“40 hours means 40 hours”: Dutch worker gives American boss a “reality check” after being chastised for logging off at 5pm every day
A Dutch worker recently went viral with a stark reminder of how much better work/life balance is outside of the United States.
According to a screenshot memorializing the post, u/Dutch_Reality_Check turned to the r/WorkReform subreddit to share their story after an incident with their recently hired New York-based manager.
"Last week, we had a 1-on-1 meeting where he told me he was 'concerned' about my dedication to the team," they wrote. "He didn't like that my Slack status goes offline at 5:01 PM every single day. He was annoyed that I didn't reply to an email he sent on Saturday morning until Monday at 9:00 AM. And he was especially frustrated that I refused to join a 'team bonding' Zoom call that was scheduled for 7 PM my time."
In other words, they set completely normal boundaries—something American workplaces aren't particularly keen on. And the manager in question had clearly internalized American "hustle culture," expecting Dutch workers to be available to him whenever it was convenient, because "in this company, we go the extra mile."
But the worker wasn't here for it. Instead, they said that they gave him a bit of a "reality check" over Zoom, telling him that "if you can't finish your work by 5 PM, it doesn't mean you are dedicated. It means you are inefficient or understaffed."
"I told him I am neither," they added, before noting that their contract is for 40 hours a week rather than "40 hours plus nights and weekends."
Rather than take the comments as a wake up call, the redditor says their manager threatened to put them on a Performance Improvement Plan—and was immediately reported to HR.
"She literally laughed when she read it and told me to ignore him. She said she would have a 'chat' with him about local labor laws," they wrote. It finally did the trick, as the poster notes they subsequently haven't received any emails from said manager after 5pm.
People have work/life balance?
Most Americans who have been in the workforce for more than a couple years probably don't need a wake up call about how brutal expectations are for the average employee. But every anecdote serving as a reminder that centering life around work isn't normal everywhere else is still harsh.
"I honestly feel bad for you guys in the US," u/Dutch_Reality_Check wrote. "The fact that you have to apologize for having a life outside of work is insane to us."
Although the original reddit post appears to have been deleted, that didn't stop people from chiming in across other social media.
"American bosses act like 5pm is the end of the world, not the start of someone’s life"
"I hate managers who don't care about results, they only care about how much time you put in"
"I would be sending him an email at 9 am Netherlands time (3 am New York time) then asking him why he didn't reply immediately."
"My job tries to get you to download teams and Outlook on your phone for updates. There is one guy who was like I will never ever do such a thing. And they’re like you’re missing out on so much information and he’s like who cares."
"I remember a job where I left every day at 5:00pm and the folks in the office who were staying late would remark, “Oh, leaving early?” To which I’d reply, “No, I’m leaving on time.”"
What's so great about America again?
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