Work / Travail
Audrey - 07:12am Oct 13, 2004
Première constatation, le mot agent revient beaucoup pour les français. Puis le mot passion et enfin le mot nécessité. Concernant les réponses des américains, je suis étonnée de constater que le premier mot qu'ils associent est le mot cubicle (espace de travail cloisonné). En France, nous préférons avoir un espace de travail ouvert. Les mots se rapprochant : ennuyeux/ long hour/tedious
Alejandro - 09:08pm Oct 14, 2004
I think work is very stressful for most Americans. As you correctly mentioned, Audrey, Americans work in very closed spaces (in fact, there's a humorous movie called Office Space who's main topic is the stress of work in the office). Americans work 40 hours per week, while the French work only 35. I remember hearing that the French are much happier in their workplace and hence they are more efficient than Americans.
Audrey - 11:11am Oct 15, 2004
Certains français travaillent 35h par semaine, mais ceux qui sont cesser faire ces 35h en font généralement plus. Ces heures ne sont pas forcement payées et ratrappées. Nous avons l'avantage d'avoir un salaire minimun alors que vous vous pouvez faire plus d'heure et gagner moins. Aux EU, beaucoup sont obligés de faire deux travail pour avoir en fin de mois un salaire correct. (es ce vrai ou es ce une image transmise par les films. Je ne connais pas le film dont tu parles, quel acteur joue dedans?
Frances - 10:16pm Oct 16, 2004
It is true that in many families, both parents work in order to get the benefits of two salaries. Generally, however, I think that families work more in order to have more things that they want, and not necessarily for necessities only.
In response to your comment, Audrey, there are minimum wage requirements in the United States also, and I do not think that Americans necessarily work more and earn less. I think that as in any country, how much you make depends a lot on what your job is.
Do any of the French students feel that people are more efficient because they're happier at their jobs due to working fewer hours?
Edgar - 03:40am Oct 17, 2004
This post addresses mostly Audrey's comments. Like Frances said, we do have a minimum salary law. However, as you correctly pointed out, it is not sufficient and many people end up working two jobs. (For example, I did research on this, and most states--including NY, where I come from--the minimum salary is USD$5.15 per hour, which is very little. Think about how much this is when you have to pay, on average, $800 for monthly rent, your family's food, clothing, electricity, etc...).
However, not everyone works two jobs. I guess what it comes down to is the level of education you have and what kind of job you have. Also, the job "openness" depends on what kind of job you have. For example, people that work for sanitation work in a very open environment, whereas someone that works in the field of Computer Science ("l'informatique") tends to work in cubicles (I know because I've been on both sides of the story).
To the French students: do you mind describing what a typical workday looks like? (For example: arrive to work at 8 AM, have lunch at noon, etc).
Xiaojie - 07:52pm Oct 17, 2004
I am curious, how is the French workplace set up if it does not have cubicles? Also, how do the French keep morale high in the workplace? I don't think it is simply an issue of money. In the U.S., people who earn high wages (stock brokers, computer programmers at Microsoft) also tend to be very stressed out and unhappy. Do you think the difference between U.S. and French workers has anything to do with different concepts of success?
Marie - 07:55pm Oct 17, 2004
I was rather surprised to find that the French students listed money and a paycheck often in association with work. I guess I thought this was a purely American thing, because we live in a highly capitalist society. However, it seemed that work has a much more positive connotation in France as compared to America. I believe this may be because of the media's perpetuation of "work" as a battle and a struggle. Do any of the French students agree with me? Do many movies, television shows, etc., portray work as a hassle and an ongoing struggle? I know this portrayal is common in America.
Alejandro - 10:17pm Oct 17, 2004
Office Space was directed by Mike Judge. You can read more here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/
I also wanted to add that one problem with the U.S. is that the minimum wage is too low compared to the cost of living. To contrast, while the minimum wage is lower in Mexico, the cost of living is much lower, and at least in my city the problems are not disproportionally higher or lower than in the average of the United States. What matters is the balance of the minimum wage and the cost of living. So maybe the real question we should make the IUP students is if the minimum wage is in adequate proportion to the costo of living in France. I suspect here's the key of why they don't have two jobs as often as Americans do.
David - 01:16am Oct 18, 2004
My comment doesn't concern workspace -- it's about work ethic. The way people negotiate in the US is totally different from how people negotiate in other countries. Here, everything tends to be very formal and straightforward unlike Europe or Latin America, where there is a stage prior to the actual negotiation. People socialize and avoid the subject of interest for a while. That's probably why there are some misunderstandings when American and foreign companies do business. Simply being aware of this fact would help both sides out a lot.
Juan - 11:50pm Oct 18, 2004
I'd like to pose a question to our french colleagues: is work there mostly a source of personal fulfillment/success or a means of survival while you enjoy life otherwise?