Time and efficiency are American values. Americans place a lot of value on their time. Americans may feel frustrated if they think someone or something has wasted their time. Some Americans plan out their time carefully, using daily calendars for both their personal lives and their work lives. There is a saying in America: time is money.
All of the above statements are generalizations of American values. Generalizations are not always true, but things that are often true. The goal of USAHello is to provide generalizations to help you better understand why an American may be acting in a way you do not understand.
Many Americans work hard to keep improving at what they do. For example, they may want to run a race faster than they did last time or they may want to sell more items at their job than they did the year before.
Many Americans view material items such as TVs or shoes as a way to show they are successful at work. Americans may think of material items as rewards for their hard work and efforts.
One of the main American values is independence . Independence is sometimes referred to as individualism. Americans are very proud of being self-reliant, or being able to take care of themselves, and they tend to think others should be self-reliant as well. When someone reaches a goal, that is typically seen as the result of his or her own hard work. This is different than in many other cultures which are more collective. Collective cultures tend to see accomplishments as a reflection of an entire family or community.
Part of the reason Americans are work-oriented is because being busy and active is often seen as a good thing. People also tend to identify strongly with their jobs. For example, when you first meet someone, one of the first questions they might ask you is “What do you do?” They mean, “What kind of work do you do?”
Part of the reason for this is that many Americans value competition and work. Because Americans value competition, they want to “keep up” with those around them. This means, for example, if your neighbor got a new car, you might want a new car also. Americans call this “Keeping up with the Joneses.”
Americans may be embarrassed if they are criticized or make a mistake, for example. So Americans may point out mistakes or criticize you, simply intending it as a correction or useful information. In classes, Americans may challenge their teachers’ ideas. In some cultures, it is impolite to disagree with your teacher.
There are many examples in American history where all people were not treated equally such as slavery of African American (black) citizens. However, Americans like to believe the idea that all people should have equal opportunities. This idea is a part of what is called the “American Dream.”.
The US Declaration of Independence declares, “All Men Are Created Equal.” In reality, some people in the United States do not always treat all citizens equally, but many Americans feel very strongly about the idea of equality. There are many examples in American history where all people were not treated equally such as slavery of African American (black) citizens. However, Americans like to believe the idea that all people should have equal opportunities. This idea is a part of what is called the “American Dream.” Many early immigrants moved to America to follow the American Dream. They believed that if you worked hard, you could move up in society.
Americans are often very direct. This means they often tell you what they think and they will be assertive about what they want. Being assertive is generally seen as a good thing in America.
A study published by Deloitte shows that making the switch to offering flexible work hours doesn’t require much of an adjustment and is one of the top ways for employees to sustain good work/life balance. Increased employee engagement and commitment to the company.
Healthcare Benefits (better health, dental and vision insurance) Providing employees with healthcare actually saves you money. Disease management programs showed a greater benefit to employees than lifestyle management programs and were able to generate $136 per month in savings per employee.
Nearly 80% of employees would prefer new/additional benefits to a pay raise. Women (82%) are more likely to prefer new/additional benefits compared to men (76%) While 90% of millennials say they would prefer benefits over a pay increase.