>On the downside, if American workers are secular in practice
>(whatever religion they identify with), that's probably because they
>don't have much free time in any case, and, for what little free
>time they do have, they barely have enough energy left to do
>anything except zone out in front of a television
According to a survey released by Gallup earlier in the week, compared to Canadians & Brits, Americans don't profess to be too unhappy about their work burdens (though, of course, the socially desirable answer is to say just that).
Doug
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How Long People Work
Workers in all three nations report spending close to 40 hours a week on the job, on average: Americans work 42 hours, Canadians 41 hours, and Britons 39 hours. However, Americans do live up to their workaholic reputation in one sense -- 38% of Americans say they work more than 45 hours every week, versus 30% of Canadians and 28% of Britons. On the other hand, 20% of Britons work fewer than 34 hours a week, compared with 12% Americans and 9% of Canadians.
When looking at specific attributes of their jobs -- such as pay, vacation time, bosses, coworkers and chances for promotion, a majority of workers in all three countries are satisfied.
On 7 of the 10 workplace attributes and job characteristics that Gallup tested, American workers are more likely to express "complete" satisfaction than do their counterparts in Great Britain and Canada. The most striking differences are between the percentages in each country that express this level of satisfaction with their relations with coworkers, the physical conditions of their workplaces, their bosses or supervisors, and their opportunities to be promoted.
When it comes to pay packages, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and the amount of vacation they receive, the gap in satisfaction among workers in each county narrows. Britons, Americans, and Canadians are equally likely to say they are completely satisfied with the amount of money they earn (28% in the United States, 26% in Canada, and 23% in Great Britain). Britons (32%) and Americans (36%) are as likely to be completely satisfied with the retirement plans or pensions their employers offer. Only a quarter of Canadians, however, are completely satisfied with their retirement plans. Similar percentages of Canadians (47%), Britons (49%), and Americans (52%) are completely satisfied with the vacation time they receive.
Bottom Line
One key to why many Americans are willing to work longer hours could be that they're more likely to see greater potential reward. While 40% of Americans are completely satisfied with opportunities for promotion in their jobs -- only 29% of Canadians and 25% of Britons are as fortunate. Coupled with the fact that American workers are more satisfied with their work environment than the Canadians and British, this finding suggests that though Americans may work longer hours, they may not begrudge their neighbors the extra free time.