Busy, Busy, Busy... Or not. Has anyone noticed that most Australians tend to work quite long hours, i.e. 50hr (minimum) weeks are quite typical? It surprised me a bit when we came over 3 years ago ? and when I started work everyone kept telling me about Aussie?s ?great work ethic? and how people in the UK don?t have a good work ethic because they have long lunches at the pub on a Friday. Initially I thought it was true until I realised that arriving early usually means spending most of the day at the coffee machine moaning about how busy they are, that not having a lunch break means wandering around the office asking if anyone has done their footie tips or not and staying late involves more coffee, heating up their dinner in the microwave and then writing to do lists for the next day. There seems to be no drive to get things done and go home. I have worked in many countries and have never come across such unproductive workers who think they're up against it but in reality have very little to do. In the UK, people get their work done and go home. They work hard to free up the time for a deserved long lunch at the pub on a Friday. Spending lots of hours at work drinking coffee and saying how busy you are, doesn?t make you busy and doesn?t mean you have a good work ethic. Has anyone else noticed this?