As an Englishman in the UK the more I learn about the employment and health systems in the USA I do wonder how they can act like the pinnacle of western civilization. We have some MAJOR problems in the UK but I could never see myself living in the US with how they treat their own people as a resource rather than people.
I get 35 paid days leave a year that I can take whenever, the only stipulation is I am not off for more than 21 days in 1 go. For a country that considers itself 'free' America has a long way to go!
In the UK at least, there used to be regulations (whether they still exist I've no idea) that if you worked for a financial institution of any sort, you were required to take at least 1 two-week holiday. The theory behind it was that if you were off that long your work would get parcelled out to other employees and if you were somehow fiddling the books then you were more likely to get caught.
@@cornishmaid9138 Agency workers and zero hour contracts are not quite the same thing. I was an IT contractor for many years and my contracts always stated that I had so many hours a week, always above 35 but varied from company to company. However as a contractor, even on high pay rates, I had to sort out holiday pay/sick pay myself out of what I was paid. As well as both ers and ees NI and all of PAYE. IR35 has screwed that up big time though. Zero hours contracts are different in that these are people who are directly employed by the company, but are not guaranteed any work.
I moved to the UK two years ago, I'm still getting blown about by culture shock. Mostly recently, I started a new job and got COVID on the 2nd day of training. I was terrified, made me even sicker thinking about having to tell my boss that I tested positive for COVID and that I felt like I was getting thrown against a wall over and over again. Turns out, they were fine with it. Told me to go rest, and that we'd pick up training again after I felt better. Absolutely stunned me.
@@ATOMiiCChicken I called in sick new years day sounding perfectly fine and they didnt bat an eye. They prolly thought I was most likely hungover of course, but I genuinely always get sick on new years because I just visited all my friends and family over christmas, so will have picked up all sorts of viruses while travelling.
We don't want you to spread your sickness into the workplace. If everyone gets sick then nothing will get done. So please, do stay home and don't give your bug to us.
@@pennyaccleton6227 yeah that's the general mindset we have towards sickness. Stay home and rest so we don't get your illness and you can heal and get back to work faster, a sick employee is an inefficient one and if you don't rest you'll be sick longer.
Don't forget these rights where hard fought for by our Grandparents and Great Grandparents, by being unionised and organised! Not just given to us by Goverment and nice bosses.
In the UK, 20 years ago, when my mother died suddenly, my manager saw my face as I received the phone call. Immediately, she stopped the call she was on and came and put her arms around me while I cried. She then got a colleague to drive me home to be with my family. They even got someone to drive my car to my house at the end of the day. I was then told "to come back to work when I felt ready and to not worry about a thing". I was off work for 2 weeks what with arranging funeral etc, then I needed to go back to work just to get back to normality and distract myself from mourning. I didn't lose a single day of my 28 days holiday entitlement. I received full pay throughout. My colleagues and manager picked up the slack so I didn't come back to a massive pile of work when I returned. They also all turned up at the funeral for me. This isn't uncommon in the UK, but I fear it has gotten worse recently perhaps. We also get paid lunch breaks and public holidays on top of holiday entitlement. I know the current semi-Trumpist government in the UK would love to destroy workers rights to make us more like the USA, but so far this hasn't happened. All I can say is, if a messed up country like the UK which still has a monarchy and class system, can manage to provide these basic rights, it should be so much better in a great republic like the USA which, after all, rebelled against said monarchy in 1776 to become a country governed "by the people, for the people". Now... don't believe any bull about UK workers being lazy - I work 60 hour weeks regularly now I am self-employed and now plenty of people in employment who do 50+ hours as well BUT they get overtime payments beyond 40 hours. I believe the American people deserve better. I've visited many times and love your country for all its flaws, just as I love my own for all its flaws. But - we can and we must do better. Please feel welcome to come to live and work over here anytime (as long as you can get past all the paperwork lol). You'd be most welcome 👍
Its basically the same here in Australia. The day my MiL passed away, I showed up to work and my supervisor(not even my manager) could see I was distraught so she asked what was wrong then told me to go home until I was feeling ready to come back to work. Mind you, this was a smallish company and they really liked to look after their employees for the most part.
I was told by a person that when he was working in the 1970's, he got rung up, not by his Union, but by the Accounts Payable Department, or it was Human Resources I think, and was told that he had NOT TAKEN ENOUGH sick leave that year. He worked for The Ministry of Defence
A vry jaded and unfair take on the UK here ! First off, America became a republic BECAUSE BRITSH settlers fell out with the Monarch, not Americans. Secondly, the royal family have NO input into British politics. We have separation of Parliament, who h ave all the power, and the Monarchy who are figureheads and are a welcome link between Government and the people.
When I lost my Husband in 2010 my bosses told me to go to my gp and get a 6month sick note for stress through bereavement. This I did was paid fully throughout.
In 2011, I had a heart attack at work, ambulance called, took me to hospital and discharged 4 days later, no cost to me, other than my digestive system due to the poor hospital food lol, then signed off work for 6months on full pay, after 6 months my company took me back on a 3 day week for 3 months (still on full pay) to see how I coped, then back to 5 days a week after the 3 months. Still had my holiday entitlement left, which back then was 20 days a yr. 🇬🇧
America needs to learn how to 'Work to Live' rather than 'Live to Work' - and not be terrified of Social Democracy - after all it's all for the human rights of the workers to have a decent life.
It just amazes me how people don't understand what socialist policies and socialists have given us. Whinging on about socialists without realising that without them, we wouldn't have paid holiday, paid sick leave, maternity cover, minimum wage, basic stuff. That's before we get to such wonders as the NHS, it's horrendous that so many people are an accident or illness away from complete financial ruin, and more than happy with that, to the point they have been conditioned to fight for it, not against it. "most" Americans really are as stupid as people think.
A fellow teacher had an elementary aged child suddenly die. A bunch of us donated some of our sick days to her so she could have time to recover. The school system was not happy but was basically shamed into allowing the donation.
I'm self employed in the UK which means I don't get paid holidays etc but that is my choice, I still get healthcare through the NHS and access to statutory sick pay or maternity pay if I need it. I really feel giving US employees more time off would enable them to maybe broaden their horizons and understand that a lot of what happens in the US is not considered normal by the rest of the world.
well you do, but your paid holidays get paid to you by your own income, for what ever job you are doing your own pay rate should be higher than if you worked for a company. so therefore you wont get paid when you are off beacuse you pay is spread out through the year, same with being sick, plus alot of stuff you can claim back from the goverment like VAT, etc
@@RChamberlain96 that's true although being a Childminder my hourly income is less than minimum wage thanks to the awful funding level. So when I work full time and after expenses don't earn enough to pay tax I really loose out if I take time off for any reason but that is my choice. In any other sector I could charge a much higher hourly rate but that doesn't happen in childcare unfortunately.
which drove out business and now look. we have few jobs, virtually no industry. and stagnant wages for over a decade. good job, unions, good job you screwed us in the long run for short term wins. almost all of the UK might as well be the story of Detroit when it comes to unions. What you gonna do, quit your job for a better paying one. in a business that LEFT THE COUNTRY.
@@MinkieWinkle keep tugging that forelock like a good little production unit, it's cute. And when automation has made you entirely obsolete, don't go crying about it, just say "thankee sir!" Because you don't need no representation - you're hard!
@@ginamcgill7054 unions is exactly why automation has accelerated. Do not have to deal with ungrateful people. The more you unionised the more they automate. Look at the automotive industry, unions killed Detroit, despite Ford paying fantastic wages. The unions kept pushing. You know what happened, car manufacturers left detroit, killing what was one of the richest manufacturing hubs in the world. They all left. All automated, and now do not have to deal with people. On mass. Only a few people compared to the assembly lines that were once in detroit.
I'll be holidaying in Pennsylvania USA again this year , as I have done for the past 25 years . Why ? Because , as a long term employee , I was entitled to 28 statutory annual leave days , plus Bank Holidays , plus added long service days . In all almost 50 days a year . This meant I could travel to USA and spend most of the summer , or winter vacation , with my American grandchildren . Wonderful . Did my grandchildren ever come to UK to visit me ? No ! Why ? Because their educated , well paid , middle class parents are only entitled to an absolute maximum of 10 days holiday each a year . Which they could not co ordinate to be off at the same time . Also they cannot take all the 10 days off for one holiday . The most they are allowed to take is 6 days consecutively . So now , as a 70 year old British pensioner I will be making the arduous , and exhausting , over 28 hour , door to door journey to see my American family again this winter . Because US employment practices do not allow for them to come to me . And whist in America hardly a day goes by when I don't Thank God for UK Employment Law , National Insurance [ NHS ] , Education , Social Housing , Sick Pay , Anti-Discrimination Law , Holiday Pay , Unemployment Benefit , Maternity Pay and Maternity Leave and yes, my State Pension . All provided by the taxes I , and others , paid into whilst employed . Also the ability to join , and be represented by , a Trades Union without fear of discrimination. I really believe that the American Dream was only an hallucination which has now turned into a nightmare for many , many Americans . ,
You are a pensioner would be better off if you worked and retired in the US. The median retirement fund in the US is about $1.5m with the median retired income being about $70,000 per year. I suppose you can sit and boast about how great things are in council estate Britain.
@@bighands69 a little bit judging aren't ya 🤣 how do you know the size of her pension 🤭 and as for council estates go. I grew up on a council estate, I thought it was pretty rough until I went to the US. I'm pretty sure that there is no council estate in the UK has had the pleasure of being labelled "Third world conditions of absolute poverty" by the UN, unlike parts of the US. This is the richest country in the history of mankind!! How is this happening??
@@2clips2pins Same as an activist writing a big long comment on American workers and using their british welfare state experience as some form of qualifier. I have worked in both the UK and America and can see nonsense when it is written on comments.
I've watched a few videos where Americans living abroad have been asked "What made you realise America really messed you up?" There were three common themes i.e. lack of universal health care, lack of paid holidays - usually by law - for employees, and gun violence.
@@MaxKingsley72 Indeed you are right. The almost standard response of gun nuts when you merely comment on the gun deaths in America (more than all developed countries combined) is to come back with "What about knife crime in the UK?" so I actually looked it up and yes, far more capita knife murders in the USA than the UK. On the list of safest countries in the world, the USA is depressingly low at 122nd (UK 33rd)
I have watched those same videos. Some people are not returning to the US because they have a chronic condition and can access healthcare for a fraction of the cost in the US.
Any American that lives abroad either comes from a wealthy trust fund supporting family or they are a bit stupid. America produces everything it needs by it self and does not require any commie country for support. There is not one European country out there that could support without American help. All that fancy medicines issued in Europe coming on the backs of hard working Americans. But guess what that is all coming to an end and if you live in Europe you are about to witness American withdrawing it support. But I suppose europe and their better together nonsense will withstand all of that.
I came from a country that had similar employment laws to the US, when I moved to the UK I was shocked at the end of the year when my boss forced me to take the whole of December off and then paid me for it (and still got a performance bonus). I felt guilty the whole time and stressed I wasn't gonna have a job when I got back. Cut to 7 years later, still working and still get forced to take time off cus i always forget i can take leave, it's awesome to be treated like a human being and not a slave. Not to mention if I have any personal emergencies, the company I work for let's me take time off to sort it and they don't take any of my holidays or sick days from me.
My work let's me sell my holidays on a pro rata basis. Only a few days a year, but little bit extra in my account is always great. You can also buy more leave. work gives 30 days +"company holidays" (ie Christmas to new year when the place is closed). I
My mum (UK) is very stubborn about going home sick, so her boss will have to "force" her to go home, he also told her that she had to take a couple of days off in my sumer holidays to spend with me. He also often lets her have paid half days off without using up her holiday for her regular hospital visits. It's insane to me that that could be strange to anyone.
Historically The trades union movement in the UK ( and to some extent in Europe) has been fundamental to fighting for and securing both basic rights at work and democratic rights.
The thing is the US had a powerful union movement, but it was crushed, Thatcher tried the same in the UK but I'm glad the unions are starting to be more vocal again over here, we need the union movement now more than ever and I'm glad the US union movement is on the rise, workers need protections from these big corporations who don't care one iota for us only their dividends and bonuses.
@@cr9153 oh please, the unions will cut their nose off the spite their face . take Unite as an example. BA was already offered a 8 percent pay rise, then that was not good enough. okay they it was increased to 18 percent, and unite still wanted to encourage it's members to strike, even after 18 percent!!!! and more rises to come next year to in April. unite screwed BA workers during the pandemic. their whole tactic was, ignore BA, and let BA come to the Table. BA just did what it wanted uncontested. stupid tactic. And when BA came back and offered what is considered a very generous increase for any industry. 18 percent, in a time when almost everywhere else is getting 3 percent if they are lucky. unite still wanted to strike. which would result in NOTHING AT ALL Unite is a joke. Always remember this, you will never see a poor union rep. the unions only care about packing their own pockets from poor workers that think they are being looked after. Ironically, in the UK wages were much higher in real term before the unions rose to power. why? massive wage competition. but now, with far fewer employers left in the UK compared to the past. there is not wage competition, almost entirely down to the unions
Joel is starting to learn how bad they get screwed in the states, its really sad bro, I don't understand how corporation's are more powerful than government, it feels so alien to me that people have to go through this in 2022😅🤦♂️
Unfortunately the UK is starting to head the same way as the USA with Corporations & Big businesses controlling the Conservative Government and the efforts to privatise the NHS to run on an insurance based system as you have.
Yes like @@jazmo6662 we're slowly slowly heading that way, they really want to fully privatise the NHS and have cooperations take over major services its actually quite mad. Conservatives have mucked us over
Australian here: we get a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation + 2 weeks of sick leave each year + every 7-10 years we get Long Service Leave which is an additional 2-3months paid vacation (varies by state). So far this year I have visited Singapore in April, Bali in July and in November I’ll be doing a cruise around the South Pacific.
My company basically forces people to take their Annual Leave near the end of the year if they've not used enough of them. They consider it a health risk if you don't have enough days off to have a break from work and come in with a fresh mind. By the way, I went to Spain for around 2 weeks and am going to Paris for a long weekend later in the year. Before I went to Spain my boss also made it very clear to colleagues to not bother me while I was away so I could have a decent break, which is the general culture and he would have been encouraged to take this approach going all the way up to the top of the business. When I used to work in the office, I would be sent home to recover with sick leave even though I was mostly fine and just had a bad cough.
He’s barely touched the surface on the differences in workers rights. UK workers have the right not to suffer discrimination at work on the basis of their sex, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation and age. Everyone is entitled to join a union (though their employer doesn’t have to recognise that union), and cannot be less favourably if they do. After two years of employment people also have additional protections against being fired unfairly and if they are made redundant they are entitled to redundancy pay. We also have a national minimum wage and entitlements to breaks during work as well as an upper limit to how many hours a person can work. Most of the employment rights we have in the UK are very similar to the arrangements throughout Europe, so they are by no means unique.
This wasn’t true tho in my experience in uk I was discriminated all throughout work for every job. You can’t do this you’re a woman you will need a 16 year old boy to help you or do it for you for example. When I did the work boss claimed I couldn’t have done it n the boy must have helped me n he gave him the credit for the work. Whenever the other workers went off drinking sick leave due to hangovers I was made to do their shifts back to back for days only 4 hrs a day to sleep n eat wouldn’t let me off to the loo even n I got under the minimum wage while they got over it coz they were males. Even tho I was promised A rise. n not wanted because of my gender I got fired for no reason. Boss told me he didn’t want to hire a female but by law he had to have me on for a trial of 14 days n planned to fire me after that. Next job boss was a female n gave me a hard time n said she will have me fired n will make up a reason to do so. N bru wanted to blame it all on me coz I was discriminated in both jobs n cut benefits. Had a huge fight on my hands for my human rights. Traumatised me about the workforce that n my guidance school teacher n homeless unit officer told me they want me not to find work n live on the streets. Police n support slow blackmailed me to talk about my traumas or I’ll be put out on the streets homeless without help or support. My abusive mother also would lock me out the home when I was only 10 or 11 saying she didn’t want a daughter that it was her home n I was a guest there. Bro did it to me when I was 6 n then again threatened to kick me into the streets while abusing me coz I defended myself n other siblings. The bru crap n mistreatment was disgusting too that was the worse don’t want to pull that up. These things have scarred me I’m where I should be now but it terrifies me my future where I’ll be then As for gender discrimination there’s still a gap in wages of genders. May I add the bosses bullied me too they would make fun of me colleague n bosses would laugh at me on the cctv footage in the office slander me claim I was stealing when I never stole anything mock me for how I handle my work. It was constant bullying. But I know it to be worse in USA than here with that tho.
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677 That's just working for a shitty employee. The rights still exist and you could have taken them to a tribunal hearing and probably walked away with a sizable chunk of money. I don't want to victim blame you but there is laws to protect you against those things.
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677 Interesting that EVERY job you ever had people discriminated against YOU. You sound like you have a lot issues going on besides viewing that people are discriminating against you, laughing at you, mocking you, bullying you etc etc.
I recently had to take 5 months off work due to illness and got paid for it's entirety (SSP (statutory sick pay) from the government plus sick pay from my employer). I got pretty much the same as I normally would had I have worked). Also, the company I work for (Waitrose) put me on a 'phased return', meaning I actually worked less hours, which was increased by an hour a week until I got back to my normal working week (about 5 weeks in total), yet got paid in full as if I'd worked my full hours.
In addition to this, I had weeks holiday booked from before I fell ill. As this week happened while I was off sick I got that weeks holiday entitlement back
Talking about worker's rights: A number of european countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, etc.) require companies of a certain size to have "work councils" to ensure a degree of employee participation. They have nothing to do with unions although they often cooperate. Probably the most successfull of them is the german model. The work councils are elected by the employees and posess a considerable amount of (bargaining) power within the companies, they even can elect members of the board of directors of larger companies.
I can see how that might seem good, but also currently holding back electrification of companies like Volkswagen because they're job protectionists. Whoopsie! Probably pretty good for getting toilet breaks though. Shame it'll now result in many of them being unemployed :(
I take part in the work council at my job at the moment. It's really a great thing to be able to be a part of the decision making, to voice the needs of your colleagues and it gives all workers in any function a good opportunity to see how decisions are made and on what basis.
I’ve been watching the USA undercover boss recently and some of the conditions people have to work in the US is ridiculous! I appreciate that some of these employees get quite a big bonus, but I did wonder up until now, why it was such a big deal, that people got “two weeks of paid leave“ as a bonus! It’s made me think that undercover boss is nowhere near, as generous, as I thought, because half of the benefits they get, is basic rights in the UK!
Here's another little kicker, while we have a national health service in the UK, you can also get private health care. The cost? Around 700-1200 pounds a year and even then you can still go use the NHS for major treatments like operations or if you're diagnosed with a chronic illness like diabetes or asthma.
Firstly, I love Evan Edinger’s videos and everything he says on these regarding UK rights is spot on. I find it frightening to think that the “Land of the Free” that tends to portray itself as being the best place on Earth and a democratic ideal is actually not at all. Sorry US citizens.
Having generous holiday benefits actually helps our economy because we have such a large and diverse tourism sector. Whether it’s historical sites, theme parks, seaside resorts, wildlife parks, action/adventure holidays, museums, galleries, festivals, fetes, sporting events etc, there’s always something new and different to see and do and the fact that the holiday is paid means that you can afford to spend to experience these various attractions, thereby supporting millions of jobs throughout the industry.
I remember recently a coworker of mine was AWOL for 5 weeks (no call no show) just didnt turn in to his job for 5 weeks they sent his p45 he was fired then as soon as the company found out it he left due to his mother passing, they not only cancelled the p45, aka unfiring him but also gave him full pay the 5 weeks he was off and gave him an additional month paid leave (well technically they said paid leave until he was feeling fit to work again which took him a month)
I live in the UK and have also worked in the USA, what I found remarkably so different were the people in the workforce in the USA who would come into work very sick and I would often say, hey, you should be at home in bed rather than being here, but they would often tell me that they don't have enough holiday leave to cover their sickness, I was aghast, to say the least as I was on detached duty and was getting the same rights as I did in the UK. The American worker is screwed and the Government does diddly squat to help, this has to change. I currently get six weeks paid holiday and am going to Florida in September to stay with a couple my wife and I met whilst holidaying in Mexico, this chap that I know is a CEO of a rather large computer company so whilst I am there I am going to quiz him on his staff's policy for sick leave, holiday pay, bereavement etc. He will most likely kick me out of his house lol.
This is where you march your sick workers into the bosses office and weld the door shut. *Genuinely, this has happened at one of my work sites because the boss demanded the person to come to work.*
I would keep that nice holiday connection if I were you. Florida is beautiful and you really don’t have to worry about the US workforce enough to lose that friendship.
I work in the UK and this year took 3 weeks to get married and go on honeymoon, took a week off in July to go to Hungary and Romania, and the rest is split across Christmas, Easter and the odd day here and there. I also had paid sick leave for a week earlier in the year when I got covid. Plus we have bank holidays (paid). It blows my mind when I hear about America's work system as the UK system is seen as the norm here and not 'extra benefits'. Oh and my annual leave goes up to 35 days a year once I've worked there for 5 years (started at the usual 28 days) + bank holidays.
I've got to admit that I'm actually shocked to see how poorly workers are treated over in the US. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realise it was this bad. But Evan is also right, nothing is going to change because the government listens the people with the most money, and they have corporate heavyweights using the lure of big donations to sway party policies. In Australia, we get 20 days of paid annual leave per annum for full time workers (pro-rated for part time), 10 days of paid personal leave (it's called personal leave but I guess it's mainly used for sick days, but it can really be anything), 2 days of paid compassionate leave (for bereavements or where a member of their immediate family or household suffers a life-threatening illness or injury), paid community service leave if they are volunteers in an emergency management body (such as a rural fire brigade or the State Emergency Service) or jury duty (which is unpaid), and 5 days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave. Employees who have served more than 12 months with an employer can also get 12 months of unpaid parental leave (no distinction between maternity leave and paternity leave) as of right, and can request up to 12 months in addition. Eligible employees can apply to the government to get up to 18 weeks of wages at the national minimum wage during that period.
Yup, we have it pretty good here in Aus. Actually I took it for granted as ‘normal’ as I’ve grown up with, it’s ok to be sick, annual holidays etc etc. Only good thing I can see, regarding the world going through Covid, is that more people have been online, and didn’t really know how bad it is in the USA re low wages, sick pay and holiday pay. But especially for Americans to see how most of the world lives re pay, holidays, cheaper meds, docs, hospitals, it actually good for them to see how other countries are cared for and treated. Now all they have to do, is to work out how to do it - not easy when the medical companies are making millions and business management don’t have to sick leave etc. Average person is being totally financially and emotionally abused. If another country did that to them, boy would they fight for their rights, but with their own rich countrymen, average American feel totally useless. Something has change.
@@DD-wd7ku thus my , etc, etc in my comment re other benefits we get. I’m never leaving Aus, I’m staying put, too old to move now, pushing 70. I’m a baby boomer, born in 50s, after WW2, so first real tough time I’ve lived through is Covid. So I can’t complain.
@@gordowg1wg145 who’s counting lol. I worked, I enjoyed all the holidays. But feel like I took them for granted, it was just normal, didn’t appreciate them as much as I should have after seeing what American doesn’t get in so many aspects of life we have here in Aus.
I recently went for an interview at a well known retail shop that sells hardware products. The first question was, "how old are you". As opposed to kicking up a fuss and saying, "your not supposed to be asking me that" I just politely told her 53. I was in an interview situation. I needed to be polite. Although,she did write it down,then speedily fled through the interview (to get rid of me). By the looks of her,she wasn't far off my age herself. Shame. I do have 35 years experience in retail. Oh,and if you're wondering,it was Wickes in Stafford UK
@@hibiscusrose6074 Can't really prove that unless they admit that the reason she is unsuitable for the job is that she's too old. Plus they can ask for your age, well technically DOB which should be on the CV anyway.
I'm from the UK and I'm currently enjoying a 4 week holiday and also have enough holidays kept over the finish for Christmas on the 10th of December and won't return until the 5th of January... none of this is including any sick days either (never take them though. Haven't had a sick day in 5 year) I've also taken 4 weeks FULLY PAID paternity leave including bonuses. What I will say is my employer really values their staff and do go above and beyond what is required of them. Never EVER imagined the American workforce would be treated this way. Its sickening.
I live in the UK and i took a whole year off for maternity leave, the last two of those months were unpaid. But i am so grateful that i had such a long time to look after and enjoy being a new mother before i had to think about work again. My job and pay rate was secure so i was able to walk straight back into what i had left a year ago, im also lucky that i was able to cut down my hours because i have chosen to work when my partner has days off.. meaning my child is always with a parent and not growing up in childcare.
5.6 weeks means 28 days if you work 5 days a week. That generally means 8 days of bank holidays + 4 weeks to take when you want. Usually that is 2 weeks in the summer + either 2 weeks or 2 x 1 week at another time.
before I took early retirement from the electricity industry in the UK I got 6 weeks' holiday. Rested people work harder and usually get sick less. 🙂 I'm so glad I don't live in America no health care no holidays.
The younger generations have forgotten that all meaningful gains by workers were achieved because of labor unions. Employers are not your friends. Even in the friendliest small company I ever worked for, they'd let you go in a second without regret if it served their bottom line. I worked for a gigundo corporation, Amazon, for a while in a blue collar position and, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with Amazon that a good union couldn't fix. It's said today that the pandemic has made this a worker's market, that younger people will not accept conditions that older workers tolerated. If so, I'm glad for them, but, overall, it's the business that can dictate pay, benefits, and working conditions.
Companies can only dictate workers conditions with the connivance of government, traditionally most companies in the west were corralled by government regulation.
Ok, I agree with most of what you say however, I worked for a national company with thousands of employees. My boss and his wife took me in when my marrage broke down, until I found somewhere to live and when I remarried my boss was my best man and all my depot colleagues came to my wedding, then when my wife died the same colleagues came to her funeral the company gave everyone time off to attend. Not all companies are the same.
I am retired now but watching this realise how lucky I was to live & spend my entire working life in the U.K. & while working to travel to Europe, U.S.A., Asia & Australia on holiday over time.
28 working days (Monday - Friday) of paid leave and 8 unpaid public holidays is the minimum legal requirement in the UK. However many UK employers provide more paid leave. I get 36 working days of paid leave. This is not unusual across the world. America is one of the only countries in the world which has absolutely no legal requirement for employers to give their employees paid leave.
Not 100% correct on the 28 days + unpaid bank holidays. Many people get the bank holidays paid then 20+ on top to pick and chose, I get 26 days paid to use whenever + 8 bank holidays paid, our offices shut on bank holidays, so we are all off. This is the case for most non-customer facing office bods.
@@theart8039 It depends on your contract of employment ..bank holidays are not normally given with pay ….manufacturing for example will not honour bank holidays unless it’s Xmas day … some companies will either pay double time, time and half or a day off in lieu if they want you to work on a bank holiday. But there is no legal right to honour a bank holiday in the UK unless it’s agreed in the terms and conditions of your employment.
In my last job ( part time), I had accrued holidays and was MADE TO TAKE THEM by my boss !! " You MUST use them and go get some time away from work ". My daughter is going to give birth soon by C.SECTION. Doctors, midwives, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetist, stay in hospital, after care........ALL FREE. Time off work with pay....1 year ! GOOD OLD UK.
@@marieparker3822 generally, when people say "for free" in that context, it means "at no charge". Saying "it isn't free, it costs a lot in taxes" is as pedantic as saying "public roads aren't free to use, they cost tax money" or "fire fighters don't put fires out for free, you pay when they put out a fire because taxes". Americans pay taxes and *still* have to pay for Healthcare on top of that; we buy for-profit insurance to pay for for-profit Healthcare. But tell most that they'd save $10,000 in inefficient Healthcare costs by spending $1,000 more in taxes each year, and they filter out everything except "$1,000 more in taxes". It results from a confluence of factors: 1) America was never _really_ about "Freedom"; It was about *Liberty.* Freedom implies a broad kind of unrestricted state, where few, if any, restrictions apply. Liberty, on the other hand, has a more narrow nuance, referring to being free from arbitrary or unreasonable restrictions and having independence to make one's own choices as they are personally applicable. Americans want the _Liberty_ to make decisions, even bad, costly, inefficient, stupid decisions. So, between handing a small amount of tax money to a *remarkably* corrupt, inefficient government to pay for public Healthcare (which, honestly, could _easily_ just be rolled into Tricare, our military insurance program), or spending a large amount of money at our own discretion to the doctors and insurance that we determine, by capitalist metrics, to be "best", many Americans want to pick the latter. 2) As already stated, our government is very untrustworthy and corrupt. Even if we *could* get most Americans on board with the idea of public Healthcare, we fear the money would be squandered/diverted and we would suffer as a result. 3) The "Red Scare" deeply affected our culture even till today and the stigma against Communism, and by association Socialism and anything with "socialist" or "social" in its name, is still strong. The mere notion of someone spending "their" money to treat "some one else's" illness is revolting to many; completely ignorant to the fact that this is how private insurance already works, and they skim profit off the top, too. Most Americans want to think they are "self-reliant" and their money is "self-made", when there is no such thing anywhere in the world. "In order to be a self-made man, one would need to have given birth to oneself, breastfed oneself as an infant, raised oneself as a child, constructed all of society's infrastructure upon which one relies to produce one's wealth, retroactively become the progenitor of all mankind to create the historic foundation into which they arrived onto the Earth, and before any of that one would need to have created the very Universe; only then can one truly consider their fortune to have been earned solely by their own efforts and have a reasonable argument as to why they owe no one else any part of it."
It’s videos like this that make me realise how lucky I am to have been born in UK. Things I just take for granted. I remember after I’d had my son, he’s now 11, I got full pay for months before it dropped a bit, think I was on leave about 7 months maybe, then when I went back I was able to dictate the hours I wanted to my employer and those hours never changed.
We have got a lot to be thankful for here in the UK when it comes to workers right BUT it's not down to the government, not fully. It's because we have something called "workers unions" who fight on behalf of the workers. The government are just there to enforce the agreed upon rights the unions fight for. It's why the UK has had so many strokes over the years and why we still have them on a regular basis (like the rail and postal strikes at the moment) to fight for the rights you're learning about in this video. I just wanted to clear that up. Great video thought keep it up.
4:23 You’re absolutely correct: The system is designed in such a way that you have trust issues with everyone because you feel no one can keep you updated on Schoolwork but yourself.
Just so you know! I am 75 and retired age 60 with a State Pension. All my working life I paid National Insurance contributions - taken from my wage at source and only a very small percentage - this pays for health care and the State Pension plus other benefits! 20 years ago I got an unusual form of arthritis and 13 years ago this had advanced to a stage it seriously affected my mobility and ability to cook, clean etc - so I now claim an allowance for my disabilities, both to help get about and to make home life easier. So, age 75, I get free health care, free prescribed medication, a pension and an added allowance for my disabilities! I was actually born before we had any of these but they were introduced and have produced a healthier population and no-one need work when ill, or starve when elderly or infirm. The 'American Dream' in this 22nd year of the 21st century is possibly to move to the UK - with honourable basic human rights to a reasonable life! 😎
Fortunate for you but for others like myself, i’ll likely be contributing to NI contributions until I’m 70 considering there raising the retirement ages multiple times. Our countries borrowing have been sky high and no doubt we will have to repay that, i’ll be dead before i reach retirement age, that is the plan of our government to cover their mistakes and corruption….
If you purchase insurance you expect to be paid when you make a claim - the NHS is 'pre-paid' by the majority of users, so it is not free. Children do not pay so they can claim that it is free as can immigrants who have never paid into the system. As you paid into the system it is only proper you get the benefits .- The government entered into pension arrangements - but they keep moving the goalposts.
Eloquently put. I’ve visited the US and loved it,I found the people friendly and outgoing and still have 4 friends I regularly keep in touch. Last year one of them came over and stayed with us for two weeks with his wife. When it came time for them to leave,his wife DID NOT want to go,she loved it so much here in Cornwall on the big toe of England. They are now at visa stage,he’s found a job in Devon,a tech company. They can’t wait. It makes me very angry that such a great people as ordinary Americans,are getting shafted daily by sheer naked greed. Disgusting,and they have the bloody cheek to lecture the rest of the world about human rights !! Americans,do whatever you can to lobby for yourselves. There must be a wealthy person somewhere in the states who is also angry at the vile treatment by successive generations governments to its own people, who started at the bottom and could get a movement going. Something big has to happen ffs.
I got injured in a horrendous accident, and was off sick for 4 years on full pay. I know that it's different as I was in the military at the time, but it was great fun winding someone up who was supposed to be a friend.
Here in Spain, I had one year sick leave, 100% paid (70% the first month). IS the doctor who decides how many time you need the sick leave and you send the doctor's papers to HUman Resources. That's all.
I work a for a UK company that gives me something called dependency days if needed. These are used if a dependant (child, spouse or someone else you need to care for like a close family member) needs help due to illness etc. It's not part of your paid leave or your sick leave, it's just what it says. My father was taken seriously ill and rushed in to hospital earlier this year, I called my boss to explain and he just instantly says: "log off your computer now and take the rest of the week off and if you need more time give me a call". When your worried about a loved one and you hear that, it just instantly takes away any extra work related concerns and lets you consecrate on the immediate issue.
Now, Joel, you get why so many of us said you missed out THE best pro of living in the UK, work-life balance. I get 28 days plus 8 days bank holidays AND my organisation allows us to buy up to 10 days extra leave, so I've got 46 days leave this year! Evan didn't mention that while you're on maternity leave, you also accrue your normal annual leave on top of your maternity leave! You wanted to know where we go with all this leave, well, I've been all over world, loads of European countries (Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Serbia), India (twice), Nepal, Peru, Costa Rica (twice), Argentina, Chile, Vietnam, Iceland, New Zealand, China. I would NEVER want to live in the US, for work-life balance reasons alone (also your gun culture is very freaky/scary).
As Joel is unlikely to get pregnant it's worth telling him about paternity leave - 2 weeks off - and shared parental leave. Oh and I forgot about flexible working and unpaid parental leave which you can use for emergencies.
Hmy old company , 25 days leave + birthday , 8 bank holidays , right to buy 5 more , hospital appointments day off with pay , sick pay pay 3 months full ,3 months half pay but if you where really I'll I mean cancer etc they would pay full , they changed due to employee's recommendation and you could buy another 5 days holiday , and after 5 years service you acreud a day a year up to 10 days , so after 15 years if you bought the full 10 days it would be 54 days holiday plus sick , yep I want to live in the USA
yep, irish guy here, i get 26 days holiday, 9 public holidays, 5 days to look after loved ones if they're sick and 2 days charity volunteering. It's magic. I never want to work in USA.
This is actually crazy to me, I receive 35 days paid holiday per year with my work and 10 days fully paid sick days. I assumed this was similar in the US, obviously I assumed incredibly wrong.
When I was in the States someone asked how much holiday we get. They were surprised when my friend said 28 days. But that includes public holidays right? Err… no. I just kept quiet about how much I got 😆
I get 25 days plus bank holidays (10 this year normally 8) and my employer also lets me buy an additional 5 days holiday (which is tax efficient). I went to Romania, turkey, Greece (twice), Albania, Denmark, Canada, Lanzorote, Gran Canria (twice), few trips to the country side and a few trips to Ireland to see family.
I work for a UK public sector org. I get 30 days paid leave + my birthday day paid. My organisation seperatly gave me 2 weeks paid time off when my father passed away earlier this year. And I'm entitled to 6 months full sick pay as long as I have a doctors note. Really lucky to have all of this.
Hi Joel - Definitely check out Evan's videos. He goes through everything in regard to visa's, moving to the UK etc... I'm having a stay'cation this year and will be going to Cornwall.
I live in Cornwall on Bodmin moor,and as an exiled Londoner,I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Off to a different beach tomorrow as we have been doing all summer at least one day a week. Tomorrow it’s Sennen Cove. 😎
Sadly in the UK there are loads of gig economy jobs with contracted hours and no holidays and no sick leave. I spoke to a delivery driver who worked 3 jobs = 60 hours a week. He had not been on hols since he started these jobs. I've also come across carers working huge hours for little pay and benefits. This did not happen very often 40 years ago. We are going backwards. Join a union folks.
@@jujulionesselsa1416 It's not actually a problem with lack of unions, though that might help, it's the fact that zero hour contracts are allowed. In fact any contract for less than 15 hours (IIRC, might be 16) the employer doesn't have to give any benefits. That's what needs to be changed. And it's the law that needs to be changed.
they changed the laws in 2020 and it changed this. You accrue holidays now on zero hour contracts and its paid on the average of your earning for the previous 12 weeks
It's the unions that are screwing workers-you pay "your" union so that the boss gets paid £130000 plus, stays in luxury hotels eats at luxury restaurants out of "union members" subs!! Most workers that go on strike are already overpaid-if you don't like the job then leave and stop screwing over normal working human beings...
@@1cadillacman While that's at least partially true: Scargill lived in a mansion even during the '85 miners strike, it's not totally true. A good union rep, and there are some, really are worth their weight in gold. Sadly too many are only in it because they think it gives them some authority that they would have no other way of getting.
my husband has been at the same company for over 30 years. he gets 28 PTO days on top of his holidays, and some sick pay. I get to "earn" my PTO hours, no paid sick days. He is CONSTANTLY off, and it drives me NUTS that I have to be careful about my PTO if I want to take 1-2 weeks of vacation a year. We are in the US, and we both WFH. I did have one job that had unlimited PTO, and that was the best time for me and my husband, we took off time together finally. Not any more :(
One of my American colleagues came to the UK recently and I was shocked when he told me that he only gets two weeks off work a year, no sick pay, no company car and no phone!
Just to clarify. Most employers in the private sector here in UK give 28 days annual leave. But that usually includes the 8 bank holidays. Which is pretty standard. I work in the public sector and am rostered to work shifts, all hours, all days including bank holidays. We also get given 28 days annual leave. One perk we get is that our annual leave is increased with the number of years service we have done after 5 then 10 years in the NHS. I've been working for NHS for 20 years so I now get 8 weeks off a year- which I admit is wonderful and helps with the stress from the job. Don't forget I don't get bank holidays and I work most weekends. In fact I'm contracted to work 6 out of 8 bank holidays and 3 out of every 4 weekends. I think with the US being the richest country in the world, your government would/ should be able to put in law that every citizen is entitled to at least 4 weeks off a year. As a minimum pro rata. I really.do find US working rights, tax laws and all the atrocious one sided lobbying truly despicable ( I'm not ignorant to the fact lobbying happens around the rest of the world, particularly the UK, ha hum oil cmpanies). And my heart goes out to you all over the Atlantic.
It's 29 days, 21 days legal minimum plus the statutory 8 bank holiday days. Not all employers offer additional days for long service, but many do, some will even negotiate on a starting number of days if they really want you to leave your current employer. Lobbying of ministers here in the UK is always without personal monetary gain, sure party donations are ok, but not to individuals like it is in the states, even if it is for re-election funding.
The beard is coming along nicely Joel ;). Yeah we are quite lucky with our employment benefits over here, in mainland Europe some of them are even more generous (Scandinavian countries mainly)
I had a job uk were i worked 3wks 1 wk off one fellow worker worked is weeks off and at the end of november told manager/s see you after christmas jan 2 this is NOT fairytale but very TRUE. After telling you that it waa exepttional and extreme but true. Please wake america before its to late theres no american dream exept for the greedy ones in charge
I entered the U. S. workforce in Minnesota in the early 1970's with unionized health care jobs. Our contracts always included separately accrued sick time and vacation banks, no PTO crap. The employers (including most non-union employers) supported personnel practices that enhanced the health and safety of their workers. It was just a given. It wasn't until Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich in the 80s and 90s that the labor unions were cast as the enemy and work life in the United States headed down the sad path it's on today.
You are talking crap at best. The Unions were finished the moment they sold out the workers of America to the Democratic party. Let me guess you support the democrats?
Not only are there very few laws regarding the above, but the majority of the time they're not enforced. The best description of the US legal system I've heard to date is, 'A law is only a law if it's enforced. In the US, if no one catches you, it's legal.' Ask anyone who's worked at Amazon or Walmart about how interested police, DA offices, or even OSHA is about even investigating let alone prosecuting 'minor' infractions. Like locking the bathroom during work hours. Now consider, how many companies actually follow those few laws in place.
An interesting note regarding maternity/paternity leave in the UK is that there is also equivalent leave available for parents who are adopting too. One partner can take the full 52 weeks leave that is equivalent to maternity leave, and the other can take the 2 weeks equivalent of paternity leave. There is also "shared parental leave" so if the one partner doesnt take the full 52 weeks maternity/adoption leave then they can share a portion of the remaining says with their partner so they can take more than 2 weeks.
In the 15 years I have been working for my present company - I've lost both parents and a sister (to cancer )..been diagnosed with MS and moved home , the company have been absolutely superb - I was allowed all the time I need to Grieve and recouperate and to move home - no questions or pressure and never lost a single penny .This year I had 2 weeks in Greece and I have a week of in New York in December and still have 15 days left to take ( which I can carry over ) - down side , I have been made redundant ...that's life 🙂
I actually got paid more when I was sick, I received a average wage when I was off which was more than my basic wage. I'm so thankful for those in the UK with the foresight to bequeath us our social benefits. I'm stunned by how Americans accept being treated abysmally in all sorts of ways.
In Orlando at the moment. Once we are back in the UK we have another holiday booked to a Greek Island in a few weeks. My holiday allowance in the UK allows me to do this. Makes me sad that the USA does not treat it workers fairly. It’s all about the biggest business and the mighty dollar. They need a better work life balance. Life is for living not just for working
15 yrs ago my son was on life support thankfully recovered. However the elderly man in the next bed was dying, his son worked in America (English)his company gave him 2 days to fly to England to say his goodbyes. Company were not happy, I was appalled, I had unlimited compassionate paid leave. I still love America
I used to work for a company that gave the 28 days paid holiday, PLUS bank holidays paid, PLUS 2 weeks off for Christmas paid as well. Their attitude was 'if we close you can't come to work, so we'll pay you for it'. We also got a £250 food hamper at Christmas and a 10% salary bonus in July. I was gutted when I had to leave (health reasons)
Evan is definitely a great channel for you to watch as he has some great information going back years from when he first came to the UK forUni and then began working and exploring the country. Also a great series on how he became a UK citizen and the process of doing that.
I found out from my friend in California that many states (including California) are known as "at will" states, meaning that an employer can hire and fire at will with no need to give a reason for dismissal. I am disgusted!
Unfortunately, you're correct. These policies were adopted as a form of low-key union busting as it is very difficult to prove that you were fired for organizing in an at-will state. All the employer has to say is, "I no longer wanted to employ you" and that is sufficient justification.
I think its very sad that a country like the USA is so governed by money and not the happiness of their people and its riduculous to allow people to go into work sick which passes it on to other employees!!
In May I spent a week on a ship going around the fjords of Norway. In July I was in the Loire for a week. Next week I’m on a river cruise down the Rhine in Germany ending with a weekend in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In December I’m leaving the cold of London for a week in the Canary Islands. In March no had two weeks off with Covid. I didn’t have to prove it in any way at all and was paid in full. This country is far from from perfect but watching this gives me an appreciation for the good things.
I worked for Hotpoint in the uk and the entire factory would take 2 weeks of annual leave in August and close they would also pay your holiday pay on the payday before your holiday so you had money to use on your holiday
We are lucky in comparison to the US, of that there is no doubt. However, over time what we do have has slowly been eroded and unfortunately I'm sure it will get worse.
@@Violet-to4qq Union rights, ability to withdraw labour is restricted making it far less effective. The ability of one group of workers to support an affiliated group.
I have often taken holidays abroad from the UK and would never consider spending out for the cost of return flights to places like South America, America, The Caribbean etc, just for a week (?). I have always travelled those distances for at 'least' 14 days, but more often longer. Just to make the cost and effort worthwhile! Which may also explain why so few Americans DO actually travel to Europe or similar, if they get so little time off?
This is why you'll rarely hear a Brit say "It is what it is." If we dont like something we fight like hell to change it. That's how unions are born. We dont always like them when they call a strike etc. but we owe them a lot. And you don't always have to go somewhere when you have a holiday. Sometimes it's just nice to stay home and chill.That's not really the point. Its being able to that matters.
In Germany most companies actually push you to take your holidays, many even have rules that you must take 14days back to back or provide a good reason why you did not.
Same. The only way not to is to give up your US citizenship for the price of $7,000 - Capitalism at its finest. All this crap about freedom and they do not have the freedom to be sick?
Its outrageous how the US treats its citizens & workers in regards to work/life balance and well being. I've gone to work with a cold before and promptly been ordered to go work from home so I don't infect anyone. In fact I've seen times where people have said they don't feel great and have been told that if they need to go offline to rest then they should do so. They of course get their full pay when not working. In the US it's case of we don't care about your health, if you aren't working we won't pay you and there's nothing you can do about it. Its the same situation at school. Staff don't want you around other kids if you are ill as you might infect them. I went to a boarding school for three years and one year, on the Monday before half term, I was feeling rough so visited the on site medical centre. The nurse promptly told me to take myself off to one of the beds in the medical centre and then went to call my dad and ordered him to pick me up. He was told not to bring me back to school till after the half term holiday. I wasn't even allowed to rest/recover in my bed in my 3 person dorm in case I infected anyone so off home it was. It took me 3 days of bed rest to recover. There wasn't any pressure to catch up the work although I did have to catch up on some stuff I'd missed and none of my fellow students gave me a hard time about being absent. I can't imagine having such a positive experience in the US. As for time off work, in the UK you get 20 days + 8 bank holidays in England. There are more bank holidays in Scotland. It's very common for employers to give 25 days off plus bank holidays. I get a total of 33 days off each year which is actually 34 in 2022 due to the Platinum Jubilee. Only 3 of these days are fixed with my employer so I can take 30 days off each year whenever it suits me. Again work/life balance is a big thing in the UK and you'll find managers often banging in about not overworking people and how work/life balance is important. In the US it would appear to be case of employers thinking 'how little paid time off can we get away with giving our workers each year?'
As an industrial worker, 2 of the businesses we make our products for have their break/holidays at different points in the year so just on that front we automatically get about 28 or 30 days off that is paid as if we worked our scheduled rotational shift. This blew my mind when I started as I was just ignorant on how holidays and sick pay worked and I had previously worked in a retail job with no benefits. When you’re working a very physical job you really need the days off, good pay, along with a 4day work week. I don’t think I could any sort of labouring job in America.
I work from home for a ticketing company in the UK (HQ in London) and I get unlimited holiday + bank holidays + 2 weeks at Christmas. The unlimited holiday is a minimum of 20 days with no uper limit. So far taken/booked 26.5 days + 1 day of compassionate leave + bank holidays + 2 weeks at Crhistmas (includes 2 bank holidays)
You may or may not be surprised to know this Joel, but in addition to all of these work-related benefits, the UK also has a whole raft of other financial benefits to meet the needs of those who are unable to find suitable work, or who are unable to work... While the qualifying rules are tighter than they used to be and will probably become tighter still; everyone is entitled to a basic state pension when they reach State Retirement Age (currently 66-68, depending on when you were born), in addition to any private or work-related pension schemes that they may have paid into. There are different rates for single people, and for couples. People of working age who develop long term illnesses (which after six months are usually defined as disabilities) currently receive 'Employment Support Allowance (ESA)' which is paid at two rates for as long as they remain unable to work - the higher rate being paid to those who were in work and had paid a sufficient number of National Insurance Contributions in the tax year prior to when they went off sick; and the lower rate (about £30 a week less) is paid to those who hadn't recently been employed when they first went off sick. There are also universal allowances payable to families for the needs of their children; and tax allowances afforded to those who need to buy child care whilst they are at work. There are bereavement grants available to cover the costs of obtaining death certificates and for the basic disposal are of a body; as well as allowances payable to those who care for members of their family who are deemed too sick to care for themselves. Jobseekers' Allowances are payable to unemployed people who sign a contract to spend a given numbers of hours per week looking for work - which they must evidence, again relating to their National Insurance Contributions - but there are benefits payable to people who have too few or no NI Contributions; all of which include housing rent and other costs up to certain limits. This - and the lower rate of ESA, are examples of what are known as "passport benefits," whereby everyone claiming them is automatically entitled to a number of NHS benefits such as free prescriptions (in England only as prescriptions are free for everyone in Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland), as well as free eye tests, vouchers towards the cost of glasses and free NHS dental treatment. Disabled people with additional support needs are also able to claim generous funds that help them live independently and/or fund electric wheelchairs or mobility vehicles; while those who were receiving tax credits when they were employed (for me this was about £100 a week, as I had limited capacity for work), who live alone, who do not have anyone claiming carer's benefits in respect of them and who were claiming benefit arising from additional support needs throughout the period of their employment, usually continue to receive these tax credits in addition to the higher rate of ESA and the Personal Independence Payments (and any related benefits), for as long as they remain unable to work. Retired people who develop such needs can claim money to pay for people who provide them with support. There are even discretionary loan funds available for unforeseen emergencies, such as replacement of essential household appliances and equipment. Absolutely nobody with a legal right to live in the UK is left out.
Thing to remember is what you said in an earlier vid - the UK has so much more history than the US. And that’s partly the reason we see these differences in employment rights today. Everyone knows the Industrial Revolution started in Britain - well, make that England - which means we had a head start on everyone else, for bad and good. So as the industrialised economy kicked off in Britain in the 18th century making all the stuff the world suddenly wanted, it also kicked off uncontrolled capitalism which included all those “bubble” companies, sucking in clueless investors, and exploiting workers as “wage slaves” with no rights AT ALL and often paid not in money but in tokens that could only be spent on food and clothing from the company shop (at exorbitant prices) and with no means of escape - because the wage slaves not only had no rights, they also had no real money. So how did Britain get from that terrible starting point nearly 300 years ago, to now? Answer - history. A history of oppression, struggle, protest, riot, imprisonment or worse. You get the picture. Because Britain was the earliest adopter of unrestrained, rampant, exploitative capitalism it was also much earlier in experiencing the dreadful social consequences, and during the 19th century successive laws were passed to bring in employment rights and protections, motivated by common sense (to avoid the violent Revolutions happening in Europe) and the growth of compassion (together with anti-slavery and so on) helped by popular writers like Dickens whose novels described in great detail the appalling conditions in which most workers lived and shocked his fans and readers (which included many British politicians) who in turn began campaigning for and demanding change. It’s a fascinating story that has continued throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, and a story that deserves to be learned about and that answers the question posed in this vid.
Its why i say america is a teenager, they have a lot of angst, we in the UK are more mature becuse we did it all centuries before, america think they know the best, exactly like a teenager, but we cant send them to their room
@@Greenwood4727 Yeah, problem is “more mature” suggests wiser or better and becoming a legal adult doesn’t necessarily make you either. I’m sure you know “legal adults” who are not as grown up as some teenagers. Likewise, having more history doesn’t necessarily make a nation wiser or better than younger nations - but that history, and how the nation responded to and developed through that history, will explain why it is where it is today.
I live in the UK. 30 days plus bank holidays. I had to negotiate this as I had 27 in my previous job. Planned holiday: took a Friday off in August, so I could attend a wedding in Germany. I have three days to visit friends in Carmel, California (the hubby is an air steward)in September, a week in Orlando in September, a few days to go to Germany for Octoberfest, another few days to see family in Birmingham, a week at Christmas to Wales to see family, two weeks in Feb in Capetown South Africa to see friends, a week or two in Spain in May time. I also had a major operation 15 years ago, working for a French company in the UK, I had roughly 1 year off full pay over 1 and 1/2 years as I was in and out of work. I felt really valued and worked really hard for that company before I left years later.
Following a hernia operation I just had to get a “Sick Note” from my doctor every few weeks, this was handed to my employer who could then reclaim some of the cost of my “sick pay” back from the government. If you are sick for more than 3 days you require a sick note, less than that you self certify.
It's seven days now. "Employees can take time off work if they’re ill. They need to give their employer proof if they’re ill for more than 7 days." (Source: www.gov.uk)
I couldn't believe from watching various reaction channels that people in the USA only get 2 weeks paid holiday. That was the norm in the UK way back in the 50's and 60's! So the USA is 60 years out of date compared to the UK and Europe. In the 1970's employers generally gave 3 weeks paid holiday, and then over the years it increased to 20 days, then 25, etc. I noticed the guy in the video had worked for a pizza company and went in when he was sick. That would not be acceptable over here when someone was handling food, and thus ran the risk of passing on germs.
As an Aussie the company I worked for had a system where if you had to go into hospital for any serious illness they gave you 2 weeks unpaid and then up to 8 weeks fully paid leave and that was on top of your normal leave entitlements
A couple of years ago my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the illness developed I explained to my employer that I needed to have time off work to take care of her, which included taking her to hospital and back home when needed, and other things. I explained to my employer that a needed a balance between work & home, & I suggested to my employer that initially I come to work and just work half days - leaving work to go to my mother’s home at lunch time & for the rest of the day. Then when the time comes, as the illness progresses, I would need to be away from work full time, until the inevitable happened. My employer agreed to the initial half days off, with full pay. Then full pay when I needed all day off. This continued up until & including the time my mother went into a hospice. I’m not in a particularly high position within the company I work for. My co-workers were also very supporting. I live & work in the UK. On a different note, when someone is off work due to illness, or an operation, they will be assessed at my employers Occupational Health Centre on return. They will put a plan together to ‘ramp up’ the employees work to a normal level, with regular assessments along the way. The work ramp up might take several weeks. UK employers I’ve worked for tend to have a duty of care towards employees. It’s in the best interests for all concerned. It amazes me that a modern forward looking country like the USA can seem so backward at times, and it’s saddening that many Americans see it as normal and are resigned and accepting of it. I can’t help thinking that part of the issue in the USA might be that government and its representative only take care of and listen to people and organisations that have money, and are therefore in a position to influence government policies and law? Who is looking after the worker? On two occasions my employer has sent me to work abroad for 4 weeks as part of a team, then later for 5 weeks. During that time I receive my normal salary. Plus the same amount again, in cash, for expenses. Half of which is receiptable, the other half I get to keep and spend on whatever I want, without the need to provide evidence. The hotels already been paid for by my employer, and doesn’t come out of the receiptable ‘expenses’ money I’m given.
Before I took early retirement, as I could afford to on my company pension, I was entitled to 5 weeks annual leave plus 35 days paid leave ( lieu days) because I was a shift worker in a stressful job…….High Speed Train Driver. I was also guaranteed a minimum two rest days a week, which I could work if I wanted to. I used to work right through the British summer without taking any annual leave, and then take two months off in the winter to travel to Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, or around the South Pacific. It was fantastic. That’s why I’m loyal to my trade union; because they fought for those conditions.
Sounds like a great life,but the rest of us who actually USE the rattlers,are getting rinsed on fares and now dumped on by striking drivers who want MORE than even you enjoy. They should get real and look around.
@@TheCornishCockney its not the drivers who are getting all that money, it's the wealthy owning class. Look at the cost of trains in UK vs elsewhere in Europe.
@George People deserve to be able to take time off work without finding themselves in financial hardship. We don't live to work, we work to live. And despite our relatively good statutory holiday situation in the UK, companies still make hefty profits... The cost of living crisis at the moment is being fuelled by excess profits of companies - which is causing inflation. Also, final point. Companies don't give holidays out of the goodness of their heart. Its been clearly shown that workers that are given adequate time for recreation work better overall, and actually generate more profit for companies in the long term. Even if this point wasn't true (which it is), we should still support paid holidays to ensure people actually get time to live their lives, see their families, spend time with their kids, pursue hobbies/passions. The world should be organised to benefit the people that live in it, not the extreme minority who hide the behind social constructs we call corporations.
@George Ukraine war? That has had a huge effect on Europe. You sound like you’re trying to defend the indefensible. Paid leave is what FIRST world countries make law. The US worships the mighty dollar and the vast majority of the population is shat on by successive governments,if you can call that circus a government. Just have a listen to exiled Americans living and working in Europe. Most don’t want to come back to your cruel country.
I actually forgot to take about 4 days off two years ago and my boss got in trouble with HR for it (I did explain what happened so I don't think he was in any real trouble), I'm now in the weird position of having my boss constantly encouraging me to take time off because he doesn't want a repeat of last time 😂
I had one job where we had to request four weeks of our annual leave a couple of months before the annual leave year started. It's difficult to predict that far in advance when you'd like to take your holidays so I used to urge people to request Christmas/New Year and August because you can usually swap those periods with someone who may have the weeks you want. It usually worked.
I'm using 10 days leave to go to Italy later this month. But I've also had enough leave to take off time over Christmas, take a week off for my birthday, random days here and there to just chill out etc. It's awesome
I've been to Barbados for 2 weeks, Menorca (a Spanish Island) for 2 weeks. I've just been to a festival and had a week off to recover, I'm going to go skiing later in the year then have the days between Christmas and New Year off. I hope that you guys can get some change over there, it does make a big difference to stress and job satisfaction
We had a few guys working in the US for a UK company, they couldn’t get their heads round that they were expected to take the 6 weeks annual leave that they were given. Had to keep emailing them to remind them, they also struggled with the sick leave concept.
Before I retired my job in the UK I had 6 weeks paid leave plus National holidays and a 4 day week. I calculated that I worked 150 days a year. I also had 6 months paid sick leave if required.
As an Englishman in the UK the more I learn about the employment and health systems in the USA I do wonder how they can act like the pinnacle of western civilization. We have some MAJOR problems in the UK but I could never see myself living in the US with how they treat their own people as a resource rather than people.
Agreed
I get 35 paid days leave a year that I can take whenever, the only stipulation is I am not off for more than 21 days in 1 go. For a country that considers itself 'free' America has a long way to go!
I don't see anything free.
In the UK at least, there used to be regulations (whether they still exist I've no idea) that if you worked for a financial institution of any sort, you were required to take at least 1 two-week holiday. The theory behind it was that if you were off that long your work would get parcelled out to other employees and if you were somehow fiddling the books then you were more likely to get caught.
@@_starfiend - These days,companies use agency workers to take up the slack.
@@cornishmaid9138 Agency workers and zero hour contracts are not quite the same thing. I was an IT contractor for many years and my contracts always stated that I had so many hours a week, always above 35 but varied from company to company. However as a contractor, even on high pay rates, I had to sort out holiday pay/sick pay myself out of what I was paid. As well as both ers and ees NI and all of PAYE. IR35 has screwed that up big time though. Zero hours contracts are different in that these are people who are directly employed by the company, but are not guaranteed any work.
@@_starfiend I worked for a bank for 16 years but have never heard of that.
I moved to the UK two years ago, I'm still getting blown about by culture shock. Mostly recently, I started a new job and got COVID on the 2nd day of training. I was terrified, made me even sicker thinking about having to tell my boss that I tested positive for COVID and that I felt like I was getting thrown against a wall over and over again. Turns out, they were fine with it. Told me to go rest, and that we'd pick up training again after I felt better. Absolutely stunned me.
I'm from the UK and if u just ring ur boss up and go yeah I'm ill without even sounding ill they'll never question it you always get the day off lol
@@ATOMiiCChicken I called in sick new years day sounding perfectly fine and they didnt bat an eye. They prolly thought I was most likely hungover of course, but I genuinely always get sick on new years because I just visited all my friends and family over christmas, so will have picked up all sorts of viruses while travelling.
@@ATOMiiCChicken if there is football on, then you might get a raised eyebrow...
We don't want you to spread your sickness into the workplace. If everyone gets sick then nothing will get done. So please, do stay home and don't give your bug to us.
@@pennyaccleton6227 yeah that's the general mindset we have towards sickness. Stay home and rest so we don't get your illness and you can heal and get back to work faster, a sick employee is an inefficient one and if you don't rest you'll be sick longer.
Don't forget these rights where hard fought for by our Grandparents and Great Grandparents, by being unionised and organised! Not just given to us by Goverment and nice bosses.
I don't know why but I read unionised as un ionised, as in radiation.
No the EU did this not the UK, watch as they start to be removed/amended
Government with an N in it.
@@fionagregory9147 *has
@@paddy1144 The EU didn't exist 200 years ago .
In the UK, 20 years ago, when my mother died suddenly, my manager saw my face as I received the phone call. Immediately, she stopped the call she was on and came and put her arms around me while I cried. She then got a colleague to drive me home to be with my family. They even got someone to drive my car to my house at the end of the day. I was then told "to come back to work when I felt ready and to not worry about a thing". I was off work for 2 weeks what with arranging funeral etc, then I needed to go back to work just to get back to normality and distract myself from mourning. I didn't lose a single day of my 28 days holiday entitlement. I received full pay throughout. My colleagues and manager picked up the slack so I didn't come back to a massive pile of work when I returned. They also all turned up at the funeral for me. This isn't uncommon in the UK, but I fear it has gotten worse recently perhaps. We also get paid lunch breaks and public holidays on top of holiday entitlement. I know the current semi-Trumpist government in the UK would love to destroy workers rights to make us more like the USA, but so far this hasn't happened. All I can say is, if a messed up country like the UK which still has a monarchy and class system, can manage to provide these basic rights, it should be so much better in a great republic like the USA which, after all, rebelled against said monarchy in 1776 to become a country governed "by the people, for the people". Now... don't believe any bull about UK workers being lazy - I work 60 hour weeks regularly now I am self-employed and now plenty of people in employment who do 50+ hours as well BUT they get overtime payments beyond 40 hours. I believe the American people deserve better. I've visited many times and love your country for all its flaws, just as I love my own for all its flaws. But - we can and we must do better. Please feel welcome to come to live and work over here anytime (as long as you can get past all the paperwork lol). You'd be most welcome 👍
Its basically the same here in Australia. The day my MiL passed away, I showed up to work and my supervisor(not even my manager) could see I was distraught so she asked what was wrong then told me to go home until I was feeling ready to come back to work. Mind you, this was a smallish company and they really liked to look after their employees for the most part.
I was told by a person that when he was working in the 1970's, he got rung up, not by his Union, but by the Accounts Payable Department, or it was Human Resources I think, and was told that he had NOT TAKEN ENOUGH sick leave that year.
He worked for The Ministry of Defence
A vry jaded and unfair take on the UK here !
First off, America became a republic BECAUSE BRITSH settlers fell out with the Monarch, not Americans. Secondly, the royal family have NO input into British politics. We have separation of Parliament, who h ave all the power, and the
Monarchy who are figureheads and are a welcome link between Government
and the people.
God bless you
I remember as a young student it was a dream to move to America. Soon as I learned of the working culture I was like no way.
as an american i don’t blame ya
When I lost my Husband in 2010 my bosses told me to go to my gp and get a 6month sick note for stress through bereavement. This I did was paid fully throughout.
Same happened to me. Also offered bereavement counselling.
Are you in the Uk or Us?
@@elizabritton4039 UK
In 2011, I had a heart attack at work, ambulance called, took me to hospital and discharged 4 days later, no cost to me, other than my digestive system due to the poor hospital food lol, then signed off work for 6months on full pay, after 6 months my company took me back on a 3 day week for 3 months (still on full pay) to see how I coped, then back to 5 days a week after the 3 months. Still had my holiday entitlement left, which back then was 20 days a yr. 🇬🇧
@@elizabritton4039 I would guess UK!
America needs to learn how to 'Work to Live' rather than 'Live to Work' - and not be terrified of Social Democracy - after all it's all for the human rights of the workers to have a decent life.
It just amazes me how people don't understand what socialist policies and socialists have given us. Whinging on about socialists without realising that without them, we wouldn't have paid holiday, paid sick leave, maternity cover, minimum wage, basic stuff. That's before we get to such wonders as the NHS, it's horrendous that so many people are an accident or illness away from complete financial ruin, and more than happy with that, to the point they have been conditioned to fight for it, not against it. "most" Americans really are as stupid as people think.
They scream commie when u say that
@@1nikg 😅😅😅😅
@@1nikg Even though communism and Socialism are 2 completely different ideologies.
The worst thing is corporations have managed to put this seed in US culture that socialism is a bad thing
A fellow teacher had an elementary aged child suddenly die. A bunch of us donated some of our sick days to her so she could have time to recover. The school system was not happy but was basically shamed into allowing the donation.
Holy crap. And the way so many in the US are so proud of their supposed following of Jesus and his teachings.
Luckly we have grief paid days off in Italy when a relative die
I'm self employed in the UK which means I don't get paid holidays etc but that is my choice, I still get healthcare through the NHS and access to statutory sick pay or maternity pay if I need it. I really feel giving US employees more time off would enable them to maybe broaden their horizons and understand that a lot of what happens in the US is not considered normal by the rest of the world.
well you do, but your paid holidays get paid to you by your own income, for what ever job you are doing your own pay rate should be higher than if you worked for a company. so therefore you wont get paid when you are off beacuse you pay is spread out through the year, same with being sick, plus alot of stuff you can claim back from the goverment like VAT, etc
@@RChamberlain96 that's true although being a Childminder my hourly income is less than minimum wage thanks to the awful funding level. So when I work full time and after expenses don't earn enough to pay tax I really loose out if I take time off for any reason but that is my choice. In any other sector I could charge a much higher hourly rate but that doesn't happen in childcare unfortunately.
@@kimbarnetson3297 ah I see, your in one of the important jobs what people need, yet no real funding :( just love how the country less people down :(
@@RChamberlain96 you hit the nail on the head 😄
Just to let you know it was the strength of our unions in the uk that fought for these conditions.
It was also decent politicians who actually worked to better the common man.
And its also the strength of these unions which are holding the government to random. (I am looking at you RMT!!!)
which drove out business and now look. we have few jobs, virtually no industry. and stagnant wages for over a decade. good job, unions, good job you screwed us in the long run for short term wins. almost all of the UK might as well be the story of Detroit when it comes to unions. What you gonna do, quit your job for a better paying one. in a business that LEFT THE COUNTRY.
@@MinkieWinkle keep tugging that forelock like a good little production unit, it's cute. And when automation has made you entirely obsolete, don't go crying about it, just say "thankee sir!" Because you don't need no representation - you're hard!
@@ginamcgill7054 unions is exactly why automation has accelerated. Do not have to deal with ungrateful people.
The more you unionised the more they automate.
Look at the automotive industry, unions killed Detroit, despite Ford paying fantastic wages. The unions kept pushing. You know what happened, car manufacturers left detroit, killing what was one of the richest manufacturing hubs in the world.
They all left. All automated, and now do not have to deal with people. On mass. Only a few people compared to the assembly lines that were once in detroit.
I'll be holidaying in Pennsylvania USA again this year , as I have done for the past 25 years . Why ? Because , as a long term employee , I was entitled to 28 statutory annual leave days , plus Bank Holidays , plus added long service days . In all almost 50 days a year . This meant I could travel to USA and spend most of the summer , or winter vacation , with my American grandchildren . Wonderful .
Did my grandchildren ever come to UK to visit me ? No ! Why ? Because their educated , well paid , middle class parents are only entitled to an absolute maximum of 10 days holiday each a year . Which they could not co ordinate to be off at the same time . Also they cannot take all the 10 days off for one holiday . The most they are allowed to take is 6 days consecutively .
So now , as a 70 year old British pensioner I will be making the arduous , and exhausting , over 28 hour , door to door journey to see my American family again this winter . Because US employment practices do not allow for them to come to me .
And whist in America hardly a day goes by when I don't Thank God for UK Employment Law , National Insurance [ NHS ] , Education , Social Housing , Sick Pay , Anti-Discrimination Law , Holiday Pay , Unemployment Benefit , Maternity Pay and Maternity Leave and yes, my State Pension . All provided by the taxes I , and others , paid into whilst employed . Also the ability to join , and be represented by , a Trades Union without fear of discrimination.
I really believe that the American Dream was only an hallucination which has now turned into a nightmare for many , many Americans .
,
You are a pensioner would be better off if you worked and retired in the US. The median retirement fund in the US is about $1.5m with the median retired income being about $70,000 per year.
I suppose you can sit and boast about how great things are in council estate Britain.
@@bighands69 a little bit judging aren't ya 🤣 how do you know the size of her pension 🤭 and as for council estates go. I grew up on a council estate, I thought it was pretty rough until I went to the US. I'm pretty sure that there is no council estate in the UK has had the pleasure of being labelled "Third world conditions of absolute poverty" by the UN, unlike parts of the US. This is the richest country in the history of mankind!! How is this happening??
@@bighands69 Bollocks You forget anyone can google and the average monthly pension is about $1,600.
@@bighands69 Nearly 50% of Americans have no meaningful retirement fund at all, at least the UK have council estates to sit and boast in, lol
@@2clips2pins
Same as an activist writing a big long comment on American workers and using their british welfare state experience as some form of qualifier.
I have worked in both the UK and America and can see nonsense when it is written on comments.
I've watched a few videos where Americans living abroad have been asked "What made you realise America really messed you up?" There were three common themes i.e. lack of universal health care, lack of paid holidays - usually by law - for employees, and gun violence.
Knife violence too. Despite the American propaganda their rates for knife crime is a lot higher than the UK. Embarrassing
@@MaxKingsley72 Indeed you are right. The almost standard response of gun nuts when you merely comment on the gun deaths in America (more than all developed countries combined) is to come back with "What about knife crime in the UK?" so I actually looked it up and yes, far more capita knife murders in the USA than the UK. On the list of safest countries in the world, the USA is depressingly low at 122nd (UK 33rd)
I have watched those same videos. Some people are not returning to the US because they have a chronic condition and can access healthcare for a fraction of the cost in the US.
Making weapon's of DEAD there money in that not Sick people that will cost them money
Any American that lives abroad either comes from a wealthy trust fund supporting family or they are a bit stupid.
America produces everything it needs by it self and does not require any commie country for support.
There is not one European country out there that could support without American help. All that fancy medicines issued in Europe coming on the backs of hard working Americans. But guess what that is all coming to an end and if you live in Europe you are about to witness American withdrawing it support.
But I suppose europe and their better together nonsense will withstand all of that.
I came from a country that had similar employment laws to the US, when I moved to the UK I was shocked at the end of the year when my boss forced me to take the whole of December off and then paid me for it (and still got a performance bonus). I felt guilty the whole time and stressed I wasn't gonna have a job when I got back. Cut to 7 years later, still working and still get forced to take time off cus i always forget i can take leave, it's awesome to be treated like a human being and not a slave. Not to mention if I have any personal emergencies, the company I work for let's me take time off to sort it and they don't take any of my holidays or sick days from me.
My work let's me sell my holidays on a pro rata basis. Only a few days a year, but little bit extra in my account is always great. You can also buy more leave. work gives 30 days +"company holidays" (ie Christmas to new year when the place is closed). I
Compared to British and European labour laws, America is a 3rd world country !
My mum (UK) is very stubborn about going home sick, so her boss will have to "force" her to go home, he also told her that she had to take a couple of days off in my sumer holidays to spend with me. He also often lets her have paid half days off without using up her holiday for her regular hospital visits. It's insane to me that that could be strange to anyone.
Imagine having a baby and having to go back to work almost straight away. Unbelievable to me!
Plus paying thousands to give birth 😒
@@101steel4 And that's just an average birth.
@@101steel4 And an extra $40--$50 for skin contact with the newborn. Jeez!
@@101steel4 😲😲
There was a joke about it in Men Behaving Badly. Gary stating if men gave birth, they'd do it in their lunch and be back at work for the afternoon.
Historically The trades union movement in the UK ( and to some extent in Europe) has been fundamental to fighting for and securing both basic rights at work and democratic rights.
Power to the people. 💪🏾
Strike action is definitely back with a vengeance.
If onIy those same unions were fit for purpose today.
The thing is the US had a powerful union movement, but it was crushed, Thatcher tried the same in the UK but I'm glad the unions are starting to be more vocal again over here, we need the union movement now more than ever and I'm glad the US union movement is on the rise, workers need protections from these big corporations who don't care one iota for us only their dividends and bonuses.
@@cr9153 oh please, the unions will cut their nose off the spite their face .
take Unite as an example. BA was already offered a 8 percent pay rise, then that was not good enough. okay they it was increased to 18 percent, and unite still wanted to encourage it's members to strike, even after 18 percent!!!! and more rises to come next year to in April.
unite screwed BA workers during the pandemic. their whole tactic was, ignore BA, and let BA come to the Table. BA just did what it wanted uncontested. stupid tactic.
And when BA came back and offered what is considered a very generous increase for any industry. 18 percent, in a time when almost everywhere else is getting 3 percent if they are lucky. unite still wanted to strike. which would result in NOTHING AT ALL
Unite is a joke.
Always remember this, you will never see a poor union rep. the unions only care about packing their own pockets from poor workers that think they are being looked after.
Ironically, in the UK wages were much higher in real term before the unions rose to power. why? massive wage competition. but now, with far fewer employers left in the UK compared to the past. there is not wage competition, almost entirely down to the unions
@@cr9153 Truss is going to try to trash whatever labour rights we have, under "bonfire of regulations". Just watch
Joel is starting to learn how bad they get screwed in the states, its really sad bro, I don't understand how corporation's are more powerful than government, it feels so alien to me that people have to go through this in 2022😅🤦♂️
USA should really consider joining 21st century
Unfortunately the UK is starting to head the same way as the USA with Corporations & Big businesses controlling the Conservative Government and the efforts to privatise the NHS to run on an insurance based system as you have.
@@jazmo6662 Very true Jazmo.
Yes like @@jazmo6662 we're slowly slowly heading that way, they really want to fully privatise the NHS and have cooperations take over major services its actually quite mad. Conservatives have mucked us over
and no matter how I vote, nothing seems to change.
Australian here: we get a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation + 2 weeks of sick leave each year + every 7-10 years we get Long Service Leave which is an additional 2-3months paid vacation (varies by state).
So far this year I have visited Singapore in April, Bali in July and in November I’ll be doing a cruise around the South Pacific.
My company basically forces people to take their Annual Leave near the end of the year if they've not used enough of them. They consider it a health risk if you don't have enough days off to have a break from work and come in with a fresh mind.
By the way, I went to Spain for around 2 weeks and am going to Paris for a long weekend later in the year. Before I went to Spain my boss also made it very clear to colleagues to not bother me while I was away so I could have a decent break, which is the general culture and he would have been encouraged to take this approach going all the way up to the top of the business.
When I used to work in the office, I would be sent home to recover with sick leave even though I was mostly fine and just had a bad cough.
Crikey where did you work ?
@@anntaylor3131 UK
That's also how it works in Finland, most of the time - you have to use your vacation days within a year or so.
He’s barely touched the surface on the differences in workers rights. UK workers have the right not to suffer discrimination at work on the basis of their sex, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation and age. Everyone is entitled to join a union (though their employer doesn’t have to recognise that union), and cannot be less favourably if they do. After two years of employment people also have additional protections against being fired unfairly and if they are made redundant they are entitled to redundancy pay. We also have a national minimum wage and entitlements to breaks during work as well as an upper limit to how many hours a person can work.
Most of the employment rights we have in the UK are very similar to the arrangements throughout Europe, so they are by no means unique.
This wasn’t true tho in my experience in uk I was discriminated all throughout work for every job. You can’t do this you’re a woman you will need a 16 year old boy to help you or do it for you for example. When I did the work boss claimed I couldn’t have done it n the boy must have helped me n he gave him the credit for the work. Whenever the other workers went off drinking sick leave due to hangovers I was made to do their shifts back to back for days only 4 hrs a day to sleep n eat wouldn’t let me off to the loo even n I got under the minimum wage while they got over it coz they were males. Even tho I was promised A rise. n not wanted because of my gender I got fired for no reason. Boss told me he didn’t want to hire a female but by law he had to have me on for a trial of 14 days n planned to fire me after that. Next job boss was a female n gave me a hard time n said she will have me fired n will make up a reason to do so.
N bru wanted to blame it all on me coz I was discriminated in both jobs n cut benefits. Had a huge fight on my hands for my human rights.
Traumatised me about the workforce that n my guidance school teacher n homeless unit officer told me they want me not to find work n live on the streets. Police n support slow blackmailed me to talk about my traumas or I’ll be put out on the streets homeless without help or support. My abusive mother also would lock me out the home when I was only 10 or 11 saying she didn’t want a daughter that it was her home n I was a guest there. Bro did it to me when I was 6 n then again threatened to kick me into the streets while abusing me coz I defended myself n other siblings. The bru crap n mistreatment was disgusting too that was the worse don’t want to pull that up.
These things have scarred me
I’m where I should be now but it terrifies me my future where I’ll be then
As for gender discrimination
there’s still a gap in wages of genders.
May I add the bosses bullied me too they would make fun of me colleague n bosses would laugh at me on the cctv footage in the office slander me claim I was stealing when I never stole anything mock me for how I handle my work. It was constant bullying.
But I know it to be worse in USA than here with that tho.
Not for long unfortunately. The tories are getting rid of that.
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677 That's just working for a shitty employee. The rights still exist and you could have taken them to a tribunal hearing and probably walked away with a sizable chunk of money. I don't want to victim blame you but there is laws to protect you against those things.
That is the law here as well.
@@healingandgrowth-infp4677 Interesting that EVERY job you ever had people discriminated against YOU. You sound like you have a lot issues going on besides viewing that people are discriminating against you, laughing at you, mocking you, bullying you etc etc.
I recently had to take 5 months off work due to illness and got paid for it's entirety (SSP (statutory sick pay) from the government plus sick pay from my employer). I got pretty much the same as I normally would had I have worked). Also, the company I work for (Waitrose) put me on a 'phased return', meaning I actually worked less hours, which was increased by an hour a week until I got back to my normal working week (about 5 weeks in total), yet got paid in full as if I'd worked my full hours.
In addition to this, I had weeks holiday booked from before I fell ill. As this week happened while I was off sick I got that weeks holiday entitlement back
@@uncleoldman9639 I'm guessing, you also earn holiday rights for the time you were off sick.
Its the same in Denmark. The first 22 weeks its full pay
Waitrose (and John Lewis) are a fab company, would love to work for them myself!!
@@zosemabubble7825 yes, John Lewis is different, special. All large businesses should be similar.
Talking about worker's rights: A number of european countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, etc.) require companies of a certain size to have "work councils" to ensure a degree of employee participation. They have nothing to do with unions although they often cooperate. Probably the most successfull of them is the german model. The work councils are elected by the employees and posess a considerable amount of (bargaining) power within the companies, they even can elect members of the board of directors of larger companies.
They have these in the UK too
I can see how that might seem good, but also currently holding back electrification of companies like Volkswagen because they're job protectionists. Whoopsie!
Probably pretty good for getting toilet breaks though. Shame it'll now result in many of them being unemployed :(
I take part in the work council at my job at the moment. It's really a great thing to be able to be a part of the decision making, to voice the needs of your colleagues and it gives all workers in any function a good opportunity to see how decisions are made and on what basis.
I’ve been watching the USA undercover boss recently and some of the conditions people have to work in the US is ridiculous! I appreciate that some of these employees get quite a big bonus, but I did wonder up until now, why it was such a big deal, that people got “two weeks of paid leave“ as a bonus! It’s made me think that undercover boss is nowhere near, as generous, as I thought, because half of the benefits they get, is basic rights in the UK!
Here's another little kicker, while we have a national health service in the UK, you can also get private health care. The cost? Around 700-1200 pounds a year and even then you can still go use the NHS for major treatments like operations or if you're diagnosed with a chronic illness like diabetes or asthma.
😱
That's so cheap compared to when I hear american prices.
I mean. I still can't afford it! But still!
Whenever I hear about US employment rights I am reminded of the signage above Auschwitz: 'Work sets you free'
disgusting comparison. shame on you.
@@citizenpb no it's not
@@jgreen2015 you are jeremy corbyn AICMFP
Firstly, I love Evan Edinger’s videos and everything he says on these regarding UK rights is spot on. I find it frightening to think that the “Land of the Free” that tends to portray itself as being the best place on Earth and a democratic ideal is actually not at all. Sorry US citizens.
"Land of the Fee"
@@ferdelance., you are a genius.
Having generous holiday benefits actually helps our economy because we have such a large and diverse tourism sector. Whether it’s historical sites, theme parks, seaside resorts, wildlife parks, action/adventure holidays, museums, galleries, festivals, fetes, sporting events etc, there’s always something new and different to see and do and the fact that the holiday is paid means that you can afford to spend to experience these various attractions, thereby supporting millions of jobs throughout the industry.
plus happy relaxed workers work better
I remember recently a coworker of mine was AWOL for 5 weeks (no call no show) just didnt turn in to his job for 5 weeks they sent his p45 he was fired then as soon as the company found out it he left due to his mother passing, they not only cancelled the p45, aka unfiring him but also gave him full pay the 5 weeks he was off and gave him an additional month paid leave (well technically they said paid leave until he was feeling fit to work again which took him a month)
I live in the UK and have also worked in the USA, what I found remarkably so different were the people in the workforce in the USA who would come into work very sick and I would often say, hey, you should be at home in bed rather than being here, but they would often tell me that they don't have enough holiday leave to cover their sickness, I was aghast, to say the least as I was on detached duty and was getting the same rights as I did in the UK. The American worker is screwed and the Government does diddly squat to help, this has to change. I currently get six weeks paid holiday and am going to Florida in September to stay with a couple my wife and I met whilst holidaying in Mexico, this chap that I know is a CEO of a rather large computer company so whilst I am there I am going to quiz him on his staff's policy for sick leave, holiday pay, bereavement etc. He will most likely kick me out of his house lol.
yeah, good luck with that last one !
This is where you march your sick workers into the bosses office and weld the door shut.
*Genuinely, this has happened at one of my work sites because the boss demanded the person to come to work.*
I would keep that nice holiday connection if I were you. Florida is beautiful and you really don’t have to worry about the US workforce enough to lose that friendship.
@@daffyduk77 that’s just British humour. It’s called irony.
@@Silverene444 yes, as an English person I assumed he probably would skip the quizzing bit
I work in the UK and this year took 3 weeks to get married and go on honeymoon, took a week off in July to go to Hungary and Romania, and the rest is split across Christmas, Easter and the odd day here and there. I also had paid sick leave for a week earlier in the year when I got covid. Plus we have bank holidays (paid). It blows my mind when I hear about America's work system as the UK system is seen as the norm here and not 'extra benefits'. Oh and my annual leave goes up to 35 days a year once I've worked there for 5 years (started at the usual 28 days) + bank holidays.
I've got to admit that I'm actually shocked to see how poorly workers are treated over in the US. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realise it was this bad. But Evan is also right, nothing is going to change because the government listens the people with the most money, and they have corporate heavyweights using the lure of big donations to sway party policies.
In Australia, we get 20 days of paid annual leave per annum for full time workers (pro-rated for part time), 10 days of paid personal leave (it's called personal leave but I guess it's mainly used for sick days, but it can really be anything), 2 days of paid compassionate leave (for bereavements or where a member of their immediate family or household suffers a life-threatening illness or injury), paid community service leave if they are volunteers in an emergency management body (such as a rural fire brigade or the State Emergency Service) or jury duty (which is unpaid), and 5 days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave. Employees who have served more than 12 months with an employer can also get 12 months of unpaid parental leave (no distinction between maternity leave and paternity leave) as of right, and can request up to 12 months in addition. Eligible employees can apply to the government to get up to 18 weeks of wages at the national minimum wage during that period.
Yup, we have it pretty good here in Aus. Actually I took it for granted as ‘normal’ as I’ve grown up with, it’s ok to be sick, annual holidays etc etc.
Only good thing I can see, regarding the world going through Covid, is that more people have been online, and didn’t really know how bad it is in the USA re low wages, sick pay and holiday pay. But especially for Americans to see how most of the world lives re pay, holidays, cheaper meds, docs, hospitals, it actually good for them to see how other countries are cared for and treated. Now all they have to do, is to work out how to do it - not easy when the medical companies are making millions and business management don’t have to sick leave etc. Average person is being totally financially and emotionally abused. If another country did that to them, boy would they fight for their rights, but with their own rich countrymen, average American feel totally useless. Something has change.
Don't forget the Long Service Leave entitlements we have in Australia.
You also have the statutory/state/national holidays, which would be around 10 days a year?
@@DD-wd7ku thus my , etc, etc in my comment re other benefits we get.
I’m never leaving Aus, I’m staying put, too old to move now, pushing 70. I’m a baby boomer, born in 50s, after WW2, so first real tough time I’ve lived through is Covid. So I can’t complain.
@@gordowg1wg145 who’s counting lol. I worked, I enjoyed all the holidays. But feel like I took them for granted, it was just normal, didn’t appreciate them as much as I should have after seeing what American doesn’t get in so many aspects of life we have here in Aus.
I recently went for an interview at a well known retail shop that sells hardware products. The first question was, "how old are you". As opposed to kicking up a fuss and saying, "your not supposed to be asking me that" I just politely told her 53. I was in an interview situation. I needed to be polite. Although,she did write it down,then speedily fled through the interview (to get rid of me). By the looks of her,she wasn't far off my age herself. Shame. I do have 35 years experience in retail. Oh,and if you're wondering,it was Wickes in Stafford UK
Yea we're far from perfect here, but compared to the states workers are treated like angels here
Report it on their social pages she discriminated against you.
@@Violet-to4qq : Surely you have got that wrong - B&Q do actively employ older people - hence the very few staff under 50!
@@robertgriffith8857 I think tha['s what she said, she just said it slightly oddly.
@@hibiscusrose6074 Can't really prove that unless they admit that the reason she is unsuitable for the job is that she's too old. Plus they can ask for your age, well technically DOB which should be on the CV anyway.
I'm from the UK and I'm currently enjoying a 4 week holiday and also have enough holidays kept over the finish for Christmas on the 10th of December and won't return until the 5th of January... none of this is including any sick days either (never take them though. Haven't had a sick day in 5 year) I've also taken 4 weeks FULLY PAID paternity leave including bonuses.
What I will say is my employer really values their staff and do go above and beyond what is required of them.
Never EVER imagined the American workforce would be treated this way. Its sickening.
I live in the UK and i took a whole year off for maternity leave, the last two of those months were unpaid. But i am so grateful that i had such a long time to look after and enjoy being a new mother before i had to think about work again. My job and pay rate was secure so i was able to walk straight back into what i had left a year ago, im also lucky that i was able to cut down my hours because i have chosen to work when my partner has days off.. meaning my child is always with a parent and not growing up in childcare.
5.6 weeks means 28 days if you work 5 days a week. That generally means 8 days of bank holidays + 4 weeks to take when you want. Usually that is 2 weeks in the summer + either 2 weeks or 2 x 1 week at another time.
before I took early retirement from the electricity industry in the UK I got 6 weeks' holiday. Rested people work harder and usually get sick less. 🙂 I'm so glad I don't live in America no health care no holidays.
The younger generations have forgotten that all meaningful gains by workers were achieved because of labor unions. Employers are not your friends. Even in the friendliest small company I ever worked for, they'd let you go in a second without regret if it served their bottom line. I worked for a gigundo corporation, Amazon, for a while in a blue collar position and, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with Amazon that a good union couldn't fix. It's said today that the pandemic has made this a worker's market, that younger people will not accept conditions that older workers tolerated. If so, I'm glad for them, but, overall, it's the business that can dictate pay, benefits, and working conditions.
Companies can only dictate workers conditions with the connivance of government, traditionally most companies in the west were corralled by government regulation.
Ok, I agree with most of what you say however, I worked for a national company with thousands of employees. My boss and his wife took me in when my marrage broke down, until I found somewhere to live and when I remarried my boss was my best man and all my depot colleagues came to my wedding, then when my wife died the same colleagues came to her funeral the company gave everyone time off to attend. Not all companies are the same.
I'm 21 and I know that, not all young people!
@@derekkelly9944 So why did the EU regulations exist?
Most people aren’t part of unions in UK and unison are shite
I am retired now but watching this realise how lucky I was to live & spend my entire working life in the U.K. & while working to travel to Europe, U.S.A., Asia & Australia on holiday over time.
I'm from the UK and have been feeling kind of depressed about the state of affairs and this comparison has really cheered me up thanks hahaha
28 working days (Monday - Friday) of paid leave and 8 unpaid public holidays is the minimum legal requirement in the UK. However many UK employers provide more paid leave. I get 36 working days of paid leave. This is not unusual across the world. America is one of the only countries in the world which has absolutely no legal requirement for employers to give their employees paid leave.
We get paid for public holidays. People who have to work them get an extra day to compensate.
Not 100% correct on the 28 days + unpaid bank holidays. Many people get the bank holidays paid then 20+ on top to pick and chose, I get 26 days paid to use whenever + 8 bank holidays paid, our offices shut on bank holidays, so we are all off. This is the case for most non-customer facing office bods.
The eight bank/public holidays are paid holidays.
In fact if you work on a Public Holiday you are entitled to double time..sadly not if you work in the food and hospitality industry
@@theart8039 It depends on your contract of employment ..bank holidays are not normally given with pay ….manufacturing for example will not honour bank holidays unless it’s Xmas day … some companies will either pay double time, time and half or a day off in lieu if they want you to work on a bank holiday. But there is no legal right to honour a bank holiday in the UK unless it’s agreed in the terms and conditions of your employment.
In my last job ( part time), I had accrued holidays and was MADE TO TAKE THEM by my boss !! " You MUST use them and go get some time away from work ".
My daughter is going to give birth soon by C.SECTION.
Doctors, midwives, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetist, stay in hospital, after care........ALL FREE. Time off work with pay....1 year ! GOOD OLD UK.
The NHS is not free. It is very expensive. We pay for it in taxes.
@@marieparker3822 generally, when people say "for free" in that context, it means "at no charge". Saying "it isn't free, it costs a lot in taxes" is as pedantic as saying "public roads aren't free to use, they cost tax money" or "fire fighters don't put fires out for free, you pay when they put out a fire because taxes". Americans pay taxes and *still* have to pay for Healthcare on top of that; we buy for-profit insurance to pay for for-profit Healthcare. But tell most that they'd save $10,000 in inefficient Healthcare costs by spending $1,000 more in taxes each year, and they filter out everything except "$1,000 more in taxes".
It results from a confluence of factors:
1) America was never _really_ about "Freedom"; It was about *Liberty.* Freedom implies a broad kind of unrestricted state, where few, if any, restrictions apply. Liberty, on the other hand, has a more narrow nuance, referring to being free from arbitrary or unreasonable restrictions and having independence to make one's own choices as they are personally applicable. Americans want the _Liberty_ to make decisions, even bad, costly, inefficient, stupid decisions. So, between handing a small amount of tax money to a *remarkably* corrupt, inefficient government to pay for public Healthcare (which, honestly, could _easily_ just be rolled into Tricare, our military insurance program), or spending a large amount of money at our own discretion to the doctors and insurance that we determine, by capitalist metrics, to be "best", many Americans want to pick the latter.
2) As already stated, our government is very untrustworthy and corrupt. Even if we *could* get most Americans on board with the idea of public Healthcare, we fear the money would be squandered/diverted and we would suffer as a result.
3) The "Red Scare" deeply affected our culture even till today and the stigma against Communism, and by association Socialism and anything with "socialist" or "social" in its name, is still strong. The mere notion of someone spending "their" money to treat "some one else's" illness is revolting to many; completely ignorant to the fact that this is how private insurance already works, and they skim profit off the top, too. Most Americans want to think they are "self-reliant" and their money is "self-made", when there is no such thing anywhere in the world. "In order to be a self-made man, one would need to have given birth to oneself, breastfed oneself as an infant, raised oneself as a child, constructed all of society's infrastructure upon which one relies to produce one's wealth, retroactively become the progenitor of all mankind to create the historic foundation into which they arrived onto the Earth, and before any of that one would need to have created the very Universe; only then can one truly consider their fortune to have been earned solely by their own efforts and have a reasonable argument as to why they owe no one else any part of it."
It’s videos like this that make me realise how lucky I am to have been born in UK. Things I just take for granted. I remember after I’d had my son, he’s now 11, I got full pay for months before it dropped a bit, think I was on leave about 7 months maybe, then when I went back I was able to dictate the hours I wanted to my employer and those hours never changed.
@George What are you talking about? I didn’t even mention 30 days holiday.
We have got a lot to be thankful for here in the UK when it comes to workers right BUT it's not down to the government, not fully. It's because we have something called "workers unions" who fight on behalf of the workers. The government are just there to enforce the agreed upon rights the unions fight for. It's why the UK has had so many strokes over the years and why we still have them on a regular basis (like the rail and postal strikes at the moment) to fight for the rights you're learning about in this video. I just wanted to clear that up. Great video thought keep it up.
Writing from Germany. The company I work for gives 30 days of paid leave. I take two 3-week vacations a year, which I spend discovering Europe.
4:23 You’re absolutely correct: The system is designed in such a way that you have trust issues with everyone because you feel no one can keep you updated on Schoolwork but yourself.
Just so you know! I am 75 and retired age 60 with a State Pension. All my working life I paid National Insurance contributions - taken from my wage at source and only a very small percentage - this pays for health care and the State Pension plus other benefits! 20 years ago I got an unusual form of arthritis and 13 years ago this had advanced to a stage it seriously affected my mobility and ability to cook, clean etc - so I now claim an allowance for my disabilities, both to help get about and to make home life easier. So, age 75, I get free health care, free prescribed medication, a pension and an added allowance for my disabilities! I was actually born before we had any of these but they were introduced and have produced a healthier population and no-one need work when ill, or starve when elderly or infirm. The 'American Dream' in this 22nd year of the 21st century is possibly to move to the UK - with honourable basic human rights to a reasonable life! 😎
Fortunate for you but for others like myself, i’ll likely be contributing to NI contributions until I’m 70 considering there raising the retirement ages multiple times. Our countries borrowing have been sky high and no doubt we will have to repay that, i’ll be dead before i reach retirement age, that is the plan of our government to cover their mistakes and corruption….
@@kevinclasher3160 That's why I have 5 pensions on the go, two of these are in the high risk and are doing so much better than the low risk.
I'm 62 female to get my state pension I will have to be 66 1/2 with the new changes ....
If you purchase insurance you expect to be paid when you make a claim - the NHS is 'pre-paid' by the majority of users, so it is not free. Children do not pay so they can claim that it is free as can immigrants who have never paid into the system. As you paid into the system it is only proper you get the benefits .- The government entered into pension arrangements - but they keep moving the goalposts.
Eloquently put.
I’ve visited the US and loved it,I found the people friendly and outgoing and still have 4 friends I regularly keep in touch.
Last year one of them came over and stayed with us for two weeks with his wife.
When it came time for them to leave,his wife DID NOT want to go,she loved it so much here in Cornwall on the big toe of England.
They are now at visa stage,he’s found a job in Devon,a tech company.
They can’t wait.
It makes me very angry that such a great people as ordinary Americans,are getting shafted daily by sheer naked greed.
Disgusting,and they have the bloody cheek to lecture the rest of the world about human rights !!
Americans,do whatever you can to lobby for yourselves.
There must be a wealthy person somewhere in the states who is also angry at the vile treatment by successive generations governments to its own people, who started at the bottom and could get a movement going.
Something big has to happen ffs.
Jps is growing up lol. He's got the starts of a beard. It's so funny to go back to his early vids a see the difference 😂
I got injured in a horrendous accident, and was off sick for 4 years on full pay. I know that it's different as I was in the military at the time, but it was great fun winding someone up who was supposed to be a friend.
Here in Spain, I had one year sick leave, 100% paid (70% the first month). IS the doctor who decides how many time you need the sick leave and you send the doctor's papers to HUman Resources. That's all.
I work a for a UK company that gives me something called dependency days if needed. These are used if a dependant (child, spouse or someone else you need to care for like a close family member) needs help due to illness etc. It's not part of your paid leave or your sick leave, it's just what it says. My father was taken seriously ill and rushed in to hospital earlier this year, I called my boss to explain and he just instantly says: "log off your computer now and take the rest of the week off and if you need more time give me a call". When your worried about a loved one and you hear that, it just instantly takes away any extra work related concerns and lets you consecrate on the immediate issue.
Leave for dependents is a statutory right that applies to all workers in the UK.
And doesn't that want to make you loyal to the company as well ?
Now, Joel, you get why so many of us said you missed out THE best pro of living in the UK, work-life balance. I get 28 days plus 8 days bank holidays AND my organisation allows us to buy up to 10 days extra leave, so I've got 46 days leave this year! Evan didn't mention that while you're on maternity leave, you also accrue your normal annual leave on top of your maternity leave! You wanted to know where we go with all this leave, well, I've been all over world, loads of European countries (Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Serbia), India (twice), Nepal, Peru, Costa Rica (twice), Argentina, Chile, Vietnam, Iceland, New Zealand, China. I would NEVER want to live in the US, for work-life balance reasons alone (also your gun culture is very freaky/scary).
As Joel is unlikely to get pregnant it's worth telling him about paternity leave - 2 weeks off - and shared parental leave. Oh and I forgot about flexible working and unpaid parental leave which you can use for emergencies.
Hmy old company , 25 days leave + birthday , 8 bank holidays , right to buy 5 more , hospital appointments day off with pay , sick pay pay 3 months full ,3 months half pay but if you where really I'll I mean cancer etc they would pay full , they changed due to employee's recommendation and you could buy another 5 days holiday , and after 5 years service you acreud a day a year up to 10 days , so after 15 years if you bought the full 10 days it would be 54 days holiday plus sick , yep I want to live in the USA
yep, irish guy here, i get 26 days holiday, 9 public holidays, 5 days to look after loved ones if they're sick and 2 days charity volunteering. It's magic. I never want to work in USA.
This is actually crazy to me, I receive 35 days paid holiday per year with my work and 10 days fully paid sick days. I assumed this was similar in the US, obviously I assumed incredibly wrong.
Thank your union
@@KarlHamilton don’t have one
When I was in the States someone asked how much holiday we get. They were surprised when my friend said 28 days. But that includes public holidays right? Err… no. I just kept quiet about how much I got 😆
@@KarlHamilton most people aren’t part of unions in the UK.
@@handsoffmycactus2958 Stupid people aren't, but the rest of us are.
I get 25 days plus bank holidays (10 this year normally 8) and my employer also lets me buy an additional 5 days holiday (which is tax efficient).
I went to Romania, turkey, Greece (twice), Albania, Denmark, Canada, Lanzorote, Gran Canria (twice), few trips to the country side and a few trips to Ireland to see family.
I work for a UK public sector org. I get 30 days paid leave + my birthday day paid. My organisation seperatly gave me 2 weeks paid time off when my father passed away earlier this year. And I'm entitled to 6 months full sick pay as long as I have a doctors note. Really lucky to have all of this.
What an amazing guy. Gotta love your refreshing perspective on life and countries out with your comfort zone.
Hi Joel - Definitely check out Evan's videos. He goes through everything in regard to visa's, moving to the UK etc... I'm having a stay'cation this year and will be going to Cornwall.
I live in Cornwall on Bodmin moor,and as an exiled Londoner,I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
Off to a different beach tomorrow as we have been doing all summer at least one day a week.
Tomorrow it’s Sennen Cove.
😎
Can't agree more.
Sadly in the UK there are loads of gig economy jobs with contracted hours and no holidays and no sick leave. I spoke to a delivery driver who worked 3 jobs = 60 hours a week. He had not been on hols since he started these jobs. I've also come across carers working huge hours for little pay and benefits. This did not happen very often 40 years ago. We are going backwards. Join a union folks.
Absolutely agree @Cris Savill.
@@jujulionesselsa1416 It's not actually a problem with lack of unions, though that might help, it's the fact that zero hour contracts are allowed. In fact any contract for less than 15 hours (IIRC, might be 16) the employer doesn't have to give any benefits. That's what needs to be changed. And it's the law that needs to be changed.
they changed the laws in 2020 and it changed this. You accrue holidays now on zero hour contracts and its paid on the average of your earning for the previous 12 weeks
It's the unions that are screwing workers-you pay "your" union so that the boss gets paid £130000 plus, stays in luxury hotels eats at luxury restaurants out of "union members" subs!! Most workers that go on strike are already overpaid-if you don't like the job then leave and stop screwing over normal working human beings...
@@1cadillacman While that's at least partially true: Scargill lived in a mansion even during the '85 miners strike, it's not totally true. A good union rep, and there are some, really are worth their weight in gold. Sadly too many are only in it because they think it gives them some authority that they would have no other way of getting.
my husband has been at the same company for over 30 years. he gets 28 PTO days on top of his holidays, and some sick pay. I get to "earn" my PTO hours, no paid sick days. He is CONSTANTLY off, and it drives me NUTS that I have to be careful about my PTO if I want to take 1-2 weeks of vacation a year. We are in the US, and we both WFH. I did have one job that had unlimited PTO, and that was the best time for me and my husband, we took off time together finally. Not any more :(
One of my American colleagues came to the UK recently and I was shocked when he told me that he only gets two weeks off work a year, no sick pay, no company car and no phone!
Just to clarify. Most employers in the private sector here in UK give 28 days annual leave. But that usually includes the 8 bank holidays. Which is pretty standard.
I work in the public sector and am rostered to work shifts, all hours, all days including bank holidays. We also get given 28 days annual leave. One perk we get is that our annual leave is increased with the number of years service we have done after 5 then 10 years in the NHS. I've been working for NHS for 20 years so I now get 8 weeks off a year- which I admit is wonderful and helps with the stress from the job. Don't forget I don't get bank holidays and I work most weekends. In fact I'm contracted to work 6 out of 8 bank holidays and 3 out of every 4 weekends.
I think with the US being the richest country in the world, your government would/ should be able to put in law that every citizen is entitled to at least 4 weeks off a year. As a minimum pro rata. I really.do find US working rights, tax laws and all the atrocious one sided lobbying truly despicable ( I'm not ignorant to the fact lobbying happens around the rest of the world, particularly the UK, ha hum oil cmpanies). And my heart goes out to you all over the Atlantic.
It's 29 days, 21 days legal minimum plus the statutory 8 bank holiday days. Not all employers offer additional days for long service, but many do, some will even negotiate on a starting number of days if they really want you to leave your current employer. Lobbying of ministers here in the UK is always without personal monetary gain, sure party donations are ok, but not to individuals like it is in the states, even if it is for re-election funding.
The beard is coming along nicely Joel ;).
Yeah we are quite lucky with our employment benefits over here, in mainland Europe some of them are even more generous (Scandinavian countries mainly)
The beard makes him look even better, which was previously thought to be impossible. 😅
I know right. He looks good with the beard.
I had a job uk were i worked 3wks 1 wk off one fellow worker worked is weeks off and at the end of november told manager/s see you after christmas jan 2 this is NOT fairytale but very TRUE. After telling you that it waa exepttional and extreme but true. Please wake america before its to late theres no american dream exept for the greedy ones in charge
I entered the U. S. workforce in Minnesota in the early 1970's with unionized health care jobs. Our contracts always included separately accrued sick time and vacation banks, no PTO crap. The employers (including most non-union employers) supported personnel practices that enhanced the health and safety of their workers. It was just a given. It wasn't until Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich in the 80s and 90s that the labor unions were cast as the enemy and work life in the United States headed down the sad path it's on today.
You are talking crap at best. The Unions were finished the moment they sold out the workers of America to the Democratic party.
Let me guess you support the democrats?
Not only are there very few laws regarding the above, but the majority of the time they're not enforced. The best description of the US legal system I've heard to date is, 'A law is only a law if it's enforced. In the US, if no one catches you, it's legal.' Ask anyone who's worked at Amazon or Walmart about how interested police, DA offices, or even OSHA is about even investigating let alone prosecuting 'minor' infractions. Like locking the bathroom during work hours.
Now consider, how many companies actually follow those few laws in place.
An interesting note regarding maternity/paternity leave in the UK is that there is also equivalent leave available for parents who are adopting too. One partner can take the full 52 weeks leave that is equivalent to maternity leave, and the other can take the 2 weeks equivalent of paternity leave. There is also "shared parental leave" so if the one partner doesnt take the full 52 weeks maternity/adoption leave then they can share a portion of the remaining says with their partner so they can take more than 2 weeks.
In the 15 years I have been working for my present company - I've lost both parents and a sister (to cancer )..been diagnosed with MS and moved home , the company have been absolutely superb - I was allowed all the time I need to Grieve and recouperate and to move home - no questions or pressure and never lost a single penny .This year I had 2 weeks in Greece and I have a week of in New York in December and still have 15 days left to take ( which I can carry over ) - down side , I have been made redundant ...that's life 🙂
Hahaha 😂😂😂😂😂 sorry but it was funny at the end.
I actually got paid more when I was sick, I received a average wage when I was off which was more than my basic wage. I'm so thankful for those in the UK with the foresight to bequeath us our social benefits. I'm stunned by how Americans accept being treated abysmally in all sorts of ways.
Lucky you. Most people don’t get that LUXURY In the UK. SSP only.
In Orlando at the moment. Once we are back in the UK we have another holiday booked to a Greek Island in a few weeks. My holiday allowance in the UK allows me to do this. Makes me sad that the USA does not treat it workers fairly. It’s all about the biggest business and the mighty dollar. They need a better work life balance. Life is for living not just for working
Coukd be worse. Could be China's 996
It’s called annual leave
@@handsoffmycactus2958 Or holiday
15 yrs ago my son was on life support thankfully recovered. However the elderly man in the next bed was dying, his son worked in America (English)his company gave him 2 days to fly to England to say his goodbyes. Company were not happy, I was appalled, I had unlimited compassionate paid leave. I still love America
I used to work for a company that gave the 28 days paid holiday, PLUS bank holidays paid, PLUS 2 weeks off for Christmas paid as well. Their attitude was 'if we close you can't come to work, so we'll pay you for it'. We also got a £250 food hamper at Christmas and a 10% salary bonus in July. I was gutted when I had to leave (health reasons)
Evan is definitely a great channel for you to watch as he has some great information going back years from when he first came to the UK forUni and then began working and exploring the country. Also a great series on how he became a UK citizen and the process of doing that.
I found out from my friend in California that many states (including California) are known as "at will" states, meaning that an employer can hire and fire at will with no need to give a reason for dismissal. I am disgusted!
Unfortunately, you're correct. These policies were adopted as a form of low-key union busting as it is very difficult to prove that you were fired for organizing in an at-will state. All the employer has to say is, "I no longer wanted to employ you" and that is sufficient justification.
I think its very sad that a country like the USA is so governed by money and not the happiness of their people and its riduculous to allow people to go into work sick which passes it on to other employees!!
America is basically a business, not a country. So much for the 'land of the free'.
In May I spent a week on a ship going around the fjords of Norway. In July I was in the Loire for a week. Next week I’m on a river cruise down the Rhine in Germany ending with a weekend in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In December I’m leaving the cold of London for a week in the Canary Islands. In March no had two weeks off with Covid. I didn’t have to prove it in any way at all and was paid in full. This country is far from from perfect but watching this gives me an appreciation for the good things.
I worked for Hotpoint in the uk and the entire factory would take 2 weeks of annual leave in August and close they would also pay your holiday pay on the payday before your holiday so you had money to use on your holiday
We are lucky in comparison to the US, of that there is no doubt. However, over time what we do have has slowly been eroded and unfortunately I'm sure it will get worse.
Agreed
@@Violet-to4qq Union rights, ability to withdraw labour is restricted making it far less effective.
The ability of one group of workers to support an affiliated group.
I have often taken holidays abroad from the UK and would never consider spending out for the cost of return flights to places like South America, America, The Caribbean etc, just for a week (?). I have always travelled those distances for at 'least' 14 days, but more often longer. Just to make the cost and effort worthwhile! Which may also explain why so few Americans DO actually travel to Europe or similar, if they get so little time off?
This is why you'll rarely hear a Brit say "It is what it is." If we dont like something we fight like hell to change it. That's how unions are born. We dont always like them when they call a strike etc. but we owe them a lot. And you don't always have to go somewhere when you have a holiday. Sometimes it's just nice to stay home and chill.That's not really the point. Its being able to that matters.
We do say it is what it is.
In the US, fighting will only get you stomped into the dirt by the monolithic system that is already in place.
I’ve been to Greece and going to Portugal in September… still got 15 days left to use before the end of the year!
In Germany most companies actually push you to take your holidays, many even have rules that you must take 14days back to back or provide a good reason why you did not.
Evan was saying he still has to pay tax in the USA even though he lives in the UK.That makes no sense to me.
Same. The only way not to is to give up your US citizenship for the price of $7,000 - Capitalism at its finest. All this crap about freedom and they do not have the freedom to be sick?
Its outrageous how the US treats its citizens & workers in regards to work/life balance and well being. I've gone to work with a cold before and promptly been ordered to go work from home so I don't infect anyone. In fact I've seen times where people have said they don't feel great and have been told that if they need to go offline to rest then they should do so. They of course get their full pay when not working. In the US it's case of we don't care about your health, if you aren't working we won't pay you and there's nothing you can do about it.
Its the same situation at school. Staff don't want you around other kids if you are ill as you might infect them. I went to a boarding school for three years and one year, on the Monday before half term, I was feeling rough so visited the on site medical centre. The nurse promptly told me to take myself off to one of the beds in the medical centre and then went to call my dad and ordered him to pick me up. He was told not to bring me back to school till after the half term holiday. I wasn't even allowed to rest/recover in my bed in my 3 person dorm in case I infected anyone so off home it was. It took me 3 days of bed rest to recover. There wasn't any pressure to catch up the work although I did have to catch up on some stuff I'd missed and none of my fellow students gave me a hard time about being absent. I can't imagine having such a positive experience in the US.
As for time off work, in the UK you get 20 days + 8 bank holidays in England. There are more bank holidays in Scotland. It's very common for employers to give 25 days off plus bank holidays. I get a total of 33 days off each year which is actually 34 in 2022 due to the Platinum Jubilee. Only 3 of these days are fixed with my employer so I can take 30 days off each year whenever it suits me. Again work/life balance is a big thing in the UK and you'll find managers often banging in about not overworking people and how work/life balance is important. In the US it would appear to be case of employers thinking 'how little paid time off can we get away with giving our workers each year?'
As an industrial worker, 2 of the businesses we make our products for have their break/holidays at different points in the year so just on that front we automatically get about 28 or 30 days off that is paid as if we worked our scheduled rotational shift. This blew my mind when I started as I was just ignorant on how holidays and sick pay worked and I had previously worked in a retail job with no benefits. When you’re working a very physical job you really need the days off, good pay, along with a 4day work week. I don’t think I could any sort of labouring job in America.
I work from home for a ticketing company in the UK (HQ in London) and I get unlimited holiday + bank holidays + 2 weeks at Christmas. The unlimited holiday is a minimum of 20 days with no uper limit.
So far taken/booked 26.5 days + 1 day of compassionate leave + bank holidays + 2 weeks at Crhistmas (includes 2 bank holidays)
I'm off to Turkey and Italy. I was really shocked that Americans don't get something similar to us.
You may or may not be surprised to know this Joel, but in addition to all of these work-related benefits, the UK also has a whole raft of other financial benefits to meet the needs of those who are unable to find suitable work, or who are unable to work... While the qualifying rules are tighter than they used to be and will probably become tighter still; everyone is entitled to a basic state pension when they reach State Retirement Age (currently 66-68, depending on when you were born), in addition to any private or work-related pension schemes that they may have paid into. There are different rates for single people, and for couples. People of working age who develop long term illnesses (which after six months are usually defined as disabilities) currently receive 'Employment Support Allowance (ESA)' which is paid at two rates for as long as they remain unable to work - the higher rate being paid to those who were in work and had paid a sufficient number of National Insurance Contributions in the tax year prior to when they went off sick; and the lower rate (about £30 a week less) is paid to those who hadn't recently been employed when they first went off sick. There are also universal allowances payable to families for the needs of their children; and tax allowances afforded to those who need to buy child care whilst they are at work. There are bereavement grants available to cover the costs of obtaining death certificates and for the basic disposal are of a body; as well as allowances payable to those who care for members of their family who are deemed too sick to care for themselves. Jobseekers' Allowances are payable to unemployed people who sign a contract to spend a given numbers of hours per week looking for work - which they must evidence, again relating to their National Insurance Contributions - but there are benefits payable to people who have too few or no NI Contributions; all of which include housing rent and other costs up to certain limits. This - and the lower rate of ESA, are examples of what are known as "passport benefits," whereby everyone claiming them is automatically entitled to a number of NHS benefits such as free prescriptions (in England only as prescriptions are free for everyone in Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland), as well as free eye tests, vouchers towards the cost of glasses and free NHS dental treatment. Disabled people with additional support needs are also able to claim generous funds that help them live independently and/or fund electric wheelchairs or mobility vehicles; while those who were receiving tax credits when they were employed (for me this was about £100 a week, as I had limited capacity for work), who live alone, who do not have anyone claiming carer's benefits in respect of them and who were claiming benefit arising from additional support needs throughout the period of their employment, usually continue to receive these tax credits in addition to the higher rate of ESA and the Personal Independence Payments (and any related benefits), for as long as they remain unable to work. Retired people who develop such needs can claim money to pay for people who provide them with support. There are even discretionary loan funds available for unforeseen emergencies, such as replacement of essential household appliances and equipment. Absolutely nobody with a legal right to live in the UK is left out.
Thing to remember is what you said in an earlier vid - the UK has so much more history than the US. And that’s partly the reason we see these differences in employment rights today.
Everyone knows the Industrial Revolution started in Britain - well, make that England - which means we had a head start on everyone else, for bad and good. So as the industrialised economy kicked off in Britain in the 18th century making all the stuff the world suddenly wanted, it also kicked off uncontrolled capitalism which included all those “bubble” companies, sucking in clueless investors, and exploiting workers as “wage slaves” with no rights AT ALL and often paid not in money but in tokens that could only be spent on food and clothing from the company shop (at exorbitant prices) and with no means of escape - because the wage slaves not only had no rights, they also had no real money.
So how did Britain get from that terrible starting point nearly 300 years ago, to now? Answer - history. A history of oppression, struggle, protest, riot, imprisonment or worse. You get the picture.
Because Britain was the earliest adopter of unrestrained, rampant, exploitative capitalism it was also much earlier in experiencing the dreadful social consequences, and during the 19th century successive laws were passed to bring in employment rights and protections, motivated by common sense (to avoid the violent Revolutions happening in Europe) and the growth of compassion (together with anti-slavery and so on) helped by popular writers like Dickens whose novels described in great detail the appalling conditions in which most workers lived and shocked his fans and readers (which included many British politicians) who in turn began campaigning for and demanding change.
It’s a fascinating story that has continued throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, and a story that deserves to be learned about and that answers the question posed in this vid.
Very interesting 👌
Its why i say america is a teenager, they have a lot of angst, we in the UK are more mature becuse we did it all centuries before, america think they know the best, exactly like a teenager, but we cant send them to their room
@@Greenwood4727
Yeah, problem is “more mature” suggests wiser or better and becoming a legal adult doesn’t necessarily make you either. I’m sure you know “legal adults” who are not as grown up as some teenagers. Likewise, having more history doesn’t necessarily make a nation wiser or better than younger nations - but that history, and how the nation responded to and developed through that history, will explain why it is where it is today.
I live in the UK. 30 days plus bank holidays. I had to negotiate this as I had 27 in my previous job. Planned holiday: took a Friday off in August, so I could attend a wedding in Germany. I have three days to visit friends in Carmel, California (the hubby is an air steward)in September, a week in Orlando in September, a few days to go to Germany for Octoberfest, another few days to see family in Birmingham, a week at Christmas to Wales to see family, two weeks in Feb in Capetown South Africa to see friends, a week or two in Spain in May time.
I also had a major operation 15 years ago, working for a French company in the UK, I had roughly 1 year off full pay over 1 and 1/2 years as I was in and out of work. I felt really valued and worked really hard for that company before I left years later.
Following a hernia operation I just had to get a “Sick Note” from my doctor every few weeks, this was handed to my employer who could then reclaim some of the cost of my “sick pay” back from the government. If you are sick for more than 3 days you require a sick note, less than that you self certify.
It's seven days now. "Employees can take time off work if they’re ill. They need to give their employer proof if they’re ill for more than 7 days." (Source: www.gov.uk)
I couldn't believe from watching various reaction channels that people in the USA only get 2 weeks paid holiday. That was the norm in the UK way back in the 50's and 60's! So the USA is 60 years out of date compared to the UK and Europe. In the 1970's employers generally gave 3 weeks paid holiday, and then over the years it increased to 20 days, then 25, etc.
I noticed the guy in the video had worked for a pizza company and went in when he was sick. That would not be acceptable over here when someone was handling food, and thus ran the risk of passing on germs.
Quite shocked to hear some of this! I have been a trade union rep for many years ✊
Bet you've caused some trouble in your time.
As an Aussie the company I worked for had a system where if you had to go into hospital for any serious illness they gave you 2 weeks unpaid and then up to 8 weeks fully paid leave and that was on top of your normal leave entitlements
A couple of years ago my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the illness developed I explained to my employer that I needed to have time off work to take care of her, which included taking her to hospital and back home when needed, and other things. I explained to my employer that a needed a balance between work & home, & I suggested to my employer that initially I come to work and just work half days - leaving work to go to my mother’s home at lunch time & for the rest of the day. Then when the time comes, as the illness progresses, I would need to be away from work full time, until the inevitable happened.
My employer agreed to the initial half days off, with full pay. Then full pay when I needed all day off. This continued up until & including the time my mother went into a hospice. I’m not in a particularly high position within the company I work for. My co-workers were also very supporting. I live & work in the UK.
On a different note, when someone is off work due to illness, or an operation, they will be assessed at my employers Occupational Health Centre on return. They will put a plan together to ‘ramp up’ the employees work to a normal level, with regular assessments along the way. The work ramp up might take several weeks. UK employers I’ve worked for tend to have a duty of care towards employees. It’s in the best interests for all concerned.
It amazes me that a modern forward looking country like the USA can seem so backward at times, and it’s saddening that many Americans see it as normal and are resigned and accepting of it. I can’t help thinking that part of the issue in the USA might be that government and its representative only take care of and listen to people and organisations that have money, and are therefore in a position to influence government policies and law? Who is looking after the worker?
On two occasions my employer has sent me to work abroad for 4 weeks as part of a team, then later for 5 weeks. During that time I receive my normal salary. Plus the same amount again, in cash, for expenses. Half of which is receiptable, the other half I get to keep and spend on whatever I want, without the need to provide evidence. The hotels already been paid for by my employer, and doesn’t come out of the receiptable ‘expenses’ money I’m given.
Before I took early retirement, as I could afford to on my company pension, I was entitled to 5 weeks annual leave plus 35 days paid leave ( lieu days) because I was a shift worker in a stressful job…….High Speed Train Driver. I was also guaranteed a minimum two rest days a week, which I could work if I wanted to. I used to work right through the British summer without taking any annual leave, and then take two months off in the winter to travel to Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, or around the South Pacific. It was fantastic. That’s why I’m loyal to my trade union; because they fought for those conditions.
Sounds like a great life,but the rest of us who actually USE the rattlers,are getting rinsed on fares and now dumped on by striking drivers who want MORE than even you enjoy.
They should get real and look around.
@@TheCornishCockney its not the drivers who are getting all that money, it's the wealthy owning class. Look at the cost of trains in UK vs elsewhere in Europe.
@George People deserve to be able to take time off work without finding themselves in financial hardship. We don't live to work, we work to live. And despite our relatively good statutory holiday situation in the UK, companies still make hefty profits... The cost of living crisis at the moment is being fuelled by excess profits of companies - which is causing inflation.
Also, final point. Companies don't give holidays out of the goodness of their heart. Its been clearly shown that workers that are given adequate time for recreation work better overall, and actually generate more profit for companies in the long term. Even if this point wasn't true (which it is), we should still support paid holidays to ensure people actually get time to live their lives, see their families, spend time with their kids, pursue hobbies/passions. The world should be organised to benefit the people that live in it, not the extreme minority who hide the behind social constructs we call corporations.
@George Ukraine war?
That has had a huge effect on Europe.
You sound like you’re trying to defend the indefensible.
Paid leave is what FIRST world countries make law.
The US worships the mighty dollar and the vast majority of the population is shat on by successive governments,if you can call that circus a government.
Just have a listen to exiled Americans living and working in Europe.
Most don’t want to come back to your cruel country.
I actually forgot to take about 4 days off two years ago and my boss got in trouble with HR for it (I did explain what happened so I don't think he was in any real trouble), I'm now in the weird position of having my boss constantly encouraging me to take time off because he doesn't want a repeat of last time 😂
I had one job where we had to request four weeks of our annual leave a couple of months before the annual leave year started. It's difficult to predict that far in advance when you'd like to take your holidays so I used to urge people to request Christmas/New Year and August because you can usually swap those periods with someone who may have the weeks you want. It usually worked.
Wouldn't Americans start screeching "socialism" if any of these workers' rights were implemented?
I'm using 10 days leave to go to Italy later this month. But I've also had enough leave to take off time over Christmas, take a week off for my birthday, random days here and there to just chill out etc. It's awesome
I've been to Barbados for 2 weeks, Menorca (a Spanish Island) for 2 weeks. I've just been to a festival and had a week off to recover, I'm going to go skiing later in the year then have the days between Christmas and New Year off. I hope that you guys can get some change over there, it does make a big difference to stress and job satisfaction
We had a few guys working in the US for a UK company, they couldn’t get their heads round that they were expected to take the 6 weeks annual leave that they were given. Had to keep emailing them to remind them, they also struggled with the sick leave concept.
Before I retired my job in the UK I had 6 weeks paid leave plus National holidays and a 4 day week. I calculated that I worked 150 days a year. I also had 6 months paid sick leave if required.
Civil Servant I assume!
@@Steve-gc5nt No. Privatised national company. Hoping inflation hits 11pc next month for my indexed linked pension.