I agree with some of the comments above saying that Americans are overworked and that some of it stems from the the fact that their peers work for the average 40 hour work week or longer. I have heard stories about people that have times through out the day where they try and look busy because they have nothing to do. It could be needed to work so much for the companies gain. Some companies need to have continuous work happening in order to compete with other companies. I do think that people are motivated for that reason but it can be counter productive to overwork employees. With paid time off being offered for much longer than in the U.S. other countries aren’t falling behind. The long hours are a mixture of because their peers do and because they are motivated. However, I think where the motivation comes from can be from a great place or a not so great place and could hurt in the long run.