The world of employment is very different across the globe.
One aspect that varies massively are the curious laws that workers have to abide by in different countries.
America itself is unusual as its employment laws change dramatically from state-to-state, which can present major issues for companies who are based in one area and have staff in another.
Every country has its own rules for employers and employees over what they can and can’t do.
Most of the rules are very sensible and designed to protect workers.
Some are a little bit more eccentric.
For example, if you are a woman living in Madagascar, you are banned from working at night!
The only time they’re allowed to is at ‘family establishments.’
In India, there is a very strange rule that if you run a company with more than 100 employees and want to sack one of them, you have to ask the government.
To do so you have to get the government’s permission to fire an employee, which can be a long process .
However, there is one exception; if the employee is found guilty of criminal misconduct.
It’s illegal to fire staff in Portugal
What do you do when an employee is doing a terrible job or breaches the rules? That’s right, your first thought would be to fire them.
Well, in the European country of Portugal, it’s illegal to fire an employee!
Believe it or not, the only way about it is to beg them to leave and hope they don’t make a fuss about it – otherwise you’re stuck with them.
Don’t wear hats to work in New Zealand
If one day you decide to wear a funny hat to work in New Zealand…think again!
You can get a 10 percent cut on your wages if you do this as it’s seen as breaking the uniform code.
And in Saudi Arabia no man is allowed to work in a store that sells women’s products.
US workers (technically) can’t go to the toilet
In America, there are no laws that specifically allow workers to go to the toilet, and even worse, some firms can actively stop you from going.
However, common sense and the desire to avoid some very awkward situations means there aren’t many, if any, employers who actively enforce this.
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Don’t get fat in Japan
If you’re working in Japan and your favorite food is Mcdonald’s you might want to think again think again.
Employers in the Asian country measure your waistline.
For men you can’t exceed 33.5 inches and for women it’s 35.4 inches.
And If you don’t lose weight to meet their requirements in three months they have the right to fire you.
Elsewhere in Japan the hairy-of-face also have a challenge in the municipality of Isesake, where employers can actually force men to shave off their beards, as members of the public find beards ‘unpleasant’.
And if you’re a woman working in China and looking for a builder’s type job you’ll have to reconsider as women are actually prohibited from doing any work seen as ‘physically demanding’.