European work-life balance perceptions
As a passionate traveler, I have always enjoyed waking up in a new city and going out to explore what the city has to offer. For me, there is no better way to discover a new place than walking among the locals, eating their same food, and trying to adopt the same lifestyle. So, that’s what we've done. We wake up to local coffee and a small breakfast, and take the bus to the office. Lunch is typically bread, ham, and cheese. Bread, ham, and cheese are probably a safe bet for any meal, actually. On our way back, we stop by the grocery store for our daily purchase of food, which we end up either cooking at night or snacking away.
The vibe and culture of Amsterdam are pretty relaxed. You will usually find people out in the park from the early hours of the afternoon. Everyone seems to come home early, hang out at the park or restaurants, and just enjoy life. It is refreshing to see a healthy work-life balance and people actually enjoying life outside of work. We are realizing how work-driven the United States is, especially as MBA students who will most likely dive into the corporate world. It has been a sharp contrast to see and hear about the flexibility with which businesses operate in Europe.
As part of our project, we have also been doing some research on labor laws for various European countries, many of which are very employee-friendly. Firing someone is not as easy as in the US, and leaves (sick, maternity, sabbatical), are a lot more common and easier to process. I was talking to a friend from Germany, and I was shocked to hear she had a 1 year parental leave when she had both of her children. She was given the option to choose the length of her parental leave and different payment ratio options. The first 3 months’ salary are always paid in full.
How do companies bear this cost, I wonder? Why can they do it here, but not in the US? I found out that at least for Germany, the government participates in a part of the pay, and the rest of the leave is paid in a smaller percent. It seems that for a vast majority of Europeans, they would rather have a pay cut or smaller sized house in order to have more time with their families. This attitude offers another perspective when it comes to making life choices and the types of companies we want to work for after our MBA program. What is our price for an additional hour with our families, I wonder?
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