Your stable & equitable system provides no incentive for service above and beyond. Everyone gets paid the same 'high' wage, irrespective if their service is outstanding or non-existent. Having lived and worked in an environment like that, I know which I prefer, both as an employee and a customer. Seeing coworkers do as little as possible and getting paid the same high wage was extremely discouraging, and I left that environment.
Yes to a degree that is true. Our system is stable and equitable but not perfect. There are socialist elements to it, as much of our workplace laws were pounded out by decades of labour governments with left-wing factionals at the helm. Historical I guess as our country was built initially on the back of convicts and pioneers and then poor immigrants, whilst the element of nobility and land barons for want of a better term has was less than other country's. A land for the people you could say, though 10 years of conservative government did erode quite a bit of the hard fought workers rights and swung in favour of big business and employers.
Not sure where it will go from here as there is a real push for "insentivism" especially in public services e.g there's a huge teacher controversy looming.
But I've found though through my work life here that generally the good workers get the promotions, better conditions and raises and the poor workers stagnate, so I have to admit to being a tad cynical about the proposed changes
Just not sure who they're meant to benefit, and we have a 20 year history of gradual "Americanisation" (not all bad), this could be yet another chapter.
I've never been asked for a tip in 40+ years of living in and traveling to the U.S.
In the US? Wow I have! Maybe there's been times its been clear that I'm a non-US tourist and waitresses etc have felt the need to "educate" me in advance. And that doesnt count the times its been automatically added to my bill and I've had to go to the cashier and say "actually the service was pretty bad and I'm not leaving a 20% tip so can you please remove it from my bill and I will add my own tip as I see appropriate thank you very much!"
Which takes balls but it shouldt have to be that way.
BTW am trully enjoying this conversation, thank you.