No PTO, high burnout: German man’s ‘mind blown’ response to U.S. work culture is going viral

A man from Germany who moved to the U.S. with his American wife faced what he called “work culture shock” from the lack of PTO. In a Reddit post, he complained that he couldn’t find a job that offered any more than two weeks of paid time off and asked why U.S. companies do this to their workers when it hurts productivity.

American commenters had a few explanations for this strange behavior, including shortsightedness among CEOs, a unique culture of miserable work ethic, and a theory that burnt-out workers are less likely to fight for better conditions.

‘It must be out of malice’

On the r/antiwork forum on Reddit, user AcrobaticArrival9168 posted about a specific kind of culture shock he experienced after moving from Germany to the U.S. and trying to find a new job. He quickly found out that the kind of benefits he took for granted in Europe simply don’t exist in America.

“TBH it’s an absolute work culture shock, coming from a work environment of mandatory PTO of 5 – 6 weeks being the norm,” he wrote. “Mandatory sick pay if you work. 35 hour weeks being the norm…to moving to the US and having absolutely none of those ‘perks’ has been mind blowing.”

Six weeks of paid time off is practically unheard of in the U.S., and the OP went on to say that he was having trouble finding a company that offered any PTO at all. His American friends received two weeks at best.

“It just seems unproductive,” he pointed out, “I see a lot of burn out in people’s eyes.”

He concluded the post by asking U.S. residents why they think American employers treat their workers this way when the evidence suggests that overwork causes productivity to plummet, erasing any profits made by forcing people to toil year-round for 40 hours per week or more.

“If it’s truly about profits for shareholders and its been proven that rested and contented workers are more productive, then why don’t American CEOS adopt the European paid time off model?” he asked, “My only thoughts are if they know it’s unproductive and do it anyway, it must be out of malice.”

‘It’s about power and control’

Some Reddit commenters agreed that malice was a part of it, but others had alternate theories. User Edymnion wrote on the idea that many Americans CEOs and shareholders are out for short-term gains rather than long-term stability.

“Because over here there’s a saying, ‘Penny Wise, Dollar Dumb,’” they said. “It basically means many companies take short term cost cutting plans that hurt them in the long run.”

“Usually because the corporate culture means that by the time the larger price needs to be paid, the guy that instituted the policy has already gotten their huge bonus for saving money in the short term and moved on to another job. The new guy comes in, blames all the world’s woes on the last guy, and the cycle repeats.”

Others pointed to a specific type of attitude about work that traces back to the country’s founding by people who thought that working all the time kept you from doing evil deeds, and fun was the tool of the devil.

“The Protestant work ethic goes hand in hand with rugged capitalism,” wrote dancingfirebird. “It’s foundational to our country’s history.”

Some Reddit users expanded on the idea of employer malice, theorizing that the poor treatment of the American workers is less about causing suffering for its own sake and more about keeping most of the money in the pockets of the few.

“The cruelty is the point, certainly,” Electrical-Dig8570 agreed. “But another important factor to consider is that if Americans aren’t constantly exhausted and broke, then who knows what other things—like universal healthcare—we might be tempted to ask for?”

What is wrong with American work culture?

According to data gathered by Forbes, 28 million U.S. workers get no paid vacations or holidays, and close to one-third of all employed residents have no PTO. Of those who do, over half report working during their paid time off.

On average, and with high variability, American companies give workers 11 paid days off per year and just eight days of sick leave. In contrast, German law requires that employers grant most citizens at least 20 paid days off per year or 24 for a six-day work week after six months of employment. There are also between 10 and 13 paid holidays and six weeks of paid sick leave each time a worker falls ill.

The author of this Reddit post is correct that studies have found overwork responsible for lowering productivity and reducing long-term profits in multiple ways. Stressed workers get sick more often, get less sleep, and are more likely to make mistakes. High turnover is also highly inefficient, as the OP found out himself in the worst way.

“I’ve worked for 3 companies since I came to the US and the retention is very bad,” he said in a response to a comment. “People are leaving and after a short time, the Firms are constantly hiring and training, the cost of re-training all seems pointless.”

“A work collegue [sic] committed suicide last year, and his job was filled the next day by someone already doing the job of 2 people in another department.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to AcrobaticArrival9168 for comment via Reddit.

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