Perhaps this is a bit unfair of me, but I am really starting to get sick of Australians telling me they are the hardest working people on earth. It'd be one thing if it were true, but I am utterly convinced it is false. Have you, I ask, ever seen an Australian work? I rest my case.
Really, Australians can be quite good at working hard -- very diligent and thorough, even -- but they are incapable of sustaining it after quitting time, which is generally defined as 5 pm, or whenever the boss leaves, whichever comes first. Anyone there till 6 is crusin' for a bruisin' and any hour past 7 clearly indicates a severe case of workaholism. It's less about finishing the work and more about getting out on time. There are things, you see, to do!
And that is all well and good -- the beaches really are lovely here -- but when these same people insist their fellow countrymen are the hardest working in the world, I desperately beg to differ. Quite possibly they outwork the French, but that hardly gives one bragging rights.
Monday, February 15, 2010
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I think if I lived in an Australian climate, I would consider being at work for 8 hours a day some serious commitment. However, I think I would separate work ethic and work commitment. I don't personally know any Australians but if they are giving at least 100% between the hours of, let's say, 9-4:30 they I say that's great. I would say that leaving work at the time you are supposed to maybe doesn't reflect a poor work ethic, or commitment but perhaps a healthy balance between work and pleasure, something that many Americans, with our 1 week of vacation a year, haven't quite gotten to yet. Also, for those on salary you often stop getting paid after 40 hours, so when I was in that situation, I too was shutting down my computer at 4:59.
Cheers!
Gina
But that's just my opinion.
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