tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post3094979370370442595..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: French VacationsVictoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-41483114245139594602012-08-04T07:57:13.284+02:002012-08-04T07:57:13.284+02:00J@M, Isn't it amazing how national stereotypes...J@M, Isn't it amazing how national stereotypes persist in the face of all evidence to the contrary? And if it were just confined to a bit of grumbling, it would be annoying but not dangerous. Unfortunately, as you point out, it seeps into other areas like politics and influences how we resolve important issues like saving the Euro-zone. I seem to recall that the German have a quite a bit of vacation themselves. :-)<br /><br />@Raul, Oh yes. It's usually (but not always) a few weeks in the summer and 1 or 2 weeks in the winter. Some people also use their vacation at other times of the year to extend a weekend.<br /><br />@Loic, Those pesky perceptions. Americans also take long leaves without pay so it's not entirely unheard of for a U.S. worker to take 2-3 weeks (even a month) off. It's what I did the very first time I went to France many years ago. I was a bit miffed to discover when I came back to Seattle that the office did just fine without me. :-)Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-8726421587119485152012-08-03T22:08:21.336+02:002012-08-03T22:08:21.336+02:00Thanks it's good to hear. People often ask me ...Thanks it's good to hear. People often ask me how we do it with 5weeks in France and I tell them exactly the same: <br /><br />We work 9.30 to 7pm, that's how we do it. And we work at home if we have to, and we work bigger hours when we have to. <br /><br />I have never once left after 5.02 pm in the US. Granted, the lunch break is shorter in the US than in France, but still. <br /><br />Ah perceptions, perceptions.CarnetsdeSeattlehttp://www.carnetsdeseattle.frnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-3150526605899678132012-08-03T21:34:22.862+02:002012-08-03T21:34:22.862+02:00Is it discouraged to use vacation time in the othe...Is it discouraged to use vacation time in the other months besides July/August? Do some people split their 5 weeks over different parts of the year?Raulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-82864482970703769792012-08-03T14:38:15.868+02:002012-08-03T14:38:15.868+02:00Hello Victoria.
I like this thoughtful and witty ...Hello Victoria.<br /><br />I like this thoughtful and witty post of yours. Thanks for defending us lazy French layabouts with such humorous <i>répartie</i>.<br /><br />Also, it's quite funny (and sad at the same time) that it's usually the French (because they're French I guess) and mostly other Mediterranean nations of Europe (because they live in sunny places) that attract all these stereotypes about being lazy, workshy, etc... Such preconceptions endure despite research data consistently proving the opposite: Greece for example is the single EU country with longest annual working hours per worker (and Germany is last but one in that indicator), and comes 4th worldwide behind S. Korea, Mexico and Chile but well, well ahead of Japan or the USA (and Germany is still last but one OECD-wide)... <br /><br />Of course that doesn't mean much regarding productivity and getting things done, as you very well point out, and Greeks would need to learn a thing or two about actually getting things done for all those hours they spend working. <br /><br />But the German media won't even get that far in their "analyses" and God forbid they let one fact or two get in the way of a good story (or one thousand of those) about those indolent Southerners enjoying the high life on their sunny shores while industrious Teutons slave away to bail them out.Berliniquaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12661821223010607978noreply@blogger.com