But by the way, what do we mean by “American management”? It is a style of management focused on individual performance, reinforced control, extensible hours, low tolerance for absenteeism and an emergency cult. If some see it as a way of doping reactivity and the spirit of initiative, others perceive a direct threat to well-being at work.
This is revealed by a pan -European survey conducted by Zety, a platform specializing in employment and recruitment. We learn that 86% of the 1,000 French, British, Spanish, Italian and German employees interviewed believe that the influence of American corporate culture has intensified in Europe. And for many, this evolution does not go in the right direction.
Nearly eight in ten respondents fear that the adoption of American management practices is reflected in a weakening of labor laws, a decrease in the number of leave and a degradation of the balance between professional and personal life. The culture of “always connected” particularly worries European employees. The latter are 76% to think that it would harm their mental health.
An assumed cultural fracture
The workers of the old continent do not want this mutation smoothly. For 68% of them, it is urgent to strengthen social protections in order to prevent any drift. A third is concerned about increased surveillance in offices, permanent monitoring of productivity and the possible disappearance of telework. A concern that reflects a break in trust towards a model perceived as too intrusive.
Basically, it is a difference in vision of work that is played out. When 95% of employees defend the independence of European social laws, 59% judge that protection against American influence must become a priority. Far from being anecdotal, these figures draw the contours of a more concerned with quality of life than a frantic competition.
In detail, these are certain very concrete trends that crystallize fears: 43% fear the generalization of extension schedules and the cult of performance, 33% fear the waves of massive layoffs in tech, 30% point to the impact of AI on employment, and 20% see a bad eye imposed in the office.
Strong sign, 48% of the employees interviewed say they could go so far as to leave their jobs if their professional and personally life balance was compromised by this type of practices. This figure highlights increasing reluctance to import management methods considered to be too demanding. An alert for companies that would eye on the side of Silicon Valley without measuring local expectations. Access to disconnection and respect for personal time appear as red lines that employees do not want to see franchies.
Despite everything, some aspects of the American model retain a certain appeal in Europe. Higher remuneration and merit bonuses, cited by 42% of respondents, remain incentive elements. A little over a quarter also highlight the prospects offered by innovative sectors, deemed promising and stimulating. But these economic attractions are not enough to hide a profound shift in values. Individual success, however at the heart of American corporate culture, struggles to convince this side of the Atlantic. Only 22% of respondents are there, which reflects an assumed attachment to another relationship to work, based on solidarity, life balance and the collective.
In a context of rapid change in the world of work, this survey recalls that the adoption of management models from elsewhere cannot be done without reflection. Because if the American managerial culture is sometimes fascinating, it remains largely incompatible with the aspirations of European employees.