Because we like to see our families once in a while. If you are “exempt” (aka salaried) in the US 45 hours is pretty much the basic expected number. 50 hours is more usual. A busy period would be described as 60 or more in most areas.
As long as I have you all here: is “Canuck” perceived by Canadians (again, those you can speak for) as an affectionate nickname, or as a slur? Everyone I know means it as the former, but I’ve learned to check these things out with the recipients. LOL!
Slur is a strong word. Let’s just say it doesn’t sound very neighbourly!
Every place I’ve ever worked has given a half hour lunch and 2 15 minute breaks for a 7.5 to 8 hour shift. The 2 breaks are paid and the lunch is not.
I’ve mostly worked in call centers. Due to the fact that call volumes dictate scheduling start and end times of shifts are pretty set with really no flexibility. At the same time nobody ever has to work OT although it is offered on a volunteer basis. My current employer also offers a leave early list in case of lower than expected call volumes.
I’ve moved up the chain and am off the call floor and on salary. As I work with colleagues setting up websites, providing support, and creating and presenting training webinars i am not so tied to incoming requests I have flexibility in my shifts. If I have a doctor’s appointment I can leave anytime. As long as my work is done at the end of the day I won’t be expected to make up the time.
We are definitely expected to use all vacation time as well as any stat holidays we have accumulated. Statutory holidays are expected to be used within 60 days of earning them. Vacation starts at 2 weeks per year, goes to 3 after 5 years, 4 after 10,and 5 after 20 and there are 11 stat holidays à year. My employer is generous as legally in New Brunswick they only have to give 7 I believe.
It certainly doesn’t bother me for one of you Yanks to refer to me as a Canuck. 
Considering we have an NHL team called the Canucks, hard to see why it would be seen as offensive.
Yeah, it’s on par with the Yankees, no?
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More like Murkin, no? We find that rather affectionate rather than insulting.
I’ve worked in the government and in oil and gas, both in Ontario and Alberta and my experiences have been very similar:
-37.5 hour workweek
-start at 3 weeks vacation, I’m mid-profession now and get about 5 weeks
-flexible start and end times. Get your work done and be available from about 9am to about 3pm (i.e. work your 8 hours, but not noon to 8:00)
-Workplaces are getting ‘flatter’ i.e. less middle management
-Work/life balance is huge. EVERY employer I’ve had has encouraged me to take all my vacation and to stay off of email while I’m away unless it’s a true emergency.
-My take on the differences between the US and Canada is that, generally, Americans work much harder and identify with their employers more. There seems to be a lot of bragging about how many hours they spent at work. Canadians generally don’t see time at work as a badge of honour. The folks who are most admired are those that manage to make a ton of money while also being home for recitals/birthdays/etc.
If you’re a salaried employee it’s not a relevant question.
Hourly jobs usually only pay for a half hour lunch break, but it’s usually paid. It can vary a lot depending on the business.
I’ve had the opportunity to not only work for several companies but to audit and cinsult with hundreds of them in both Canada and the US. Aside from the legalities, especially at will employment and maternity leave, the differences in culture from company to company are much greater than between the two countries. I have absolutely worked for Canadian firms that expected you to exert 70 hours a week of effort and if you didn’t like it there’s the door.
The “Take all your vacation ,please” thing is common, but there is no altruism in it; vacation is a liability. You are owned your vacation and if you quit or get fired they have to pay you for it. If employees are piling up unused vacation, that is a liability on their books.
I’ve worked salary, and hourly wage, and I’ve never been in a place that didn’t give an hour for lunch. And working through lunch didn’t normally mean leaving early, unless by a special arrangement with the boss.
Depends on the labour standards laws. Where I am, the presumption is that all labour standards apply to all employees, salary, wage or commission.
It is possible for certain sectors to get an exemption for some salaried employees, but they have to make the case to Labour Standards. Professionals like medicine, law and engineering usually get those types of exemptions, but it’s not the case that all salaried employees are exempt from labour standards.
True, not altruism. It’s an example of the different labour laws between Canada and the US.
Canadian labour standards laws gives the employees a statutory right to paid holidays. Employers can’t have an automatic “use it or lose it” policy with vacations without running into labour standards issues. The employer can insist on it being taken, but has to be careful not to be too strict on this issue.
I think this is accurate.
Maybe this is strictly true, but most of my managers couldn’t care less about the vacation liability. It’s driven by concerns regarding burnout and employee retention. “Please take your vacation. You’ve earned it and a well-rested employee is a productive employee.” It’s not uncommon in my neck of the woods for someone to quit a job and take a lower-paying one with better work culture and benefits.
While technically true, it’s also practically unenforceable. If your employer intends to milk you dry it’s difficult to avoid it without quitting. Typically, the employer will simply demand a person do X number of tasks, knowing it takes longer than 40 hours a week, but will pretend they’re not asking for more than 40 hours a week; if the employee complains they’ll be told they aren’t efficient enough. It’s also quite possible to gradually create a workplace culture where more than 40 hours of work is the norm even if it’s not written down anywhere.
I’m a Michigander, but have spent a lot of time at one of our Ontario facilities. Heck, I even lived in the GTA for a year (Mississauga/Oakville). And… the work culture is pretty much exactly like Michigan in every way that matters. Of course we are a large, well-managed business, and from the grumblings I hear, even in the USA non-well-managed businesses have their issues.
In so many ways, the work culture is a product of the company, and not the product of where the company does business.
There are superficial differences (vacation days, marriage leave, paternity leave, etc.). The biggest difference is what happens outside of the office. After work in Ontario is pretty much exactly like after work in Michigan; we have the same culture other than the metric system. If you’re from southern California, though, you’re likely to have mild culture shock whether you come to Michigan or Ontario.
Canada is our surgically separated conjoined twin, not an exotic isle-continent in the Southern Ocean.
I’ve never worked anyplace where I had a full hour for lunch.
In my current position, which I’ve had for a decade, I don’t get a lunch break.
I’ve worked in multiple provinces and in the U.S., and I could not even begin to answer this question without knowing more about what type of work you’re talking about.
I’ve been in ‘work-hard, play-hard’ cultures. I’ve been in places where you are expected to take work home. Those where you aren’t. I’ve done 35 hour weeks, and my wife frequently has done 70-80-90+ hour weeks.
Some people get 2 hour lunches. I usually carve out 15 minutes for lunch. Others are expected to attend courses/lectures while they brown bag it.
Here’s my take.
I’m an IT guy (Network Engineer), I work in BC for a Crown Corporation (Provincial Government) that has ~1,000 employees.
- We are non-union (this is unusual for a Crown Corp).
- Start at 3 weeks vacation a year, I’m up to about 6.5-7 weeks (been here 20 years this October)
- Very flexible work hours, I have people in my department start at 6:00AM and leave at 2:00, and guys that start at 9:30 and leave at 6:30. As long as our work is getting done nobody really minds. However we aren’t “customer facing”, all of those positions are more less 8:00-4:30.
- Full-time, non-salary pay. I get paid for 37.5 hours a week.
- Any overtime I work is paid out at 1.5 x my hourly wage for the first 3 hours then 2 x my hourly wage after 3 hours. I can take this as cash on my next pay cheque or used as vacation time.
- Great work life balance, I can work remotely from home whenever I want
- Work in a cubicle, but my department has cubicles built in a giant square shape (14 of them) and our backs all point to the middle where we have a collaboration area
- Pretty lax dress code, again this is different for customer facing positions
- Subsidized cafeteria
- Gym that is in our building, all employees have 24 hour access to said gym
My wife works for the city, totally different work environment. It’s union, 'nuff said…
MtM