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From social taboos to long paid holidays, here's what it's like getting fired in 6 different countries

From social taboos to long paid holidays, here's what it's like getting fired in 6 different countries

The United States has a quick, impersonal approach to firing its employees.

Germany typically lets laid-off employees stick around for weeks following a firing to finish up projects and even start job hunting while still at their old posts.

Meyer attributes the more relaxed vibes around layoffs to both Germany's worker-friendly policies, as well as their relationship-centric culture. German employees typically develop close relationships to their coworkers, making severing ties more personal for the employer, Meyer says.

Japanese employees see large-scale layoffs as a social taboo.

Japanese law allows employees to reject early-retirement packages. As a result, laid-off employees — who don't have roles at their company anymore — sometimes continue to go to work and sit in "chasing-out rooms" working on other projects.

Layoffs are rare in Japan, largely due to the country's "lifetime employment system" where full-time workers typically remain at the same company for years. The permanent employment contract is both a factor of the country's culture around work, as well as government policies that discourage companies from firing workers, The New York Times reports.

In Hong Kong, bankers who lose their jobs get months of severance pay. Some higher-up members get years of guaranteed severance written into their contracts, making layoffs a "long paid holiday."

Source: South China Morning Post

Sweden has one of the most progressive layoff cultures in the world.

Employees can pay into private job-security councils, which help fired workers develop new skills and get them financial support, according to The Atlantic.

Sweden leads developed nations in helping laid-off employees get back on their feet: 85% of such workers find new jobs within a year, the OECD reports.

In India, layoffs used to be a source of shame. As the economy grew and layoffs became more commonplace, the culture no longer stigmatizes fired employees.

The Economic Times of India spoke with executives and HR managers in the country, and found the rise of temporary work and job-hopping led to the culture shift.

"Globalisation has made Indian executives more familiar with the Western idea that getting laid off is part of market ups and downs, not a matter of personal failure," ET reporter Saumya Bhattacharya wrote.

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