I'm curious how work and breaks are set up in other countries. In Sweden we have a long tradition of 2 hour work, short coffee break, 2 hour work. Lunchbreak 30-60 minutes, repeat.
The long break has to be latest after five hours and is not counted towards working time. You are allowed to leave the workplace.
The shorter breaks is included in your work time but has no forced length other than it has to be adapted to the workplace and rythm. It can also be 5 minutes every hour. Up to the company. The longer break is supposed to be minimum 30 minutes but I don't think that is in the law. Unions usually recommend 60 minutes.
Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general. While of course drinking that all important coffee which is also almost mandatory. This is where most youth learn to drink coffee, at their first job. Most likely learn how to cook it too :-)
> Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general. While of course drinking that all important coffee which is also almost mandatory.
In my experience Americans took this concept and turned it into the brutally utilitarian daily standup. Chop chop no chitchat get to work meetings are a waste of time!
Then they said you know what this is taking too long. Let’s just do standup via Slack.
I miss the morning coffee from my first jobs in Europe.
I'm in Melbourne, Australia where we pride ourselves on the ridiculous number of coffee shops on every block. So I know what you mean.
American coffee from their TV shows has always looked revolting to me... black, stagnating in a pot all day, with cold, unsteamed milk poured in at the last second, or some powdered artificial whitener.
I wish I didn't get a terrible, irritable downer later in the day from caffeine. The boost of happiness it provided every morning made it so much easier to get thru the day (Still slugging thru IT support while I try to find time to get a coding portfolio going. I sometimes find a few hours a week!). That feeling of being lifted, up, everything becoming easier and more exciting and less stressful... One large coffee was a good hour of euphoria, and something to look forward to - 'In an hour I get my coffee!'. If it was a weekend sometimes I would code like a madman.
Unfortunately, the lunatic huddled on the floor I become at 6pm wasn't worth it. It fries my brain worse than any other drug - and a drug it is. It's really quite ridiculous to me that one drug is so acceptable while all others are considered the worst thing you could possibly do.
the worst thing about living overseas was not being able to find brewed coffee. everywhere you go, they'll call it an americano, but it's not American... it's garbage and it tastes like demonpiss.
also, I'm with you on the artificial creamer... what sort of terrible bastard came up with that?
that said, I really enjoy powdered coconut creamer.
(side note: nationalist fervor for coffee is also an American thing... I'm sorry, they teach it in Boy Scouts, it's just who we are)
>Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general.
Do those count as 'fika' coffee breaks, then? That's one of my favorite ideas from Swedish culture, even if I don't fully grok (understand) it yet. It feels like fika at work is a reminder that work isn't the end goal, it's the time you spend with others that is valuable.
The long break has to be latest after five hours and is not counted towards working time. You are allowed to leave the workplace.
The shorter breaks is included in your work time but has no forced length other than it has to be adapted to the workplace and rythm. It can also be 5 minutes every hour. Up to the company. The longer break is supposed to be minimum 30 minutes but I don't think that is in the law. Unions usually recommend 60 minutes.
Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general. While of course drinking that all important coffee which is also almost mandatory. This is where most youth learn to drink coffee, at their first job. Most likely learn how to cook it too :-)