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> I've had a few European teammates, and they usually come to the U.S. because they can make 3-5x what they could in Europe. And as we know, the only differenc

> I've had a few European teammates, and they usually come to the U.S. because they can make 3-5x what they could in Europe. And as we know, the only difference between us and Europe is labor laws. /s

TexanFeller 4y ago
I've worked with many UK/Europeans. They are quite similar to us in skills and productivity aside from labor laws(excessive vacations, months/years of parental leave, impossible to fire etc.)
- wdb 4y ago
  Excessive vacations? What do you mean? It's not impossible to fire you only need a good cause to do so which I find reasonable.
  - TexanFeller 4y ago
    A good reason that often doesn't qualify is that business is down, macroeconomic conditions are expected to be unfavorable for the foreseeable future, and expenses, which for many businesses are dominated by salaries, need to be cut ASAP to ensure the business' long term survival and prosperity. Like now. Businesses in Europe simply have fewer options, like it's much harder to cut early and cut deep(hopefully minimizing future cuts) when trouble is ahead when you have to have protracted negotiations with unions and government agencies who have to sign off on your layoffs.
    - kramerger 4y ago
      Union negotiations are about how to organise the layoffs, not whether you can fire the workforce or not. And if you expect help from the government, you need to show that your layoffs actually have a chance to make your company survive. For example, you cannot fire the entire R&D when you are 1 year from product release.
- pleb_nz 4y ago
  I would be more inclined to say the US lacks more than Europe has excess.
dumpsterdiver 4y ago
Aside from the difference in labor laws, I've noticed a certain sense of entitlement coming from a very vocal cohort of people that appears to stem from such strong worker protections. To be clear, that cohort is entitled to the protections they so often reference. What I'm saying specifically is that sometimes it shows. Perhaps it's a vocal minority, and this doesn't actually reflect a wider trend, I don't know. Some of the rhetoric I've encountered from this cohort though has come off as downright hostile towards businesses.

TexanFeller 4y ago

I've worked with many UK/Europeans. They are quite similar to us in skills and productivity aside from labor laws(excessive vacations, months/years of parental leave, impossible to fire etc.)

wdb 4y ago
Excessive vacations? What do you mean? It's not impossible to fire you only need a good cause to do so which I find reasonable.
- TexanFeller 4y ago
  A good reason that often doesn't qualify is that business is down, macroeconomic conditions are expected to be unfavorable for the foreseeable future, and expenses, which for many businesses are dominated by salaries, need to be cut ASAP to ensure the business' long term survival and prosperity. Like now. Businesses in Europe simply have fewer options, like it's much harder to cut early and cut deep(hopefully minimizing future cuts) when trouble is ahead when you have to have protracted negotiations with unions and government agencies who have to sign off on your layoffs.
  - kramerger 4y ago
    Union negotiations are about how to organise the layoffs, not whether you can fire the workforce or not. And if you expect help from the government, you need to show that your layoffs actually have a chance to make your company survive. For example, you cannot fire the entire R&D when you are 1 year from product release.
pleb_nz 4y ago
I would be more inclined to say the US lacks more than Europe has excess.

dumpsterdiver 4y ago

Aside from the difference in labor laws, I've noticed a certain sense of entitlement coming from a very vocal cohort of people that appears to stem from such strong worker protections. To be clear, that cohort is entitled to the protections they so often reference. What I'm saying specifically is that sometimes it shows. Perhaps it's a vocal minority, and this doesn't actually reflect a wider trend, I don't know. Some of the rhetoric I've encountered from this cohort though has come off as downright hostile towards businesses.