay and 3hrs saved.

[@Rottnwoman]

SIX weeks? You need to change employers - I get thirteen weeks after ten years.

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

Yup. It's called THR in ours next door. Yes,/i am a ranga😂

[@helenagreenwood2305]

Why aren't US citizens lobbying their MPs to fight for better working rights what do they actually do to earn their pay if they're not working towards BASIC human rights regarding holiday pay sick pay maternity/paternity pay and regulating healthcare costs which are criminally extortionate 🤷 The argument regarding Americans not travelling because of the size of their country doesn't make sense Europe is huge (with double the population) but we still manage to travel to USA Australia South and North Africa etc 🌍

[@andypandy9013]

I live in the UK. When our Mother passed away in early 2020 my Employer gave me 10 working days, paid!, time off as Bereavement Leave. It did not have to taken all at once so I took 7 days after her passing to grieve and help sort out all the thousands of things that have to be attended to when someone dies and the other 3 over the time of the actual funeral.

[@Peterraymond67]

I worked for one company all my working life, British Telecom, from aged 16 ½ to retiring at 56. In the third week my grandmother died. I asked my new boss for leave and he replied, “You don’t need leave for that, you will be granted Special Leave A, time off with paid leave.” I also had a personal letter of “sorrow” from the Telephone Manager. I was also granted Special Leave for a Scout Leader course on Group management, and another to teach cycling safety to children. I rarely took sick, but if I did then I got full pay. Once I took a weeks sick for a hospital emergency visit, about 6 months later I was admitted to hospital for a minor operation following my earlier illness. Apart from telling my boss I was on sick the only time my manager called me was after two weeks for a welfare check, of course full pay with no reduction in annual leave. As an aside the only cash involved was £2 for a newspaper and a cold coke from the charity trolley visiting the ward.

[@kittyformanrn9268]

I’ve been a nurse for 24 years. Altogether, I’ve worked in healthcare for 38 years, (20 of those were in the military). I was fired last week for missing 5 days in one year. I caught Covid from patients twice in one year. I also have MS, and I’m a disabled veteran. My medical insurance is crap, and so is the US healthcare system.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

That is utter cr@p. I am from the UK and have worked in medicine for 40 years (am now retired) in 12 countries, plus my own, on three continents. As a qualified healthcare professional, you would NEVER have been treated like that _anywhere_ I have worked. Ever.

[@joyridgway6398]

There are no words, sorry you are having a hard time

[@leec6707]

That's shocking. In the UK, multiple absences are looked upon with concern and there are multiple steps that can be taken. Phased return, flexible working, reasonable adjustments to your work environment, assessments by Occupational Health etc. Within the NHS, there is a huge amount of support and if anyone is taking advantage it can take months or years to be able to dismiss them.

[@kimeggert3829]

strong unions make it possible. Here in Denmark/Nordic countries we have 6/5-week paid vacation, 37-hour workweek. one-year parental leave, also paid.

[@Spankypenguin1]

UK worker here. I was on paid holiday for a fortnight and had a minor heart attack at the start of the second week. I contacted my manager asap to let him know. I am a bus driver and the rules are very strict regarding anything heart related and bus driving and I fully expected to lose my job. Instead, my manager put me on indefinite paid sick leave until the results of a long battery of tests and examinations proved the stent that had been installed had fixed the problem, which took 2 months, then returned to light, office based work for a further month, as per the companies own policy which does not let anybody who has had any kind of heart related incident back behind the wheel of a bus for 3 months after the occurrence. I was paid at 90% of full pay for my two months off, which was higher than the statutory minimum £156, and I also received my second weeks holiday entitlement back as you are not allowed to be on holiday and sick at the same time.

[@ffrederickskitty214]

I get 8 days public holidays plus 30 days annual leave, a total of 38 days paid leave. I also get paid sick leave and bereavement. If I’m sick while on leave, I can claim that time back. I work for BAE Systems; a great employer.

[@madmacker2811]

When my husband died I had 4 months off with 100% pay , I have 33 days + 8 bank holidays days of paid leave every year , we are paid 100% pay for 6 months a year of sick pay ,

[@paul1979uk2000]

It's understandable why Americans don't take many holidays, they are dealing with the cards they've been dealt with. If you take time off and are not being paid during that time off, there's a good chance you're in the position that you can't afford to take time off because of bills, and considering 64% of Americans are living pay cheque to pay cheque, that's not exactly a good situation to be in. I'm sure if Americans could take 6 or 4 weeks off per years, which is what it depends on European country, whiles also being paid in full for that time off, I suspect a lot more Americans would go on holiday a lot more around the world, but the current system makes it difficult for Americans to do that, it's like a forced feedback look, where you work to consume and have very little time to enjoy life, and ultimately, what do we all aim for? A high quality of life, which I feel Europeans are doing a far better job at than Americans are, which you get a sense that the American system is designed to treat Americans like slave, work with little benefits, consume way more than you need to feed the capitalist and repeat the cycle, a lot of that gets in the way of enjoying life and isn't a good balance from work to life. It's the same with health care or taking time off work, you don't have to worry about these things, if you need medical help, it's there for you, if you need to take time off, you can, without worrying about bills or whether your job position will be there, by law, your position is protected, as long as you don't abuse that, but even then, you can take extended time off for months or longer if needed, but you'll need a doctors note of proof on why it's needed, regardless, you will still have your job and you don't have to worry about money coming in, that's a far more humane system than what the US offers, which more or less throws you under the bus, and you get a sense that the only reason Americans are there is to work, consume and pay taxes to boost the power base of the elite, not exactly something I would want. There's also this, if you've got 6 weeks paid time off per year, almost all will use them up, whereas in the US, they either can't afford to take that time off or the business tries to guilt-trip you into not taking that time off, that's the major difference when the law is on your side, you don't have to worry about these things and you can get back to what matters most, enjoying life. As for reasonable time off for when someone dies, it really depends on the person and on who died, but probably a few weeks, give or take the person and who died.

[@julienyholm1056]

In Australia we get 4 weeks a year and 10 days of sick leave. Also we have maternity and paternity leave. Maternity pay is usually full pay for 12 weeks or you can get 24 weeks at half pay.

[@joanneburford6364]

It's 20 weeks maternity leave from 1 July 2023.

[@Ray-dv1md]

In Oz at one time, you used to actually get paid more when you took holiday leave, if I remember right, it was 30% added into your holiday pay. Holiday leave loading they called it. This was to cover payment for any overtime that you would not get paid for because you were on holiday. I miss the good old days.

[@suemoore984]

And long service leave!

[@joanneburford6364]

From memory it was always 17.5% loading, although some govt departments may have been more. I get 17.5% loading in a law firm but that isn't all that common now.

[@petrichor3947]

It’s 17.5% if your under a federal award, none for some state awards they removed it state by state by the conservative governments. Sick pay varies by award your are covered by or your individual contract.

[@MYoung-mq2by]

33 paid vacation days per year for me. In the Netherlands. This is not including our "Bank holidays". I was ill during the passed year, starting out at 100% sick leave and gradually increasing my working hours until the end of the year. I'm now back at work fulltime (40 hours per week). During this entire period I was paid my full monthly salary, received my holiday pay of one month's salary in May, and retained all my vacation day allocation for the year. This wasn't a favour to me as all employees have this right.

[@TattooedAussieChick]

I’m in Australia. I get five weeks paid annual leave, 17 days sick leave and 8 days public holidays. I get 3 days bereavement leave. I work 37.5hrs per week anything over that I either get overtime pay or flexi leave. If I save up more than 8 weeks annual leave then I am required to take time off to bring it back to under 8 weeks.

[@suemoore984]

Employer mandatory contributions to superannuation, long service leave are a couple of other rights in Australia. Also flexitime, and, for shift workers, days off in lieu of payment for local public holidays are added to your annual leave

[@dianacasey6002]

Another Aussie here had an injury of for 7 months 5 months sick leave 2 month long service because I had accumulated sick leave and hadn’t abused the system. Thank god.

[@dianacasey6002]

No but they will keep the Industrial arms complex going.

[@TattooedAussieChick]

@@suemoore984oh yes I forgot I get 15.9% superannuation on top of my pay. So I won’t retire in poverty like some people!

[@yendor9078]

And the thing is.. We still whine about it and want more..... Would sure suck to be American.

[@deniseadams1703]

I was a social worker employed by a Local Authority. During the first five years I received 20 days leave plus 8 Bank Holidays. After the 5 years my leave increased to 28 days plus the Bank Holidays. After 10 years my leave entitlement was 33 days plus the Bank Holidays. First six months of sick pay was full pay and this dropped to fifty per cent for the next six months.

[@thomasmumw8435]

My fiancée died in an accident, it took me 6 months to sort my life out and even when I said I was OK to go back to work, the manager was reluctant unless it was only a few hours at a time. The first week I worked for 2hrs in two days, then 3hrs in 2 days until I felt I could cope with a full week. Oh forgot to say, I was still on full pay/sick pay the entire time. My manager was a star!

[@gerrit9519]

26 Days paid leave, paid sick-days and 1 month salary as vacation-pay (on top of the paid leave) NL

[@stuartfitch7093]

I have upto six weeks sick entitlement at full pay per year but what is different from anywhere else I've ever worked is it's flexible so if you are like me and don't get ill very often (1 day off in about 23 years), then I can take my sickness leave if someone I love is ill so I can care for them but be on full pay. An example of how this works was last year when my partner went into hospital to have a tumour removed from her brain and was away from home for around five weeks. Work allowed me to take my paid sickness time at that point so that I could concentrate on visiting my partner in hospital which was a good drive each day, doing chores around the house etc rather than being at work but without my mind being fully on the job.

[@stuartfitch7093]

This in no way affected the number of holiday days I get.

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

Indonesia : what's sick entitlement days? If you sick, you are sick. Just get the doctor's note. No pay cuts, your HR and director get to jail if they tried 😂

[@knockshinnoch1950]

UK workers have had the right to paid holidays since 1938. Our food standards are also much higher among many other things like the NHS that make life in the UK so much better. Oh and we don't have millions of guns to worry about when kids go to school.

[@joyridgway6398]

So true, a child took his fathers gun into school to show his friends, and it was on national news.

[@roddavis2876]

Back when I was working, now retired for 4 yrs. I had 20 days holiday plus 8.5 bank holidays. 20 days is 4 weeks as I didn't work Saturdays and Sundays. Bank holidays were Chrismas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, also 1/2 day on Christmas Eve.

[@RobbEsspisi]

Goddamn Europeans, think they got it all figured out . . . Wait, what - they did?

[@philiprice7875]

in the 1800's people was leaving Europe for a better life in the US, the desendents are now looking at medical bills, student loans, tax season, cost of providing kevlar backpack for their kids, maternity leave, and wondering how much it will cost to leave the us and give citizenship up ( 2 years tax to the us goverment)

[@eamonndoyle4753]

If I'm sick while on annual leave, I can claim that time back when I return to work. I'm in the UK, I'm not sure if that is common or not with other jobs.

[@Retro_Care]

here in the Netherlands its also the same, when sick you claim your time off back because your time off is for resting. but i am sure not many employees do this because they dont know or dont think much of it with so many paid days off anyways.

[@MarlynMeehan]

I've been retired for about 15 years now and that was the case when I was working and had been for a long time. That's how behind the times the US is.

[@cgillman2744]

Yes, it’s one day holiday credited for every month you’re off sick, or at least it was back in the 80’s when I had to take 8 months off for cancer treatment. Worked in the public sector. I was also on full pay for 6 months then half pay for 6 months, having built up enough service to merit the full amount of time

[@gillianrimmer7733]

Yes, I was rushed into hospital the night before going on holiday for 2 weeks so my employer put me on sick leave and restored the 2 weeks holiday to me to use when I was well. I think it's against the law to use paid holiday time for sickness.

[@alfiecat7795]

The company my son works at changed their rules on paternity leave a couple of years ago. Now the father is entitled to a years leave, of which the following applies. 1st 6 months is full pay, the next 3 months is 80% of your wages and the last 3 months is unpaid, AND the company safe guards your job!! I was amazed.

[@hrafnatyr9794]

🇸🇪 here. Here, we are entitled to 25 consecutive paid vacation days per year (excluding public holidays and other days off during the period). In principle, the employer decides when you can take your vacation, but most employers are quite flexible when it comes to times. In addition, the Swedish calendar contains 17 holidays when most people are off, with the exception of those who work in critical areas such as police, rescue and healthcare. Also note that trade unions in Sweden have extensive bargaining rights, so if you feel you have been treated unfairly, you can always turn to the union. We also have very generous rules regarding paid child leave. Each parent is entitled to 240 days of leave at 80% of salary (if you are single, 480 days apply). On top of this we have something called "VAB" (child care) which gives the right to take paid sick leave to care for a sick child. Regarding the above, roughly the same applies in all the Nordic countries.

[@jennifermcdonald5432]

I simply don’t understand Americans. When it’s so crystal clear that your own government doesn’t give a toss about the vast majority of its citizens, why would you continue to wave your flags and say how great your country is? I can find nothing about America that is even good let alone great. There are so very many things that are just terrible!

[@yendor9078]

All of that flag waving and heavy nationalism is about brainwashing. Why question anything or learn about any other country when since birth all they are hearing is America is the greatest. Good old social media is opening the eyes for some, but most refuse to believe... Everything is a conspiracy.. What a sad country.

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

It's corporation pretend to be a country.

[@2727rogers]

I know in the US there are unions. That is how other countries got their progressive social policies. First union worked got them in contracts and when other people saw how good they were they voted for politicians who would make them into laws for everyone. That is how a democracy works. What do unions actually do in the US and why doesn't the voters there want that for themselves.

[@cosimodemedici1530]

A lot of Mafia involvment in the Unions in America.

[@2727rogers]

@@cosimodemedici1530Yes and why would the union people elect Mobsters to run the union in the first place. Just like presidential election you get who you vote for if you keep voting for terrible people.

[@susanandrews8069]

My daughter is a part time PE teacher and swimming coach in a private school. She works 3 days a week, gets loong holidays and because she has worked there for 10 years she is entitled to one months sabbatical plus her holidays, all paid!

[@annienewton3999]

I’m from UK on the last week of a 5 week holiday in New Zealand 🇳🇿 & Australia 🇦🇺 and all paid !! My family literally in the other side of the world so wouldn’t ever see them if I couldn’t travel.

[@davidhyams2769]

In the UK, bereavement leave is usually covered by your contract of employment or, more usually, in the employee handbook (company rules, which must comply with legal requirements). In my own experience, it's 1 working week (5 days) for the death of a parent, sibling or child (or partner thereof), 3 days for a grandparent or grandchild and 1 day to attend the funeral for any other relative. For anyone else, you'd probably be expected to take a day from your holiday (vacation) allowance. The annual holiday allowance is a minimum of 28 days but may be more. It's up to the employer to decide whether that includes the 8 public holidays (sometimes called Bank Holidays, which is actually a legal definition, even though not all public holidays are Bank Holidays) or not. Some companies offer additional days for long service. Most workers take a 2-week vacation in the summer, which takes 10 of the vacation days, and may take a week off (or more ) at Easter. Some companies close over the Christmas/New Year period, so employees are asked to save 3 or 4 days holiday allowance to cover that. That's still only 19 days, including the week at Easter, so there's plenty more to take as long weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Saturday, Sunday, Monday) or short breaks throughout the year to visit other parts of the u or go to European cities, many of which are only an hour or two's flight time away, Some companies allow their employees to carry a week into the next year's allowance or maybe sell a week back to the company or buy an additional week. If you want to take time off, the rule of thumb is to give a day's notice for a day off, a week for a week, etc although It's usual to book the main 2-week holiday months in advance. And these longer holiday allowances mean it's not unusual for Brits to take say 3 weeks instead of two for the main holiday and visit faraway places like Australia.

[@AnneDowson-vp8lg]

I was able to save my holiday leave so I could visit relatives in Australia for 5 weeks. Five years later, I did the same to visit New Zealand. As a former Union rep, I wish all the best to those American workers who are forming unions. It is only by getting together and fighting for our rights that people in the UK and other countries got these workers rights.

[@croftonallamby5625]

I went to Barbados to see my mum, who was very ill, I spent a month taking care of her, I returned to London on Christmas day 2022. She passed away on January 11 2023, and I was told to make arrangements to head back to Barbados. I was given 4 weeks leave with pay, and when I returned to work, my manager asked if I was fit to work, and if I needed more time, let him know

[@andrewgoodenough1809]

This is not about my time off ,but what I have noticed is many USA citizens actually arguing against sick leave , paid time off and health care , do you believe that this is a true belief or a cultural indoctrination.

[@cgillman2744]

They also argue that tipping workers to give them the decent wage their employers refuse to pay is their “culture”. Brainwashed I think

[@grahamejohn6847]

Every other 1st world country in the world has paid holidays, sick leave,maternity leave and some times paternity leave and lots of other rights.

[@lizstratton9689]

If a very close person died, like a partner or child you'd get as long off as you needed, can be 6 months if it was a traumatic event. All you do is ask your Doctor to give you a sick note. For a Parent you'll get as much time off as needed and it doesn't have to be taken in a block, you can work, have a few days off to maybe make funeral arrangements or visits and then time off for the Funeral. Any employer that was being 'unreasonable' just gets hit with an NHS Sick Note. Obviously we do have bad employers who do exploit their workers but these are rare and when found out they get hammered by either the Unions or private legal battles.

[@argiebarge7955]

You get Trump, we get bad weather. Go weather.

[@babalonkie]

Reasonable mount of time for bereavement: To settle all urgent affairs and be mentally and physically ready to come back to work. That's it. It takes as long as it takes... there is no expectation of time. If the Employee is mentally affected on top of that... they then get Paid Sick Leave or Statuary Sick Pay... Once again... There is no time limit. The Employers are allowed to check public records and ask for a medical note if a large amount of time has past. Most UK Employers will automatically ask for a sick note after a week of sick absence and depending on the circumstances, either just keep in touch with the Employee or ask for a follow up note when they expect the illness to have either cleared or improved. Doctors will never recommend work if a person is genuinely sick (mental or physical). Employers are either heavily sued and fined should they "Neglect" or "Abuse" these laws or in the worst case scenario, can have their entire business listed as defunct and illegal. Employees can simply be sacked for abusing them. Communication between the two parties is paramount and in most cases... legally required. That's it. Employees are treated as the lifeblood of ANY business... not the employer. However, Employers also get extra law and rules protecting their business, including financial aid support. They be good... they get treated as good. Just Owning or running a business is not enough to be treated as priority... what you do and how you behave is.

[@lipkinasl]

Berevement and funeral leave - I work for a major transport employer in London - so obviously they stick to this sort of thing very accurately. I've known someone in my office be off a fortnight for their grandmother's passing. Equally I took a week for my father, when my mom had passed 2 years previously and I'm the eldest son. And my family were at the other end of the country. My boss was like, "come back when you're ready, keep me updated and let me know how you're doing." Actually allowed your boss to be really caring and genuinely concerned. There was no way people would take liberties with things like that, because obviously whilst you are off, your colleagues are picking up the slack. That's just how we are, and it works.

[@heathcornbeef]

Kia Ora hello from Aotearoa new zealand.hay we get four weeks payed leave for Xmas 6 payed sick days a year plus heaps of payed public holidays free/very cheap health care free prescriptions but $3.10 per litre of petrol 😠😡🤬

[@californianreacts]

Hello from across the world! Your time off is fantastic when comparing it to here. That's great! Unlike Americans, countries with much more time off definitely seem much more happy and can actually travel more than a week or max two a year.

[@johnp8131]

Just looked up the exchange rate, petrol prices in the UK are only currently a fraction cheaper. However they seem to vary massively from week to week?

[@llamagirl2679]

I was a stay at home Mum but my ex used to get 42 paid holidays and unlimited paid sick days. He was off work for 2 yrs and was paid 100 % of his pay.

[@heathcornbeef]

@@johnp8131 when i brought my Subaru three years ago it cost me $115 to fill from empty it's now $285ish