Work life NZ vs USA

[Arty_Az]

lol True for NZ but you forgot the afternoon break too.

[Ronny.]

The reason I stayed in nz is not the pay as it’s not great, it’s the work life balance. Home most evenings in under half an hour

[gissyb]

you forgot afternoon tea time too haha :) i'm so glad to have 4 wks paid leave, 10 days paid sick leave and 7 days paid covid leave.. and 6 mths paid maternity leave, 3 days paid tangi (funeral ) leave when any close relative dies. Its kindness and kiwis would not put up with no leave!

[iceymonster]

Just for some context, the reason the employer wants you to go on paid leave is because minimum requirements is 4 weeks paid annual leave that, if left alone, can accumulate and needs to be paid out in a lump sum if you quit/retire/get fired. So usually when your next set of 4 weeks annual leave is about to tick over, often employers will force you on PTO to use up some of your annual leave as it is technically a liability towards the company (from an accounting point of view). Also with pay rises (if you're lucky enough to get them), then annual leave you have accrued over the years is worth more as it gets paid at your higher pay rate (deliberately overlooking inflation and opportunity costs here for simplicity's sake).

Being forced on annual leave is generally an annoyance for employees rather than a "perk", as you don't really get to choose when to take it. There is a provision in law where, instead of forced PTO, you can request the employer just pays you 1 week worth of annual leave as a lump sum in your next pay, thus lowering their liability, and still allowing you to continue working. Sick leave on the other hand does NOT get paid out to you if you quit/retire/get fired, and has a cap of 20 days - employers actively encourage you to use annual leave instead of sick leave, for that reason.

[Brisa_]

when i visited NZ, I was asked why I was on such a “short vacation” being there a week. I only had 2 PTO days and told them typically Americans do not get more than a paid “1 wk” which is 5 working days a year (job depending ) and maybe after 5 years you earn 2 weeks. Their jaws dropped every time. No wonder they are so nice there !

[kiwitexan]

NZ Expat here. I have PTSD from working in corporate America for 30 years lol. She nailed this! lol

[anovemberstar]

Yep, its good here in NZ - which, like most countries outside of the USA, have employment laws that protect workers. It's literally the law to be given 10 paid sick days a year (which for most jobs, accumulate each year if you dont use them all); 4 weeks paid annual leave, 6 months maternity leave, etc etc. You also get paid 80% of your usual income if you are off work with an injury caused by an accident - if it takes 2, 3, or 6 months to heal, you keep getting paid the 80%, and your job is kept for you. And that's not from insurance of any kind - its government provid

[danielcarroll]

American here who has worked in three other countries. 57 days of leave and a free flight home every year. In another case it was every sixth week off. And I found that Germans worked in the next building, so I regularly joined them for Friday afternoon schnaps.

[dantesempio]

Lol... very true! I'm here in Denver Colorado and my kids lives in NZ they are always on vacation.

[robertdean]

Yeah, that 10:00 am and 3:00 pm tea time with refreshments provided was pretty cool!

[meplife]

I work in Australia and we get tea breaks and holidays too. My workplace doesn't provide anything other than the usual amenities like toilets/toilet paper and paper towels in the kitchen. Years back we used to have a tea club but that was short lived. Everyone either brings their own coffee/tea/milk or they go and buy from local coffee shops. Also we all have different times for tea breaks and lunches.

[moirapennell]

NZ Good - sitting is the new smoking. Health guidelines recommend 3 - 5 minutes non-sitting break every 30 minutes (a short walk) and at least a 15 minute break mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Sitting is now recognised as having many negative health outcomes including an additional risk factor for heart disease. ACC will not be pleased if you do not take breaks and your Health and Safety officer should be insisting on them. In general, too many New Zealanders do not take enough breaks. This is often due to bosses not recognising the positive benefits of break-taking. Also, frequent break taking does not appear to negatively affect overall productivity.

[greggiles]

My work shuts for Four weeks over Xmas. Always plan to buy some snacks for a staff get together. Mellowpuffs always go quickly.

[Justme-sj]

the annual leave (holiday leave) is to be used for rest and recovery to ensure higher productivity where I work in an 8 hour day we have two 10 minute breaks and one 30 minute lunch break - tea coffee and toilet paper are provide most of the staff start at 8am and finish at 4 30pm

[ingridlowrie]

Worked five years in sunny California in a computer software company and could not believe how fewer holidays, sick leave, statutory days American workers get. Thankfully I got 6wks holiday, 2 wks sick leave as I had transferred from Sydney and I had a Kiwi boss. Thanksgiving was chaos as millions dashed to airports for a four day vacation. Crazy.

[SuperTinkerbell]

Haha mum recently got sent and email saying she had too much leave owing and needed to use some. She had 2 overseas holidays last year which apparently wasn't enough time off

[PamelaZKemper]

As an American that dreams of living in beautiful NZ, but not sure how to go about it...this stings. lol. American corporate culture is so soul crushing.

[JohnMehana]

it's awesome ringing up in the morning to the boss and saying " i'm not in 2day". Boss says "annuals?", "sick?", and you say nah i'll take a lieu day or a alt. leave, or a long service the best is LWP "leave without pay. lol.

[jan-willembavinck]

At my work It's not uncommon for people to have a 4, 5 or 6 week holiday, especially when going on overseas trip. And it's all good to leave early or star late for doctors appointment etc..

[silentvoice]

Americans falsely equate looking busy and time at desk with productivity. In reality, productivity is highest in short bursts. Most people would get far more done in a shorter work day woth more breaks.