A while ago I saw an article (which I unfortunately didn’t bookmark) touting the superiority of the European wireless network over the US, and essentially pitying us for getting all hot and bothered about the iPhone. Now, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that our wireless network is really quite pathetic, but I am dying for a new iPhone. Part of that is because I have a Mac, but part of it is the sheer elegance and ease of use as compared to any cell phone or blackberry I’ve seen to date.

Apple seems to think you all want one as well, because it hopes to sell 40 million of them.

How about you? Anyone outside the US considering an iPhone 3G?

image courtesy of Wikipedia, public domain

The average number of days employees were sick went up in Germany last year from 15.4 (2006) to 16.3 (2007).

That’s a lot of sick days and I am happy to say that my company in Munich is significantly under this level.

The news item prompted me to look for a comparison table of average sick days in Europe and the US. This is what I came up with:

• Sweden           26
• Norway           21
• Finnland          15
• Belgium           16
• France             16
• Germany         16
• Netherlands   14
• UK                   13
• Denmark        10
• Austria            10
• USA                  9
• Switzerland     7
• Italy                 7
• Ireland             6

 The main story here: average sick leave in Europe is a lot higher than in the US. Most countries guarantee a very high amount of paid sick leave, unlike the US which does not guarantee workers anything - neither paid vacation nor paid sick leave.

How much paid sick leave do you receive? Do you think it is enough or would more days be justified? When employers offer high levels of paid sick leave, how can they stop abuse?

References:

Automobil-Produktion April 2008

Uwe Becker, “The Scandinavian Model”, published in IPG 4/2007. (Latest data from 2005)

Image from nmcp.mar.med.navy.mil

I’ve been reminded a lot recently that European males really have to be exceptionally careful when traveling to the US for business. Crime, perhaps? Or excessive shopping brought on by the abysmal dollar? No, although those may well be reasons for concern as well. European males have to be concerned about women or, more correctly, the way they treat women (or anybody for that matter).

Now, I’m not going to go on a screed about sexual harassment or discrimination, because that’s not really the point of this blog. What I will say is that males from overseas in a management position are practically begging for a lawsuit, and a fairly expensive one at that. Why is that? Well, for one, our rules make it easy to sue, and to get a copy of that e-mail in which the manager made a salacious remark about a female co-worker, so that “private” remark amongst trusted colleagues isn’t as private as they thought. More importantly, though, is that years of experience with discrimination laws have rendered certain behavior much less acceptable (and accepted) in the US than in many other parts of the world.

Now, I’m not saying that US males are progressive angels, or that they’re not thinking what foreign males are actually saying (or doing). Nor am I advocating the US legal system or its rules. What I am saying is that individuals from overseas who will be working with or managing personnel in the US really need to consider some sort of training to understand what is acceptable, and what will get the company sued for everything it’s worth.

Lufthansa is running a promotion for their Miles-and-More members (frequent flyer club) and they have put together a nice interactive puzzle of Europe. It is pretty tricky to place all of the 45 countries (!) into Europe just based on their shape. To make it a bit easier, you can also have the country names displayed.

Try this link first, if you don’t want to register with Lufthansa. Europe Puzzle.

If that doesn’t work for you, you will have to go through the registration process, (click here) but you can enter any 9-digit number if you are not a Miles-and-More member.

Any other interactive maps out there worth talking about?  In a previous post, Chris pointed out a site with an interactive map where you can add push-pins to show the places you have been. What can I say? Chris and I are map-heads.

Logo from Lufthansa Miles and More.