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I live in a civilised country... France. We work 37h a week (in France is usually 35 but engineers do have contracts that allow for more hours but you get more

by freedom2099 5y ago

I live in a civilised country... France. We work 37h a week (in France is usually 35 but engineers do have contracts that allow for more hours but you get more vacations as compensation ). I do get 35 days of vacation a year (mandatory... you have to take them all). Sick leave is paid up to 180 days. Nobody would dare to complain to you for being sick.... I actually had a colleague that was on sick leave for 2 months then got back and after 2 weeks took 3 weeks of vacation (you keep earning vacation days even if you are on sick leave). As in most European countries my master degree in engineering was almost for free (so no debt). Working environment is very relaxed plus we are all unionised (I remember some years ago we were asked to work overtime for the firs time ever, but since it was with very short notice - for that very same evening - some people got upset and decided to leave earlier than usual... no repercussion whatsoever). Again since I live in a civilised country retirement will be taken care by the government (but I does also my employer pay a supplementary retirement plan for me). I do indeed leave 15m away from my office...my home is 50m from the beach and since covid we are teleworking 3 days out of 5 (and this is going to last forever). I am indeed lucky for having great mental and physical health (and so does every family member). But if I was ever to get sick I would get free health care from the state. There is a mix of luck (health and being born in the rich part of Europe) and wise choices (I am not a French native but I moved in the south of France to further improve my life). Point is that I don't know nobody personally that ever had a burnout... it is very uncommon here.

chefandy 5y ago
You don't have to sell me on the superiority of good infrastructure and moral labor practices. I and many people I know advocate for them in the United States, constantly. I'm sure you did make wise choices in addition to your good luck. But unless you were born to a well-to-do family in the United States, those wise choices would not have been feasible. The choices you'd make in their place, no matter how prudent you were, would likely yield less. There's a good chance you'd likely end up exactly like the OP. That's the whole point of those benefits— they aren't just for your convenience. They give you opportunities and protect you from risks through no action of your own. Not being born into those benefits is not a moral failure. Proudly pointing out your avoidance of someone else's work or mental health problems when you have vastly more work and mental health support, in general, is utterly obnoxious. It's like someone living off of a trust fund pointing out that they also made prudent financial decisions as justification for publicly touting their financial solubility in the face of someone else's poverty.

chefandy 5y ago

You don't have to sell me on the superiority of good infrastructure and moral labor practices. I and many people I know advocate for them in the United States, constantly. I'm sure you did make wise choices in addition to your good luck. But unless you were born to a well-to-do family in the United States, those wise choices would not have been feasible. The choices you'd make in their place, no matter how prudent you were, would likely yield less. There's a good chance you'd likely end up exactly like the OP. That's the whole point of those benefits— they aren't just for your convenience. They give you opportunities and protect you from risks through no action of your own. Not being born into those benefits is not a moral failure. Proudly pointing out your avoidance of someone else's work or mental health problems when you have vastly more work and mental health support, in general, is utterly obnoxious. It's like someone living off of a trust fund pointing out that they also made prudent financial decisions as justification for publicly touting their financial solubility in the face of someone else's poverty.