Is there such thing as working too much?... and do Americans work too much?

Question

I know several people who have parents that are pretty well off... but they don't really know their parents, because the parents worked 70 hours a week while they were growing up...

are some of us trading our lives to live in the middle class?

is it worth it?

while I do think work is good, don't get me wrong... I also think there is much more to life other than work... like family and learning and exploring what this world has to offer...

sometimes I think we lose perspective... and that can be understandable...

but where I really have a problem... is when it almost seems encouraged to lose perspecitve at some compaines... to take advantage... and no real value of the individual's life or needs outside of work...

Answer 1

I hear you! I use to work 60-70 hours a week. My husband still does. But I got laid off and it really opened my eyes. We do work hard to provide a better life than what we was brought up in, but with everything there is sacrifice. The government doesnt make it easy. Is it better for my kids to come up in a great neighborhood and attend a better school.....well yes....It should be that way for all people. I think some Americans do work too much. All of the time I put into that company and in the end I got a cheap severance package and a pink slip. I promised myself that I would never give any company a 110% again. I learned my lesson. I'm a housewife and homemaker now. I still get up early but now I do it for my kids and not my job. My husband is working on finding a better job with better money and hours. But in our area of the usa, jobs are scarse and if you have a good job you better keep it until you have a sure thing somewhere else. I was laid off twice in 1 year in 2 different fields of work. Working to much puts about as much strain on a family as not having enough to go around does! Maybe just maybe if we could just get decient wages to make up for everything thing that has gone up around us in this world, we might be able to have more family time and less work and strain time!

Answer 2

Yes I believe that we have become such a materialistic society that sometimes priorities get confusing.
In my own personal experience my kids have all poor mouthed because we don't have our own swimming pool, ATV, trampoline, $300 gas powered remote controlled cars, or a psp.

So one week I took away their Playstation 2, CD stereo, MP3 players, cell phones, tv's, computer, Nintendo 64, DVD player, and all of there video games, movie collection, sports memorbilia collections ....EVERYTHING they had that wasn't a necessity and asked my employer for the same week off and told my kids I lost my job and had to sell all of their belongings to pay the bills.....worked like a charm! It was the longest week of their life!!
At the end of that week I gave them everything back and told them I still had a job and clued them in to everything and they got the point. That was 2 years ago and I haven't had a problem with them not being grateful since.
We aren't rich people ...about $50,000 a year and my husband and I both agreed when our kids were small that I would stay home full time and work part-time waitressing to help out and to get some ME time with other adults. Best decision we ever made. Children grow up so fast you REALLY have to appreciate the time with them when they are small ....it's SOOOO important and it goes by so fast!
I was a young mother 20. My husband was then 31. First marriage. Only children for either.
Now when I face the big 40 I still have a good 20 - 25 years to work towards retirement and I am .....First and foremost grateful that I had the opportunity to stay home with my children when they were young and now looking forward to financially taking the load off my husband's shoulders towards building towards our retirement.
Personally I think it's all what you feel is your priority.
However I do understand in this day and age a good number of families have to have both parents working just to make ends meet.
You know though one funny thing is my husband and I never got caught up in the giving each other gifts for anything. Christmas, Birthdays, Holidays were for the kids. We only really celebrated our anniversary together and that was really dinner out and a movie or concert. Neither one of us are very materialistic.
Luckily for us we never got caught up in the madness.
No---I don't think it's worth it. You have to lead by example with kids.
Anyway, that's what works for us!
Peace!

Answer 3

Working too much causes a huge amount of stress on people, and causes them to have less time for rest, relaxation, and especially time with their families. That hurts everyone, not just the worker. Yes, people work too hard, Americans do, as well as others. It is NOT worth it. Today we have so much problems with our children getting into crime, drugs, and sex before they are of age, because they are not getting enough attention from their parents. Parents think it is best to succeed financially, and that is okay, but the kids are forgotten, in a lot of ways. Latch Key kids is an example, having to be alone after school, no parents, no guidance. Something must be changed for the sake of our children. Parents need more time to be with their kids.

Answer 4

Yes Americans work to much.Believe me,you need to spent more time with those you love and that love you.I worked all the overtime I could ,worked week ends and really though I was doing right for my wife & kids Then BANG! my got got cancer and8 mo.s latter died.All that extra work didn't mean nothing.The time I could have spent with her is gone forever The company I gave my time & energy to for 9 hard years let me go because they said I was missing to much work the last 6 mo.s taking my wife to receive cemo & .radiation I had worked 5 yr.s passed retirement.So now I sit here alone playing with her PC to keep my mind off what I lost!Work sucks! only your loved ones matter!

Answer 5

Europeans work less than we do, and have a legally mandated 30 days of vacation. Their society is better than ours in every respect. They are healthier, their kids do better in school, and there's lees crime.

Europe is a much older society than us, and they have a lot of experience with bosses.

They know that working people shouldn't bust their butts for the bosses' benefit. Americans are still deluded into thinking that the well-being of the company should be our goal.

Answer 6

interesting question. and the answer is "yes". it is called "burn out" i passed from there i know something about it. in general American lives are not balanced -- too much TV and now too much Internet influences our behavior. the governments are not helping the right way...take smoking --it took them years to recognize the loss to health and of course the loss via tax dollars etc. now, the neglect is in ecology...again it takes them years to recognize the false route governments are taking. they let "people" run their own thing -- tax returns are awfully complicated and the government is slow to simplify...examples abound in every field...why is that so, bureaucracy feeds itself. and the consumer pays so you have to work hard and harder to stay on the same spot.
PS. best way is to retire on an island and let the clouds pass by as long as you have a shelter and enough to eat.
hope it helps.

Answer 7

I think they do work too much, many times I've heard " My mom/dad never had time for me when I needed them most" but never heard "My mom stayed at home to care for me but I think it would have been better for her to leave me and go make more money"
My dad worked normal hours and on our farm and mom was a stay at home mom and home schooled me, we were poor but I didn't know it until I was almost grown. I am a happy and healthy adult, I was so blessed!

Answer 8

yes, its possible. especially if you have your own business, and it runs 12 or 24 hours a day.
i myself do work 8 hours a day, and after work, ill go to the business of my husband. go home at around 7-8pm and spend time with my children. either teach them with their homework or watch tv with them
i just reserve my sundays for family..
its not worth but sometimes you have to..

Answer 9

In the US, our lives revolve around our work. In Europe, their work revolves around their lives. The European way sounds a lot more appealing to me.

Answer 10

is it possible yes. 97% of us dont.