American Vacation Time/Holidays in the United States,

American Vacation Time/Holidays

In the United States, people live to work while in other areas of the world people work to live. Or at least, this is a common stereotype about Americans and people who live in other parts of the world. The average working American gets two weeks (sometimes three if they're lucky) of vacation time a year while it isn't uncommon for individuals living in Spain, Italy and other parts of Western Europe to have the entire summer off, which is something that shocks Americans when they visit Madrid or Rome in the middle of the summer. In the news we've heard about workers in Western Europe facing a cut in their social benefits, however, their vacation time is never touched (Geoghegan 2010). Meanwhile, American workers employed during this desperate financial time are not taking their vacations in fear of losing their jobs if they do or of appearing not committed enough (hence replaceable) to their employers. There is something to be said for having a balance between life and work. It can be argued that is an individual isn't well-rested and doesn't feel adequately appreciated and compensated for their work (which includes compensation as vacation time), they won't be as good of workers as they can be. Working too much can also have detrimental effects on a person's health, which is one of the reasons this problem needs to be addressed in the United States. What do other countries do? How are countries like Italy, France and Spain able to offer their employees four, six and sometimes eight weeks of vacation time a year (2010)? This paper will address some of the differences in employee benefits and attitudes in the United States and Western European countries and will examine some of the benefits of offering individuals more vacations and longer holidays. It will also touch on some of the ideological factors involved.

In the CNN article entitled "Why is American the 'no-vacation nation'?," Pawlowski (2011) states that if you like to take vacations and see the world, don't live in the United States. While the United States does have a handful of national holidays (e.g., the 4th of July, MLK day, President's day, Christmas and New Years), most companies only offer their employees two weeks of paid vacation a year. If one is lucky, they might get three weeks of paid vacation, however, many companies do not like their employees taking off more than one week at a time (2011). Many American companies also expect their employees to be on-call or to check in during their holidays (2011). How does one do that while hiking in the mountains of Peru or relaxing by the sea in Italy? Many employees think of a vacation as a time when you simply work from somewhere else (2011) and they aren't wrong in thinking it.

Pawlowski (2011) notes that only 57% of U.S. workers use all of their entitled vacation days while 89% of workers in France use the days they are entitled. In Germany, the average worker gets six weeks of paid vacation a year, plus national holidays; this is considered the norm (2011). Pawlowski (2011) also states that it is typical for Germans to take off three consecutive weeks in August when the country pretty much shuts down. This is not to say that Germans don't work as hard as Americans because they do; however, perhaps they consider their family life just as important as their work life. In American culture, individuals identify themselves by what they do and the longer hours they put in, the more successful they feel as an individual. However, even though our culture prizes the diligent worker, studies show that the worker who does not take adequate time off suffers personally as do their family and even the employer in the long run (Quigley 2011).

One of the main reasons for the discrepancy in vacation in different parts of the world and in the United States is that paid vacation time is often mandated by law in many areas of the world (Pawlowski 2011). Germany is just one of the more than two dozen industrialized countries -- like Slovenia, Japan, and Australia -- that require companies to offer four weeks (or more) of paid vacation to their employees (2011). Finland, France and Brazil lead the race, guaranteeing six weeks of paid vacation every single year (2011). Companies in the United States are not required under federal law to offer any paid vacation to their employees and a quarter of all Americans do not have any paid vacation time from work (2011). This makes the United States the only advanced country in the entire world that does not guarantee its workers annual paid vacation, though many employers do offer some paid vacation in order to lure workers and maintain them as well (2011).

Ideology plays a part in the difference of vacation time offered from one country to another. In a study that was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, working was found to make Americans happier than Europeans (Pawlowski 2011). The study showed that Americans attribute working success with overall success as a person more than Europeans do. However, Americans' health may be in poorer condition than their European counterparts because they do not get (or take) the vacation time they need to rest, relax, and recuperate. In an article for ABC news, Quiqley (2011) reports that, according to doctors, there is a decreased risk of heart disease and improved reaction times associated with taking time off from work. The mind is quite a powerful thing, according to Quiqley (2011) and it has been shown that a relaxed mind can actually help the body heal better -- this means fewer sick days.

It seems ironic that in a nation like the United States where people are obsessed with the idea of 'being happy,' we don't associate happiness to pleasures that are not related to work. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life, researchers found that the "largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. In the study, the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks" (Parker-Pope 2010). However, happiness levels drop again once the individuals return to work (2010) and, if the vacation was stressful, which they often are, happiness levels drop even more (2010). What is clear from this study then is that the mere thought of taking a vacation increases happiness, which also, undoubtedly, is good for one's health, which is why Americans should care about taking the vacation time that they have accrued.