No Vacation Nation

The U.S. is the only developed nation with no legally required vacation for its workers. Why is America the only industrialized nation that thinks of vacation as a perk, not a right? Video

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id= ... ideoArea.0

I never thought about this. I was always aware that people in other countries had lots of vacation but failed ot connect the dots that there was a government mandate behind it. I also never asked why I had to leave Saudi for a minimum of 30 days a year when I worked there. Now I suspect this also is a government mandate, just like the government here will not allow a consultant to work 7 days a week. I'm glad to see some movement on this matter in the US.

I think it makes sense to start legislation on it.

Yep, we have the shortest vacations, compared to the UK, and Europe. In the UK, going on holiday can be a month-long event.

They say one reason that Europe demands so much vacation is their high personal income taxes. Employees would rather see a couple weeks more of vacation that the goverment can't take away then a 5% pay increase but only 2.5% takehome pay. And another reason why goverment likes mandating more vacation is that it increases employment, and it doesn't cost goverment any money, private industry has to pay for it. And hire more workers to cover their vacationing workers.
I know at my workplace right now, I could only take a week at a time vacation because I don't have any coverage.

Wow, I never knew that. :goodpost:

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Yup. i worked for a corporation that would let you sell your vacation back for pay.. any time of the year. you'd get a week's pay ON TOP OF your regular pay. i used it to buy things I really wanted that i couldn't afford otherwise.

JoeTheSepticTankPumper wrote: I am all for more vacation too. Although I don't see it as a "right", or something the gov't should legislate.

It is actually part of your pay, more vacation = less salary. I worked at a co once where people sold their unused vacation back at the end of the year for more pay.

Your point is understood and clearly some companies operate that way. The fundamental point missing is work without a break leads to not only fatigue and a dull mind, but also accidents and more importantly early employee death. Work without time off translates into elevated stress.

I'd argue that if people were not so fearful of loosing their job while taking time off they would be more productive employees. The water cooler is not just a socializing point. Traffic to it and other areas of temporary escape are efforts to relieve stress as well as physical and mental weariness. It's not any different than running a car with the peddle to the metal. It will perform for some time, but the engine strain soon diminishes performance followed by failure. An employer pays one way or another. Poor performance is costly as is health insurance, not to mention the cost involved in bringing a new and less efficient (lack of experience) worker on line.

Business is there to make a profit. Employees largely are no longer considered a valuable assets. Instead, like a car, when it wears out we get rid of it, buy a new one and begin abusing it anew. Sadly, employes are simple expendable tools, a central theme of our instant and throw-away American culture.

That said, a company is not going to give up a practice they clearly see as beneficial. If so, it obviously argues against what I detailed previously about cost to the employer. This is why government needs to invoke legislation. It really ought to be part of the Health care program.

Sometimes the stress of fixing everything that was messed up by your 'replacement' is worse than not taking a vacation.