Working in Argentina: This Shit is Legit
Rejoice for I am now officially a legal resident and employee of Argentina! Nevermind that I have been living and working here mildly illegally for almost a year, the point is, I am legit! I didn’t actually start the process until late December 2010, but it was a solid 5 months of frustration and stress. I am so glad it is over and even more excited that I will be granted residency for 2 years as well as an Argentine ID which will shield me from some of the price hikes for foreigners. Check this shit out:
Please excuse the blackouts, I'm just not up for stalkers or identify theft.
Now that I have lived and worked in Argentina both illegally and legally for a year I feel it is time to explain my love/hate relationship of how labor works in this country.
Taxes? What Taxes?
I don’t think I could ever fully understand the tax system in this country. Granted, I don’t even do my own taxes in the states either. It seems that Argentina is much more lax about their taxes. Even natives seem to be picking and choosing what taxes they pay and which ones they don’t. To some extent I get it, I was a waitress in the states and I certainly did not claim ever penny I made in tips. I’m not bothered by how people approach the taxes, I just don’t like being out of the loop. In the US if you commit serious tax fraud you are royally screwed. Here, I have no idea what is fraud and what is just frowned upon. All my taxes are handled by the company I work for, but it’s still weird to feel like I am somehow getting ripped off by the automated service of tax withholding.
Slowing down…sometimes to a halt
Let me just make it clear that I think Americans are totally overworked. I myself am a complete workaholic. My last year in the US I worked 3 jobs, totaling around 55 paid hours a week and I really didn’t think much of it. We never stop to breathe. Being late is unacceptable and staying late is expected – it is really out of control.
One thing I love about working in Argentina is that everyone is just so much more relaxed. Punctuality is basically a non-issue in this country, including at work. Many offices allow employees to come and go as they please, take long breaks just to sit out in the sun, or leave early on Fridays. This is not to say that these people do not work hard. They get their work done, they are simply treated more like responsible human beings than caged hamsters running on a wheel like office drones in the US.
That being said, I sometimes think it can be a little much. Like I said, I am a workaholic. I work hard and I complete my tasks quickly (I had to reword that a bit to make myself less susceptible to a “that’s what she said” joke). I do not like downtime at work and I consider my work duties my top priority. I don’t like to take work home with me so when I am at work, I am all business. Sure, I like my lunch break and I’ll chat with coworkers, but it would never cross my mind to take a 2 hours for lunch or simply go for a walk in the middle of the afternoon just because I feel like it.
The relaxed mindset works in some situations but sometimes I cannot help but get annoyed with it. At the grocery store, for example. When I am waiting in line to pay and the cashier decides she wants to jot down a recipe that one of the customers has suggested, I kind of want to punch someone. No, I don’t need to make it through the check-out at lightening speed, but I’d prefer not to have to bring a book with me to pass the time.
I’d love it if we could find some sort of happy medium between the over the top workaholic mentality of the US and the good in theory but sometimes too relaxed mindset of Argentina.
Rejoice and let there be jeans!
In the US there is a dress code for freaking everything. You can land a job at the mall and you’ll be given a list of acceptable clothing items that you are permitted to wear to work. It has gotten to the point where even the most casual of work environments require you to buy special work clothes that you will never wear anywhere other than to work.
On top of the clothing restrictions, there are countless more rules about hair color, beard lengths (if you’re allowed one at all) visible tattoos/piercings and whatever else the employer can find to pick at. As a girl with 9 tattoos and a couple of piercings I find this infuriating. I am a well educated, hard working professional and I am sick of being told my style is inappropriate for the workplace. I knew I would run into issues when I started getting tattoos, but I was unwilling to sacrifice my personal desires just to please overly conservative people. I was lucky enough to find bosses who cared more about my skill set than my body art (I worked at a Catholic preschool) but it doesn’t change the fact that most jobs put crazy restrictions on dress code.
Argentina is wonderfully liberal when it comes to dress code. Only the big companies downtown seem to require suit and tie and even then, it is often only on days with important meetings. Employees of Argentina can enjoy a life that involves jeans on a daily basis. They are also free to choose how to wear their hair, get tattoos and piercings, and have whatever sort of beard/mustache combination they want. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to go to a government building and see a girl with pink hair, a guy with dreads, several employees chilling out in hoodies and chucks and shiny piercings decorating many a face.
Overall, I think Argentines have the right idea. Let’s all take a long lunch every once in awhile. Let’s wear jeans and shoes that don’t hurt our feet. Let’s get tattoos if we want them and grow a beard if we like how it looks. For the love of God let’s stop killing ourselves after hours just because our boss made us feel like we had to. While I will always be a workaholic at heart and I will forever cringe at what I consider horribly inattentive service, I will take it in stride if it means that I can sleep better, dress more comfortably and never, ever think about which tattoos are showing and whether or not I should hide them.
Final, mildly related note to the incredible amount of businesses not open on Sundays: Resting is great and all but what’s a girl supposed to do on a Sunday other than sleep and drink mate? Seriously, can I get some freaking food around here? I mean really, Argentina, this girl needs to eat.
