German Man Shares His 'Work Culture Shock' After Moving To The U.S. — 'Having Absolutely No Perks Has Been Mind-Blowing'
He was stunned by the lack of work-life balance in America.
Studioroman | CanvaPro When you move to a new country, culture shock is inevitable. The food is different, the vernacular is different, the people are different — likely in ways you didn't expect.
Such was the case for a man on Reddit who moved from Germany to the U.S. with his American wife. Working in this country proved to be quite the adjustment.
The German man shared his 'work culture shock' after moving to the U.S.
"I met my American wife in Germany and recently moved to the U.S. about two [years] ago," he wrote in his post. "It's an absolute work culture shock, coming from a work environment of mandatory [paid time off] of five to six weeks being the norm."
He admitted that moving to the U.S. and having none of the "perks" he was used to has been "mind-blowing" — and not in a good way.
German work culture differs greatly from that of America.
For any working American, Germany's PTO policies will sound downright idyllic. According to Velocity Global, "German law mandates a minimum of 20 working days of paid annual leave per year for employees working a five-day week, which increases to 24 days for those working six days a week."
In comparison, the U.S. has no federal mandate for PTO at all.
The difference in sick time between the two countries is equally dramatic. In Germany, "employees are entitled to continue receiving their full salary for up to six weeks of illness annually." The U.S. does not have a federal law requiring paid sick leave.
Moreover, in Germany, the typical work week is between 36 to 40 hours, with a legal maximum of 48 hours per week. That's including overtime. Conversely, in the U.S., there is no legal limit for the number of hours employees over 16 can work.
Many Americans suffer from burnout due to our untenable work culture.
As most Americans know all too well, this hustle culture is not without its consequences. Limited time off, combined with a work culture that has little care for employee wellbeing, creates a cycle of burnout and dissatisfaction. In fact, according to a 2023 report, 65% of American employees suffer from burnout.
PBXStudio | Shutterstock
"It just seems unproductive," the Redditor added, and he's not wrong — the same report found that 72% of employees say burnout negatively impacts their work performance. So, if overworking hurts productivity, "why don't American CEOs adopt the European paid time off model?" he questioned, suggesting "malice" was the only possible answer.
Ultimately, it seems that U.S. corporations have a profit-over-people mindset. They don't care about their workers beyond a line on an expense sheet and are more than willing to overwork employees and disregard their mental and physical health if it means making a few bucks. Even if workers quit, businesses don't care because they view them as both expendable and easily replaceable.
It's well past time for change that benefits U.S. workers — not billionaires and corporations.
Erika Ryan is a writer working on her bachelor's degree in Journalism. She is based in Florida and covers relationships, psychology, self-help, and human interest topics.