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Work ethic is a valuable feature that companies look for in their employees. But the devil is in the details.

Yes, an excellent work ethic can get you special projects because you're reliable, dedicated, and disciplined. But at which point does putting your job first start to take a toll on you?

That's exactly what Twitter users are trying to find out in this viral thread. Inspired by Samuel Pollen's humorous tweet about the differences between European and American out-of-offices, people from all over the world are sharing what's expected of them in the workplace.

Pollen's initial tweet, the one that started this discussion, was born out of his own work. "I live and work in the UK, and I have a lot of US clients," he told Bored Panda. "They send emails at all times of day, and never go on holiday. Conversely, our Swedish clients disappear all summer! So it was very much informed by my direct experience."

However, he wouldn't describe its subject matter as work ethic. "You can have a great work ethic and still appreciate the importance of family time, your health, and proper rest and relaxation," Pollen said. "But there are many legal and cultural factors at play. The cliché is that Europeans work to live, and Americans live to work. That elides many different individual experiences, but there’s a great deal of truth in it. Things like having a set number of sick days seem completely absurd to people on this side of the Atlantic!"

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Hans
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Likely fired as did not answer the phone while getting anaesthetics.

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Lola
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something definitely wrong with this thinking when you think going on maternity leave is time off.

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Hans
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had paid leave for months. I am the father. That this is not the norm saddens me deeply, and I have sympathy for anyone who suffers from being deprived of taking care of their baby due to broken social systems.

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There are numbers to back up these statements, too. For example, Brits tend to put in fewer work hours than Americans (OECD data places average hours worked per year in the U.K. at 1,538 and in the U.S. at 1,779).

Then there's desk dining—the sad act of having your lunch where you work. A 2015 survey found that only 1 in 5 Americans actually spends their lunch break away from their desks, with most eating their midday meal while they continue to work. Plus, millions of Americans are skipping lunch altogether to continue working.

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Beatrice Multhaupt
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My German brother in law, working in Germany, once found himself locked out of his office. He hadn't taken a vacation in three years and Personnel decided that this behaviour was bad for his health.

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If I could I would live under water
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually I'm (German) jealous of some Skandinavien work places. They practice 6h per day (instead of 8h) 5b days a week and studies show, that you can accomplish the same amount of work in that time. They get paid full time. And I know for a fact that it is true, I can be as productive in 6 hours (or even more productive) than in 8h.

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At the time of writing the tweet, Pollen thought he was exaggerating things for comic effect but as you can see, the replies tell a different story. "There was the woman who gave birth on a Thursday and was back at her desk the next Monday. There was the person whose colleague literally had a heart attack in the office, and they sent paperwork to the emergency room for him to sign. And there were people from other countries – India, Israel – who described a work culture just as bad."

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"My favorite story was from someone who visited Italy, and spotted a sign on a sandwich shop: 'It was a nice day so we went out.' That's a sentiment I can get behind," Pollen recalled.

"If you’ve been working through this pandemic you better believe you deserve a break," he added. "I hope you all get one!"

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James016
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People need a healthy work/life balance. I would go mad if every hour was just work.

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James016
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my son was born I took 1 week off as paternity. It was not worth taking the second week off as it would have cost me too much in lost wages and there was no shared parental leave at the time. I booked the week after as paid holiday instead

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you'll still need that second and possibly third job so you don't have to sell your food stamps to pay the rent.

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rspanther
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember when I had that much vacation, I had a union job and had worked there for 20 years.

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Lola
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My boss said we had to give him a vaccine schedule 1-2 weeks in advance just in case you might have to be out. He also suggested to tough it out if you don’t feel well right after.

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Sonja
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah, it is mostly like that. We don't want you to call us on our holiday. If you do and we pick up, you have to be prepared for the fact that we are on holidays, not IN the OFFICE.

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TrickQuestion
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trust me, we'd LOVE more time off. We're just not offered the chance. Workers here are considered replaceable at any time. If we're taking time off we can be fired. We have to have our days off approved most of the time. It's very very frustrating to worry about your job if you want to go to things at your kids school or appointments or have to leave early to take care of an emergency. If you don't have any time off left you're in real danger of disciplinary action.And we don't get much time off.

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only people who think that they are indispensable do that. The majority will tell you that you shouldn't even dare to consider contacting them during their holidays.

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sturmwesen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do this. Call me before a) we lose a customer b) i have to do damage controll afterwards. It works well if your team knows what an emergency is.

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Marianne
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also unlimited sick days. (I was so bewildered to learn that some countries limit them. As if you can decide if you get sick.)

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Kevin Beard
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ouch. Yeah that hits home. I work when sick because I will use all 5 of my "sick" days to take care of my kid through the year.

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