Work remote for a European company as a American: my criticism

This test also filed is based on a transcribed conversation with Meghan Gezo, 34, from Michigan. The following has been modified for duration and clarity.

In 2022, I Leaving my work Work remote in people’s operations for an American company. Juggling with my work and raising my year did not work.

I wanted to take a break while I was looking for another opportunity which would allow me to have better limits of work life.

After a few months of job search, I started as a person’s experience manager at Storyblok, a Content management company entirely remote Based in Austria.

I had never worked for a company based in Europe before. Live in the United StatesMost of the jobs that appear are based in the United States.

People came to expect more Balance between professional and private life in EuropeBecause employment laws differ from the United States. For me, there have been advantages linked to my life as a parent, my work hours and my professional growth.

I was immediately attracted to the benefits of working for a European company

I worked in distant jobs For technological companies since 2016.

I had already worked in an office, but I was thinking remote work This meant that I could focus on a higher impact work than the administration of the office which generally fell to HR, as well as on jobs in the manufacturing and automotive industry in my region.

It was easier to Find a remote job In 2022 that in 2016. I found the Storyblok list on a board of directors. The people I spoke with were authentic and direct. During the first interview, they talked about leave standards and said that the standard work week was 38.5 hours. They seemed to focus on the balance between professional and private life and gave me concrete examples of the way it worked in the company.

I was optimistic that I could succeed in the role while remaining involved in my daughter’s life.

In the United States, the paper standard is a 40-hour work week, but in practice, people often work until they finish their tasks, especially in technology. I used to work, feed my daughter, put her in bed, then work a little more. It was normal.

In my current business, you focus on work when you are at work, then you log in to the next day. There were certainly times when I had to work overtime, but overall, I would say that my balance between professional and private life is better.

In the United States, he may often think that your work is your identity. My European colleagues are proud of their work and are extremely difficult workers, but their work is a facet of their identity.

Work for a European company pushed me new ways

I have acquired experience by working with people from other cultures. The learning of Austrian law also pushed me to extend my HR knowledge beyond the law of the United States.

One thing I noticed about the culture of the business is that when people are on vacation, they are on vacation. Meanwhile, it is no longer the standard in the United States to respond to messages on vacation. I have not completely broken this habit, but I felt more feasible for me to delete the work communication applications on my phone when I am absent.

I felt very supported in my role as a parent in my European company

The Austrian standard of “Carefree“” Which is not a standard in the United States is a large part of the work for a European company. Because I have children under a certain age, I can use two paid weeks per year for days when my children are sick and I have to take them to a doctor or take care of them. Having this bucket to shoot is a huge weight of my shoulders as a parent.

My previous employers had generous parental leave policies. However, at Storyblok, I had a little more time – 16 weeks.

I continued maternity leave In a previous company with my firstborn and again to my current job in 2023. During my last maternity leave, the people of the company treated it very seriously. I received a lot of support from my manager and my team to help plan my leave and assign my tasks to others.

During my first maternity leave for a previous company, I didn’t mind answering a few questions if necessary to support my team, but at Storyblok, no one asked me about work during my absence.

There are drawbacks

While my working hours are suitable for my life season, there are days when I want to be able to start later at 9 am, however, I don’t think I would be as effective without riding with my European colleagues. Right now, I’m working from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. HE.

Sometimes, if I have a question that I want to ask colleagues in Europe during my afternoons, I will know that I will not get an answer before the next day because of the difference in time zone. I learned to work on these expectations in my regular workflow.

It makes me sad not to live near my colleagues. I have established solid relations with these people, but they are an ocean.

I would have trouble going back to an American company

Work for a European company I did not come to my mind as an option before interviewing for this work. Having worked here for more than two years, I feel spoiled by the advantages and advantages of European work culture, and it would be difficult for me to start working for an American company again.

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