I remember someone doing a study on the different pandemic responses between countries, and one of the reasons they gave for Australia's generally higher compliance was that in the USA they value Freedom above all, while here in Australia we value Fairness above (as a general cultural belief).

MistaCharisma , Önder Örtel Report

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I've found the English professionals who migrate here are also the same, particularly from the bigger cities. Work, work, work. When do you get to enjoy actually living in Australia if you live to work? I’ve been called lazy for making this observation. I will always defend my right to have a work life-balance. I’m not buying into the idea that I have to prove myself to an organisation or company by working 12–14 hour days, it’s nonsense. And funnily enough, I'm doing just fine in terms of career opportunities.

AnythingWithGloves , Pablo Manriquez Report

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Americans got duped into believing that anybody can be rich with hard work. I don’t know what part of American culture or politics started this, but I’d wager it stems from the one cultural element that is uniquely American. That is, the 'I got mine' rabid individualism mentality. It’s led to Americans being one of the most stubborn groups of people whose self/worth has been forever tied to the notion of success.

curlybamboo1992 , Emre Alırız Report

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Hard work is unevenly distributed across our society, but fundamentally we are (thankfully) lacking the shark tank, win at all costs, look after myself only, ethic that permeates American working life. I think that cutthroat work environment is born of a lack of social safety net, at will employment contracts and the absurdity of having your health insurance tied to your employer.

I pray we never become like them.

Single-Incident5066 , Ant Rozetsky Report

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I'd thank Australian unions for our situation compared to the Americans.

blarghsplat , United Workers Report

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We have a safety net in Australia if we become unemployed. We have medical care if we become ill. We don’t need to sell our souls. That being said, I’m originally from England and miss the labor laws of the UK for many reasons. Even casual workers get sick pack and holiday pay and that should be the case here too.

Jenny Lodge , Avi Richards Report

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My guess is because quality of life here is good enough without having to have the best of everything.

Yeah I talk about how nice it would be to have X and Y all the time but unless I end up winning the lotto and can get it 'easy' that way then it's not worth working myself to death for it when what I have will do for now. I'd rather have free time than anything an additional 10 hours of work each week would be able to buy me anyway unless I was making $50+ per hour.

Chromattix , Juhan Sonin Report

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Worked for an Australian company in the US when I was pregnant with my first kid. They gave me 12 weeks of maternity leave at 100% of my salary and up to a full year after that with no pay (and were really confused when I was so excited at "all the time" they gave me those 12 weeks).

Lara Reimer , Ömürden Cengiz Report

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I worked in the USA for a bit. I was amazed just how long everyone hung around at work for. Like, they weren't actually working the whole time, just a lot of chatting, eating, coffee and various other time-wasting activities. Not uncommon for people to spend over 10 hours a day in the office, then go out to dinner with colleagues afterwards.

ProceedOrRun , Proxyclick Visitor Management System Report

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I think workforces have more power. It's passé to admit this now, but unions make a difference. Even if you aren't in a unionised industry, the fact that they're around mean your alternatives are not that bad. If your opportunity costs of more leisure is low, guess what, you'll take more leisure and so will everyone else.

Dontblowitup , Pamela Schreckengost Report

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Speaking for Americans I can say for a fact that we are a "live to work" society, we take pride in picking up all of the extra hours that we can. The chase for the extra money never ends. If you don't like picking up extra hours, you're seen as lazy. This impacts people's physical and mental health because they're pushing themselves past their limits.

moviessoccerbeer , Microsoft 365 Report

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We've been lucky, so far, in keeping working conditions against constant attacks from corporate interests. Similarly, things like the PBS, Medicare, paternity leave — those are all deeply-hated by the right. It helps that we’re smaller with preferential, compulsory voting in the lower house and a senate that blocks anything that doesn’t have consensus.

Cyclcanb , Harold Mendoza Report

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As an American living down under, please don't be like America. I know many people say it on the community forms and I hope that spirit stays. My life is 1000% better here and I do not take living here for granted.

Fallingdown4ever , Samuel Branch Report

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In the US you have to sell your soul to make a living in a mostly hostile work environment. No one cares about you much less that you have a family.

Neko Roy , Celyn Kang Report

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I think there are lots of great answers to this question, but there are two that come to mind. In the US there is the concept of 1) keeping up with the Jonses and 2) the American Dream.

Starting with the American Dream, Americans are taught to believe that with enough hard work everyone and anyone can make it, be rich and live the good life. This is one of the greatest cons of all time, but I think it creates this concept of if you work hard enough eventually you'll get to a place where you can 'live' and so you keep going...which brings us to the keeping up with the Jonses. You get to the 'live' part when you are better than your neighbor. When you have the better car, better house, better clothes, are skinnier, prettier, fitter, more handsome than the person next to you then you can stop and enjoy the spoils of your hard work and 'live'. Well, that never happens because there is always someone who is bigger and better and richer...and so the mentality is to keep working so you can get there...and so it continues...

One other point is that working yourself to the ground and being time poor is a badge of honor in the US. There is a competition to see who is busiest as well.

There was a car ad a few years ago that perfectly exemplified, this but I can't find it...it basically was selling this idea that if you are time poor, work crazy hours and have this awesome car and this awesome house, then you've made it.

Just a very different way of thinking.

mmohaje , Zachary Keimig Report

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Modern Australia was established to be the 'Working Man's Paradise' on the back of a strong union movement. That ethos has remained somewhat and hasn't completely been destroyed by neo-liberalism yet.

asupify , Joey Csunyo Report

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I like my job well enough (outside of annoying office stuff) and I like earning money. But if I didn’t need the money I wouldn’t be ‘working’ for it anywhere. I would love to spend the time with my family instead and I would likely volunteer in a field that interests me. I was discussing this with someone and they could not get their head around it. I think they are on the path of looking for promotions, looking for more money etc.

drinkingteatillidie , Juan Cruz Mountfor Report

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It's depressing. Thinking of a life of nine-to-five makes me feel physically ill. Life is so short, why do we waste it at work and accept it?

Manfromsnives , Jose Losada Report

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I follow the antiwork subreddit. I honestly feel disgusted at the typical North American work practices and what’s acceptable over there.

America pays extremely well in certain sectors and job titles.

But the majority of American jobs, including white collar jobs, pay FAR less than what us Australians make. When I moved there I was offered over 4 senior level jobs. Each paying 15k to 25k less than what I was earning in Australia for a non senior level role.

Cost of living was about the same as well.

smarthandsomehumble , Nathan Dumlao Report

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White collar workers, especially in the private sector, are statistically working very long hours in Australia. We do have a bit of an international reputation for it too as you say. Even little stuff like Europeans take a break for lunch and we stuff down half a sandwich over our keyboard.

But one key difference seems to be that in the US, that kind of 'rise and grind', climb the corporate ladder mentality seems to have permeated all types of work. You see people who work in Amazon warehouses and Maccas kitchens who talk like if they just work harder they'll be Bezos one day. I don't think we have sunk to that level quite yet (though we might).

fibretothenope , Ali Morshedlou Report

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Doesn't working in the US basically mean you can be fired for being sick or taking annual leave? I mean that's definitely the impression the rest of the world gets.
I got 26 weeks of paid maternity leave and 12 more unpaid. Went back into my job and they've been great, which I understand is unheard of in the US.

Suzy Cantrell , Annie Spratt Report

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Some personal observations about difference in work culture between the USA & Australia.

Go out for business lunch in the US and conversation jumps straight to business. Time is money.

In Oz, it's considered very bad manners to 'sell' over lunch. Instead, talk sport. Bonus points: have a funny story or joke to share.

In the US fearlessly sell your value, accomplishments & reputation.

In Oz, the tall poppy syndrome is alive and well so avoid 'bragging' to avoid being seen as a wanker.

KimLMcAuliffe , Alan Kotok Report

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Jack being as good as his master is a concept endemic to the Australian society - we laughed the idea of an aristocracy into non-existence.

Someone being better off than you doesn’t make them better than you.

It comes in large part from our convict origins where they had to be treated as humans for Australia to work as a society - it was realized almost immediately that convicts needed rights, like being able to sue ship captains for mistreatment or theft of belongings (which shocked the English) or we wouldn’t survive.

The negative of that view shows up in tall poppy treatment.

TheBerethian , Luis Villasmil Report

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I’ve lived in the United States for almost five years now and the difference between how we Australians think of work and life and Americans has been really stark. Luckily I’m in California which is the most progressive about work life balance but honestly the way it’s all done here is just completely set up to make people fail in life.

MissMirandaClass , Maarten van den Heuvel Report

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Australia's climate is more akin to the Mediterranean than England or America. We literally lived off the land for over a century and its a pretty harsh environment. Surviving down here means taking it easy. My bet is it has something to do with that.

level 1 FrankMaison , Manuel Meurisse Report

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It seems that customer service workers in America get paid all, while their supervisor gets a load more. So they’re far more likely to step on each other to climb that ladder. We don’t really have such a massive pay difference here (until you get to corporate upper management, but that’s another planet altogether).

Lucifang , Mathieu Stern Report

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I have worked for an American company before. Their attitude to work is fascinating and, I think, driven by the fear that at any moment they could be turfed out and have no safety net. That said, Americans pay well (once past the low levels of the organisation) and many of them seem to be very cheery in the face of what I think are quite toxic workplaces.

Single-Incident5066 , anjanettew Report

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There is a lot of quality leisure options in the main big cities and a culture of enjoying life and work hard but smart.

There are people that live to work but it is not so common. People here are also money obsessed, but the way to get extra income is mainly investing in real state, stocks or crypto, or take on a few extra casual jobs here and there temporarily, while not neglecting hobbies, family and friends.

The support net for the residents and citizens with least resources also helps with giving a sense of security that keeps the fear of going bankrupt by life events away.

Plus a very important factor: After mining, Australia lives off immigration: students to fuel the education business and rent apartments, who are also a critical source of workers for jobs that require none to low qualifications; skilled workers that fill in the gaps for highly specialised and knowledge demanding jobs; working holiday visa holders who travel across the country and make up a large proportion of our farming workforce. We need to treat these people right or they will go else where.

RelativelyWell , Katie Moum Report

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What you see in the US, where people's every waking moment is geared towards their work. Socializing? That's networking time where you can be lining up a better job. Overtime? That's just extra hours to get work done on the project.

It's the biggest difference I noticed between Australians and Americans when I worked in the US for a few years. Also one of the primary reasons I came back.

theronthedottedline , Marvin Meyer Report

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American business is so competitive. There are these enormous pots of gold everywhere and a culture around competing for them.

Then there’s the problem in America where unsustainable business models start all the time. Take uber for example, the business model will only work when self driving cars exist. They’ve never had a profitable year and most likely won’t until they have a fleet of job destroying self driving vehicles.

What’s the point of me bringing this up? When everything is so ruthlessly competitive, and you have these winner take all type scenarios, you breed insanity. Jeff Bezos’ “work life harmony”, for example.

Honestly, I think the best option for people is to live in Europe or Australia and invest in American businesses. Because that cutthroat, extremely competitive environment does generate great investment returns.

PaperCollectorX , Sean Pollock Report

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