Summer is Coming - Are you Taking a Vacation?
SUMMER, SUN, VACATION, RELAXATION – all words that instantly bring a smile to your face! So, why then do so few Americans take their vacation days? According to an ABC News report that I stumbled upon, only 57% of Americans use their full vacation allowance – a measly average of 13 days. The U.S. has the lowest number of days vacation, and is the only country in which an employer doesn’t have to legally offer paid time off at all.
Consider the stats below:
Average paid time-off days for a variety of countries:
Italy: 42 days
France: 37 days
Germany: 35 days
Brazil: 34 days
United Kingdom: 28 days
Canada: 26 days
South Korea: 25 days
Japan: 25 days
United States: 13 days
Percentage of vacation actually used:
France: 89 percent
UK: 77 percent
Germany: 75 percent
Italy 66 percent
Brazil: 59 percent
Canada: 58 percent
United States: 57 percent
South Korea: 53 percent
Japan: 33 percent
How can an employee be as effective if they only take eight days vacation? Workload is often cited as one of the main reasons why employees don’t take vacations but consider this: President Obama, probably one of the busiest people in the world, managed to take 26 days vacation, according to CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller. So, if one of the busiest people in the world can take his vacation allowance, why can’t the average person on the street?
I wonder whether the real reason behind not taking vacations is fear. Fear that they might be replaced when they are gone, fear that they will miss out on something or fear that they will be judged by their manager for taking their full allowance. Companies that provide paid time off are not forced to do it; they do it so that their employees can take some time to recharge, making them much more effective workers. What’s more, in today’s Blackberry age, even if an employee is on vacation, they are still most likely connected back to the office on a fairly regular basis.
In most cases, we are part of a team and teams are there to share the burden. I guarantee if you let one of your colleagues have a semi-uninterrupted vacation, they will return the favor – that’s what good teams do.
So, next time you question if you can really take a whole week off, think again – book it, enjoy it and come back refreshed and revitalized! 