need help with question 4 in the case study

126 CHAPTER 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Ethical Dilemma ARE U.S. WORKERS OVERWORKED? Europeans pride themselves on their quality of life, and rightly so. A recent worldwide analysis of quality of life con- sidered material well-being, health, political stability, di- vorce rates, job security, political freedom, and gender equality. The United States ranked 13th. The 12 nations that finished ahead were all in Europe. Many Europeans would credit their high quality of life to their nations' free health care, generous unemployment benefits, and greater emphasis on leisure as opposed to work. Most European nations mandate restricted work- week hours and a month or more of vacation time, but U.S. workers have among the fewest vacation days and longest average workweeks in the world. Juliet Schor, a Harvard economist, argues the United States "is the world's standout workaholic nation" and that U.S. workers are trapped in a "squirrel cage" of overwork. Some argue that mandated leisure time would force companies to com- pete within their industry by raising productivity and prod- uct quality, rather than by requiring workers to put in more hours. Many European nations limit the work hours employers can require. France, Germany, and other nations have set the workweek at 35 hours. Recently, after much debate, the French parliament voted to do away with the rule, to allow French companies to compete more effectively by paying employees for longer hours if required. Opponents say let- ting the individual decide how much to work will inevitably detract from quality of life and give employers power to ex- ploit workers. A French union leader said, They say it's the worker who will choose how much to work, but they're ly ing because it's always the employer who decides." Questions 1. Why do you think quality of life is lower in the United States than in many European nations? Do you think U.S. quality of life would improve if the government required a minimum number of vacation days or lim- ited workweek hours? 2. Do you think the French parliament was right to eliminate the 35-hour workweek limit? Do you think the quality of French life will suffer? Why or why not? 3. Do you think employers have an obligation to con- sider the quality of life of their employees? Could such an obligation mean protecting employees from being overworked? 4. Do you think it makes a difference in the research re- sults that the unemployment rate in Europe is roughly double that of the United States and that Europe's gross domestic product (GDP) is about half that of the United States? Source: Based on Juliet Schor, The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure (New York: Basic Books, 1992); C. S. Smith, "Effort to Extend Workweek Advances in France," New York Times, February 10, 2005, p. A9; "The World in 2005: The Economist Intelligence Unit's Quality-of-Life Index," The Economist, www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf; and E. Olsen, "The Vacation Deficit," Budget Travel, October 29, 2004, www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6345416