“From Russia With Love:” Shocked About Working Conditions In The USA, Person Lists What It’s Like In Russia
r/AntiWork introduces itself as a subreddit for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, or simply want more information on anti-work ideas and personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.
It was created in 2013 but has become especially popular in recent months during the Great Resignation. We at Bored Panda have also covered some of its posts that touch upon important topics such as salary negotiation or getting overworked.
Just a few days ago, a member of this online community who goes by the nickname u/SlowFlash420, came forward saying that reading these stories made them think that even their “mafia-run” and “kleptocratic” home country has better working conditions than in many places in the US. Here’s why.
Image credits: Bernie Almanzar (not the actual photo)
Americans aren’t psyched about things in their country too. Only 32 percent of workers polled in August 2021 said they were “completely satisfied” with the amount of on-the-job stress they face, down from 35 percent who reported feeling totally fine with their levels of stress in 2020, according to a survey by Gallup.
Other factors like promotion opportunities and salaries also received lower marks than in the recent past. Only 42 percent of workers expressed “complete satisfaction” with their career opportunities and only 38 percent were satisfied by their pay. Less than 50 percent of workers were also completely satisfied with the health insurance offered by their employers.
Interestingly, the data shows that time off and workplace safety did not contribute to workplace stress in a meaningful way. In other words, you can’t just throw vacation time at employees and expect them to be happy.
The Labor Department reported that 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September. That number surpassed August’s roughly 4.3 million and hiked the quits rate as a percentage of the labor force to 3%, also a record.
All this job movement has employers scrambling to respond to the rapidly evolving expectations of their workers. They say they’re listening and, in many cases, are offering employees vastly different ways of working. But at the same time, many executives are running their companies with the quiet hope that things will eventually go back to some version of the way they were pre-pandemic.
People appreciated the input
But some folks reminded that Russia is very far from perfect as well
There's not much left to be said. Some call it US bashing, some call it rubbing faces in cold hard facts. It's just sad that the US citizens who really want changes for the better are held back by idiots who will claim that this is just Russian propaganda because socialism is BAD, communism is even worse and America is the GREATEST nation in the world. You just have to work hard and stop indulging yourself with Vanilla Lattes, Avocado on toast and candlelit dinners at fancy restaurants and you'll be successful and rich too.
I live in poor, mostly hated country who is also "mafia run" and kleptocratic, and salaries are not great let me tell you. But we mostly do have 20 to 25 working days of Vacation a year, a mostly women are allowed to get 1 year after birth to be with child, although some employers find the way to make them lose their jobs but that shouldn't happen. Still, this country is a mess. As for USA I have no idea, I know only what I see on tv. Very high rents, medical bills up to the sky, low number of vacation days per year, and a large number of overtime hours. If that is not true, why is it shown in every tv show or movie? It's like they teach people they should live for and on work and coworkers are "family". Work is a must, but you need to have personal life too.
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"Everybody thinks they are temporarily embaressed millionaires" THIS! This is where a lot of americans get hardcore brainwashed into. What a living dystopia.
No, we don't. But that idea certainly seems pervasive. As if it really is "that easy". it's a fun way for the 1% to convince the rest that really, the 1% is on their side. Which is utter BS, but for some reason, magical thinking tends to be difficult to dislodge.
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Americans have been brainwashed into sheer terror. To fight for any labor rights is communism and result in all jobs vanishing off the face of the Earth. But if you work hard enough for long enough you might one day get treated as human. I am sick of this argument that low regulations and workers rights protect jobs. What kind of jobs are we protecting! Jobs that can't feed us, don't shelter us, don't provide health insurance? Jobs that we then say are for teenagers and not meant for working adults. America needs to demand jobs with dignity because we all see the wealth in America and we all know that it doesn't trickle down. If Bezos can go to space, he can afford to let people have real bathroom breaks and vacation.
The person comparing salaries in Russia and Canada doesn't really undrerstand the cost of living, do they?
Well, interesting fact is that the cost of living is comparable in Russia's big cities and first world countries. Food and other basic items cost more or less the same (especially if you prefer real food, not substitutes). Gadgets, home appliances and cars of comparable quality often cost even more, since the are mostly imported. What could be cheaper is fuel and utilities, they are mostly subsidized by government. Rent can be cheaper, but mortgage rates are very high, and overall standards of living are low. So $300 per month hardly make a living, more like survival, especially with today's prices.
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the guy doesnt say Russia is perfect. He basically says that EVEN such a corrupted country as Russia has better working conditions than US. He is saying it as an eye opener. Every countru has their problems but at least tgey have better working conditions tgan USA
America 100000000000% is the dumbest country on the planet. It is like eating a s**t sandwich and wholeheartedly believing that you just ate the most expensive food in the world. Living in America is living in a cult... I mean come on, who the hell stands every morning for the National Anthem at school? EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. America = Cult.
The "American Dream" is a delusion that many foreigners (even from other rich countries) fall in love with until they realize how hard and expensive it is to live and work there. They tend to think they are the land of the free, but as a Canadian, I know that I am freer.
I'm in the exact same position as the Austrian who commented back to the OP that he came to USA for a better life and is now trapped here. Ditto buddy, I'd even considered the same thing of asking the embassy to deport me back to London, but I'm from scotland and don't know anyone in england, so i'd be homeless. Every step I take forward, some tax return or medical debt or urgent dental care wipes out everything I have and puts me 5 steps back. This place is a nightmare unless you're rich.
First of all... please... most if not all countries, the whole world is “mafia-run” and “kleptocratic”. That's the fact, Russia is just not trying to cover that fact. The world is not fair anywhere. Second, I love "Superstore" and I watch it on Netflix and I have no idea how factual this show is, but when Amy was brought back to work right after she birthed a child I was horrified! It's a comedy yet it seems they are vastly underpaid and I had given birth, let me tell you, it would be inhumane to get woman to work after that!
About the same on Poland. Only better. Employer are obliged to pay you 80% sick leave no matter if you work over week or 20 years. When i read about USA i find that county completely f****d up.
Young people seem to think this is some new and novel idea. We tried this stuff in America is the last century - labor unions won ever greater salaries, benefits, and working conditions for workers. Voila Utopia! Of course, then what happened? Ever hear of the 1970s and 80s and the push for globalism. All those great manufacturing jobs got outsourced to places like China and Mexico and we were left with double-digit unemployment. I have worked in manufacturing for over 35 years. Most of the work I used to do is gone. 90% of my co-workers are gone. Sure, let's see if we can get that last 10% to disappear too. Won't matter to me much; I'll be retired in a year or two anyway. I wish good luck to the rest of you finding such a job.
"Everybody thinks they are temporarily embarrassed millionaires" Here is the crux of the problem. The reason marginal tax rates are discussed as if they affected more than 1% of the population is because, of those that understand what a "Marginal tax rate is" and there aren't many, think that eventually it's going to apply to them. That's pretty much like fighting for pay raises for NBA players thinking that one day, you troo, will be able to shoot hoops for a living.
That, or a similar set of rules and dibs, is what every country truly engaging in the process of civilization - or even just barely joining - has. The US have opted out, it just isn't all dripped off yet. It may be a cycle - once, your rights seem secure and stuff, people stop joining unions, therefore weakening their strongest voice, therefore weakening every single point they have or may be gonna have. Then, things are effed up, but you don't see many people joining a union in, say, germany. The moment I had a true job, I joined the according union. Also - just being a member can get you massive help in lawsuits with companies, in case your point is valid, but the company would be able to outfinance you by endlessly prolonging the case. Not so if you're in a union! JOIN UNIONS. DAMNED! It's not that hard. It costs next to nothing, often like 1 % gross or so ... how many % have they got us?
Can't speak on the other points one of the responders made except that many U.S citizens work two or three jobs as well, so that's not really a unique point for Russia.
Too many of us in American buy into the cult of "self-reliance" to join a union. If you can't stand on your own two feet & get a fair deal from a huge mega-corporation, you're just weak. Also, being able to tolerate a shitty situation is considered a personal strength by a lot of people.
and then comes India, I work 361 days a year with no week off, paid leaves or anything else, timing 9:30 am to 7:00 pm, if I take a single day leave it will be deducted from salary even when my Dad died I got half my salary, but I can't do anything because jobs are less and I have to feed my family somehow and govt. is corrupt they just want a little bribe and these businesses can do anything they want.
I work temp jobs in the US, which means I never get any paid vacation time, ever. I "vacation" whenever I get laid off.
As I read this I think about how I could likely shut down my workplace if I called osha
Very cool. Russia like many countries has a lot wrong and quite a bit right. Good for their workers.
Labor Laws in the US are insufficient to protect workers, but the poster in the article who said that the US does not have a tradition of organizing for better working conditions may not live in the US, or may be very young and have never taken a history class. Where do they think the weekend comes from? Have they heard of Joe Hill or Dolores Huerta? The Hollywood writers’ strike that led to the rise of reality TV? Cesar Chavez Day is a federal holiday for goodness’ sake.
Exactly what I thought Katchen. There was a vigorous labour movement in America, but it has been supressed every decade on decade by those in power.
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Some of these comments, wow. "No tradition of workers organizing or protesting for better working conditions.." lol. I enjoy BP, but the way it goes so far in on America hate is amazing. This one props up Russia as a comparison?! That's intellectually foolish but many here eat it up. It's be nice if there were a non politized version of BP.
No propping up Russia. They are saying that even a corrupt, poor country like Russia has some basic worker protections that we don't in the US. It's not just the rich, capitalistic, democratic countries in Europe that have these protections and benefits. It's workers in the corrupt country of Russia where people are lacking in many freedoms.
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The counter arguments are the most valid part of this. Let's face it, not many people would take the chance of moving to Russia, would they? I don't think Russians are the happiest people around.
Nobody was saying Russia is so great. What they are saying is even a hellhole like Russia does better at protecting workers and providing benefits than the US.
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There's one thing behind all this: all those rights are granted by government only, and they are a kind of heritage from soviet government who pretended to build a people's country. But there is no public organization with real influence that could back up workers' rights. Rather small part of russian workers are unionized, and most unions are managements' puppets. They congratulate you on your kid's birthday, but won't help you in a conflict with managers, that's why people actually have to go to labour inspection. And if those Forbes faces decide they want to cut all those benefits, government will very likely do it, like they are doing it with pensions and retirement age now.
And at the same time they have to remember last time wealthy and powerful was exploiting to much, they all ended before firing squads
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Even before the counter-argument points, I was 🤨 because there was both a *ton* of obvious caveats (ex. the Ruble-to-Dollar conversion which is just .14 cents to a USD) and obviously, I'm *Black*.
Yes, because we all hope if enough people come to understand this in the US, they can stand up and fix their country. It's a shame to see them like this.
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Ah, how I missed the old BP BS. Goodbye for good BP, you are just too full of s**t.
Workers' rights on paper versus reality. Also, go ahead. Try that "bottle of urine" thrown at a boss. LOL. Sure, you can do that. It won't go viral. You'll get the sh*t kicked out of you, and fired. So, please, deep breaths, remember that Tsar Vlad wants the US to be its own worst enemy (and has waged a long, sadly successful campaign to make it so), and remember that elections in Russia are even more predetermined than those in the US. How long has Vlad been "elected" now? ....
That's the just thing, OP says even a s**t country like Russia has better working conditions than the US. I'm also from a crappy post-communist country and we have all these benefits/protections and more. It's mystery to people like us why US workers put up with this instead of unionizing.
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Putin... is not a communist, lol. Not even close. There's no such thing as authoritarian communism, the closest you could get would be Leninism, which doesn't work well, and which Putin isn't either. The issue with authoritarianizing collectivist systems is that they start drifting towards the economic right (private ownership; as the goverment owns the MOP and the government in these cases is usually private/disconnected). Putin's just a generic run-of-the-mill capitalist who commits regular fraud and wants to consolidate his power. He doesn't care about worker's rights, just his own success.
Load More Replies... There's not much left to be said. Some call it US bashing, some call it rubbing faces in cold hard facts. It's just sad that the US citizens who really want changes for the better are held back by idiots who will claim that this is just Russian propaganda because socialism is BAD, communism is even worse and America is the GREATEST nation in the world. You just have to work hard and stop indulging yourself with Vanilla Lattes, Avocado on toast and candlelit dinners at fancy restaurants and you'll be successful and rich too.
I live in poor, mostly hated country who is also "mafia run" and kleptocratic, and salaries are not great let me tell you. But we mostly do have 20 to 25 working days of Vacation a year, a mostly women are allowed to get 1 year after birth to be with child, although some employers find the way to make them lose their jobs but that shouldn't happen. Still, this country is a mess. As for USA I have no idea, I know only what I see on tv. Very high rents, medical bills up to the sky, low number of vacation days per year, and a large number of overtime hours. If that is not true, why is it shown in every tv show or movie? It's like they teach people they should live for and on work and coworkers are "family". Work is a must, but you need to have personal life too.
Load More Replies... "Everybody thinks they are temporarily embaressed millionaires" THIS! This is where a lot of americans get hardcore brainwashed into. What a living dystopia.
No, we don't. But that idea certainly seems pervasive. As if it really is "that easy". it's a fun way for the 1% to convince the rest that really, the 1% is on their side. Which is utter BS, but for some reason, magical thinking tends to be difficult to dislodge.
Load More Replies... Americans have been brainwashed into sheer terror. To fight for any labor rights is communism and result in all jobs vanishing off the face of the Earth. But if you work hard enough for long enough you might one day get treated as human. I am sick of this argument that low regulations and workers rights protect jobs. What kind of jobs are we protecting! Jobs that can't feed us, don't shelter us, don't provide health insurance? Jobs that we then say are for teenagers and not meant for working adults. America needs to demand jobs with dignity because we all see the wealth in America and we all know that it doesn't trickle down. If Bezos can go to space, he can afford to let people have real bathroom breaks and vacation.
The person comparing salaries in Russia and Canada doesn't really undrerstand the cost of living, do they?
Well, interesting fact is that the cost of living is comparable in Russia's big cities and first world countries. Food and other basic items cost more or less the same (especially if you prefer real food, not substitutes). Gadgets, home appliances and cars of comparable quality often cost even more, since the are mostly imported. What could be cheaper is fuel and utilities, they are mostly subsidized by government. Rent can be cheaper, but mortgage rates are very high, and overall standards of living are low. So $300 per month hardly make a living, more like survival, especially with today's prices.
Load More Replies... the guy doesnt say Russia is perfect. He basically says that EVEN such a corrupted country as Russia has better working conditions than US. He is saying it as an eye opener. Every countru has their problems but at least tgey have better working conditions tgan USA
America 100000000000% is the dumbest country on the planet. It is like eating a s**t sandwich and wholeheartedly believing that you just ate the most expensive food in the world. Living in America is living in a cult... I mean come on, who the hell stands every morning for the National Anthem at school? EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. America = Cult.
The "American Dream" is a delusion that many foreigners (even from other rich countries) fall in love with until they realize how hard and expensive it is to live and work there. They tend to think they are the land of the free, but as a Canadian, I know that I am freer.
I'm in the exact same position as the Austrian who commented back to the OP that he came to USA for a better life and is now trapped here. Ditto buddy, I'd even considered the same thing of asking the embassy to deport me back to London, but I'm from scotland and don't know anyone in england, so i'd be homeless. Every step I take forward, some tax return or medical debt or urgent dental care wipes out everything I have and puts me 5 steps back. This place is a nightmare unless you're rich.
First of all... please... most if not all countries, the whole world is “mafia-run” and “kleptocratic”. That's the fact, Russia is just not trying to cover that fact. The world is not fair anywhere. Second, I love "Superstore" and I watch it on Netflix and I have no idea how factual this show is, but when Amy was brought back to work right after she birthed a child I was horrified! It's a comedy yet it seems they are vastly underpaid and I had given birth, let me tell you, it would be inhumane to get woman to work after that!
About the same on Poland. Only better. Employer are obliged to pay you 80% sick leave no matter if you work over week or 20 years. When i read about USA i find that county completely f****d up.
Young people seem to think this is some new and novel idea. We tried this stuff in America is the last century - labor unions won ever greater salaries, benefits, and working conditions for workers. Voila Utopia! Of course, then what happened? Ever hear of the 1970s and 80s and the push for globalism. All those great manufacturing jobs got outsourced to places like China and Mexico and we were left with double-digit unemployment. I have worked in manufacturing for over 35 years. Most of the work I used to do is gone. 90% of my co-workers are gone. Sure, let's see if we can get that last 10% to disappear too. Won't matter to me much; I'll be retired in a year or two anyway. I wish good luck to the rest of you finding such a job.
"Everybody thinks they are temporarily embarrassed millionaires" Here is the crux of the problem. The reason marginal tax rates are discussed as if they affected more than 1% of the population is because, of those that understand what a "Marginal tax rate is" and there aren't many, think that eventually it's going to apply to them. That's pretty much like fighting for pay raises for NBA players thinking that one day, you troo, will be able to shoot hoops for a living.
That, or a similar set of rules and dibs, is what every country truly engaging in the process of civilization - or even just barely joining - has. The US have opted out, it just isn't all dripped off yet. It may be a cycle - once, your rights seem secure and stuff, people stop joining unions, therefore weakening their strongest voice, therefore weakening every single point they have or may be gonna have. Then, things are effed up, but you don't see many people joining a union in, say, germany. The moment I had a true job, I joined the according union. Also - just being a member can get you massive help in lawsuits with companies, in case your point is valid, but the company would be able to outfinance you by endlessly prolonging the case. Not so if you're in a union! JOIN UNIONS. DAMNED! It's not that hard. It costs next to nothing, often like 1 % gross or so ... how many % have they got us?
Can't speak on the other points one of the responders made except that many U.S citizens work two or three jobs as well, so that's not really a unique point for Russia.
Too many of us in American buy into the cult of "self-reliance" to join a union. If you can't stand on your own two feet & get a fair deal from a huge mega-corporation, you're just weak. Also, being able to tolerate a shitty situation is considered a personal strength by a lot of people.
and then comes India, I work 361 days a year with no week off, paid leaves or anything else, timing 9:30 am to 7:00 pm, if I take a single day leave it will be deducted from salary even when my Dad died I got half my salary, but I can't do anything because jobs are less and I have to feed my family somehow and govt. is corrupt they just want a little bribe and these businesses can do anything they want.
I work temp jobs in the US, which means I never get any paid vacation time, ever. I "vacation" whenever I get laid off.
As I read this I think about how I could likely shut down my workplace if I called osha
Very cool. Russia like many countries has a lot wrong and quite a bit right. Good for their workers.
Labor Laws in the US are insufficient to protect workers, but the poster in the article who said that the US does not have a tradition of organizing for better working conditions may not live in the US, or may be very young and have never taken a history class. Where do they think the weekend comes from? Have they heard of Joe Hill or Dolores Huerta? The Hollywood writers’ strike that led to the rise of reality TV? Cesar Chavez Day is a federal holiday for goodness’ sake.
Exactly what I thought Katchen. There was a vigorous labour movement in America, but it has been supressed every decade on decade by those in power.
Load More Replies... Some of these comments, wow. "No tradition of workers organizing or protesting for better working conditions.." lol. I enjoy BP, but the way it goes so far in on America hate is amazing. This one props up Russia as a comparison?! That's intellectually foolish but many here eat it up. It's be nice if there were a non politized version of BP.
No propping up Russia. They are saying that even a corrupt, poor country like Russia has some basic worker protections that we don't in the US. It's not just the rich, capitalistic, democratic countries in Europe that have these protections and benefits. It's workers in the corrupt country of Russia where people are lacking in many freedoms.
Load More Replies... The counter arguments are the most valid part of this. Let's face it, not many people would take the chance of moving to Russia, would they? I don't think Russians are the happiest people around.
Nobody was saying Russia is so great. What they are saying is even a hellhole like Russia does better at protecting workers and providing benefits than the US.
Load More Replies... There's one thing behind all this: all those rights are granted by government only, and they are a kind of heritage from soviet government who pretended to build a people's country. But there is no public organization with real influence that could back up workers' rights. Rather small part of russian workers are unionized, and most unions are managements' puppets. They congratulate you on your kid's birthday, but won't help you in a conflict with managers, that's why people actually have to go to labour inspection. And if those Forbes faces decide they want to cut all those benefits, government will very likely do it, like they are doing it with pensions and retirement age now.
And at the same time they have to remember last time wealthy and powerful was exploiting to much, they all ended before firing squads
Load More Replies... Even before the counter-argument points, I was 🤨 because there was both a *ton* of obvious caveats (ex. the Ruble-to-Dollar conversion which is just .14 cents to a USD) and obviously, I'm *Black*.
Yes, because we all hope if enough people come to understand this in the US, they can stand up and fix their country. It's a shame to see them like this.
Load More Replies... Ah, how I missed the old BP BS. Goodbye for good BP, you are just too full of s**t.
Workers' rights on paper versus reality. Also, go ahead. Try that "bottle of urine" thrown at a boss. LOL. Sure, you can do that. It won't go viral. You'll get the sh*t kicked out of you, and fired. So, please, deep breaths, remember that Tsar Vlad wants the US to be its own worst enemy (and has waged a long, sadly successful campaign to make it so), and remember that elections in Russia are even more predetermined than those in the US. How long has Vlad been "elected" now? ....
That's the just thing, OP says even a s**t country like Russia has better working conditions than the US. I'm also from a crappy post-communist country and we have all these benefits/protections and more. It's mystery to people like us why US workers put up with this instead of unionizing.
Load More Replies... Putin... is not a communist, lol. Not even close. There's no such thing as authoritarian communism, the closest you could get would be Leninism, which doesn't work well, and which Putin isn't either. The issue with authoritarianizing collectivist systems is that they start drifting towards the economic right (private ownership; as the goverment owns the MOP and the government in these cases is usually private/disconnected). Putin's just a generic run-of-the-mill capitalist who commits regular fraud and wants to consolidate his power. He doesn't care about worker's rights, just his own success.
Load More Replies...
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