F: First of all, when do people start work in American offices?
M: Right, well, the official work day starts at 9:00 a.m. This should really mean 9 o’clock -- not ten past or half past nine.
F: Would you say that people work very hard in offices in America?
M: Well, I don’t know about employees in your country. But some nations have a philosophy that you work when the boss is around. And anytime he’s not there, one can relax by reading the newspaper or whatever one likes doing in a personal way.
F: And things are different in the States, you’re saying?
M: Well, in America one is being paid for your time. So employers are expected to find other work if their own desks are clear, or to help someone else with his or her work. But you never sit idle, or doing nothing.
F: Yes, as the saying goes: “Time is money.”
M: Exactly. Your employer “owns” your time while he is paying you for it. That is precisely what “time is money” means. And anyway the boss doesn't ask more of you than he is doing himself: he will probably work through the lunch hour himself and even take work home at night.
F: Talking about lunch hours. What about them? Do you have to take them seriously?
M: Oh yes, sure, of course. The employee's lunch hour should be taken within the period allowed, unless you are officially discussing company business -- say, on a business lunch. It’s the same too with the end of the day. I mean, work until the day officially ends at five o'clock, unless you are in an office where “flexi-time” is the accepted practice.
F: Oh, so you have the flexi-time system, do you? I wasn’t sure about that.
M: Oh yes, sure. Flexible working hours, that is, starting or ending work earlier or later -- I know that this is very common in Europe. But here in the USA it is still relatively new. Certainly there are a million or so Americans on the system today. And the number is growing. Well for the same reasons as in Europe -- to keep traffic and commuting problems down. And as more women now work it gives more family time.
F: Could you say something about contracts of hiring in America, please?
沪公安联网 31011502019103