Me, I work for a Swiss based company… And I’m here to tell you it SUCKS!

Bunch of cheap bastards… We didn’t get cost  living raises this year; corporate HR pulled some bullshit excuse out of the bag! But yet, ask them for 10 grand to have a pizza party and you get money hand over fist!



So how many others here work for "those across the water"? Seems to be a common thing now-a-days!

10 grand for a pizza party? Damn, you people must really like pizza.

I worked for a Swiss company for 5 yrs., too.  What a bunch of assholes.  The European guys were living large, along with a few of their top American lackeys, & the rest of us kept getting no raises, pay cuts, benefit cuts, etc.  I wouldn't knowingly buy anything Swiss if I can help it.

Lessee,

Worked for the Japs packing fish eggs when I was a teenager.  I liked them, but they were weird.

That's about it.

Yea they popped us with the benefit thing too this year! Passed more of the cost on to us, that coupled with no raise....... OUch!

I work for a space alien...is that what you mean by forigner?

Not here in the US, but overseas in Germany. Worked for a General Aviation repair shop. It had its ups and downs. One of its down moments was when the owner tried to tell me and the other American mechanic we couldn't speak English to each other!

Really! How neat![wave]

I did some contract work for the Japanese at Nissan and Toyota several years ago. They always payed there bills on time, like clock work. They do eat some smelly food though.

While in college I worked at a cell phone shop owned by an Iranian.  He was very cool.  When I quit to start my career he gave me $300 cash.
"For deposits" he said.  I still see him around here and there.  A very nice guy.

With the billions of dollars in different flavors of aid America exports every year, we all work for foreigners.

I work for the Finns......they love guns...

hound,

thanks for the nice words. [beer]
I hope we have better weather next time you visit Finland.

BTW, would you like take one more brandy? [;)]

MN

The company I work for is based in the UK.  There are pros and cons to working for them.

Pros
1.  I got 2 weeks of vacation in my "bank" when I first started working for them.  Most US companies you have to work for them for a year before accruing any vacation and it usually only a week.  After 3 years I got 3 weeks vacation.  After 4 years you get 4 weeks (it tops out at 6 weeks, I think).  Most European companies have pretty good leave time.

2.  Once a quarter they fly me over for "training and meetings".  I get to take my wife if I want to (her airfare at my expense but everything else is paid for).  We usually take a few days off for sightseeing.

3.  This company does not have a set rule on sick time.  If you are sick, don't come in.  Most US companies have a set number of paid sick days and they do not take it out of your vacation days if you use up the sick leave.

Cons
1.  We only get paid once a month.  Someone told me once that paying monthly instead of weekly or bi-weekly benefits the company somehow.

2.  The time difference.  If I need to do something important with someone over there it has to be taken care of before noon.  The UK is either 4 or 5 hours ahead of the East Coast depending on the time of the year.

3.  They are a little tight with their money too.  My yearly increases have averaged about 2-3% a year which is under the cost of living increases (which is about 4% if I am not mistaken).  Also, they give no Christmas bonuses and we have to "find" money for our Christmas party.  We get some sort of money/points from our telecom provider that the home office doesn't know about and we have to use that for our party.

4.  I had to sign an employment contract promising to give 90 days notice of my leaving the company.  I will be testing this in the next six months as I am moving out of South Florida and taking another position where we are moving to.  My attorney says that this would not stand up in court if challenged.  Something about restraint of trade.

5.  Currency Exchange - When I negotiated my salary I did it based on U.S. figures for what a person in my position is paid here.  The negotiations were done with a guy who was living here too and not my future supervisor.  The wages over there are much lower.  When I hit my boss up for a raise last year (who is based in the UK) I was told I already make more money than he did based on the exchange rate.  It is kind of hard to ask for more money when you already make more than your boss does (and who has been in the industry twice as long).


6.  Anti-gun/Anti-American sentiment - Which makes for some interesting discussions but the British still tend to look down their noses at Americans.  I think they still hold a grudge for us kicking their asses twice (1776 and 1812).  One of the women here in our office once said - "There is no way that anyone, for any reason, should be allowed to own a firearm".  I just smiled as my elbow brushed against the butt of my pistol hidden away in my IWB holster.