kilo riley
Well-Known Member
I'm sure we all know the facts. In case anyone doesn't, let me summarize. The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that doesn't guarantee that workers receive paid holiday time. By law, every country in the European Union must guarantee four weeks paid vacation. Even China has mandatory vacation time ranging from 5 days to 15 depending on seniority.
Just some more facts. 1 out of 4 full time American workers get zero paid vacation time.
The average paid vacation time in America is 13 days.
I've worked in both the UK and U.S in the accounting field and the culture when it comes to holiday time is night and day. In the UK I had a month paid holiday and I was encouraged to take it. In fact, most of the banter around the office was about where people had gone on their holidays or where they were going. No one seemed to ever be overly stressed, but we all worked hard and efficiently.
When I came back to the U.S I worked for myself for awhile but the last few years I've worked for larger firm. It wasn't long until I noticed that the office banter was totally different. No one talked about where they were going on vacation or where they had been(that's all people talked about in England). Did they even go on any? When I was hired by the company I never asked about vacation time. I wanted the job and I think asking about your first vacation is probably not the best first impression. In the UK it is guaranteed so it's never an issue. No one would get a job in the UK and then ask, "So when's my holiday?"
About six months in I asked a co-worker about the vacation policy at the company. "Nobody knows...I just ask for time off now and then" he said. And that was it. A company with 100 employees and no one seemed to know the vacation policy. I can swear that over half the people here do not take vacations. One girl told me that she doesn't take a vacation because if while she is gone the people that work under her do a great job, then it would just show that she was expendable.
And then there are the 1 and 4 Americans, most of who are low wage earners, who never ever receive paid holiday time. To me, this is shockingly immoral. Imagine a woman who works in a factory 50 hours a week and never ever gets paid time off. This is capitalism at its worst. It's cruel and sinister. And, considering how many workers nowadays are considered contractors instead of employees I question that 1 in 4 number. I think it's much worse than we realize.
All evidence points to paid holiday time not only being good for the health of workers but also for the productivity of companies. Workers who get paid vacation are more productive and produce higher quality work. Germany, with its large manufacturing base, gives 30+ days of paid vacation to all workers, and it hasn't harmed their economy.
So, should the U.S have a paid vacation policy? Why isn't this a bigger political issue?
Just some more facts. 1 out of 4 full time American workers get zero paid vacation time.
The average paid vacation time in America is 13 days.
I've worked in both the UK and U.S in the accounting field and the culture when it comes to holiday time is night and day. In the UK I had a month paid holiday and I was encouraged to take it. In fact, most of the banter around the office was about where people had gone on their holidays or where they were going. No one seemed to ever be overly stressed, but we all worked hard and efficiently.
When I came back to the U.S I worked for myself for awhile but the last few years I've worked for larger firm. It wasn't long until I noticed that the office banter was totally different. No one talked about where they were going on vacation or where they had been(that's all people talked about in England). Did they even go on any? When I was hired by the company I never asked about vacation time. I wanted the job and I think asking about your first vacation is probably not the best first impression. In the UK it is guaranteed so it's never an issue. No one would get a job in the UK and then ask, "So when's my holiday?"
About six months in I asked a co-worker about the vacation policy at the company. "Nobody knows...I just ask for time off now and then" he said. And that was it. A company with 100 employees and no one seemed to know the vacation policy. I can swear that over half the people here do not take vacations. One girl told me that she doesn't take a vacation because if while she is gone the people that work under her do a great job, then it would just show that she was expendable.
And then there are the 1 and 4 Americans, most of who are low wage earners, who never ever receive paid holiday time. To me, this is shockingly immoral. Imagine a woman who works in a factory 50 hours a week and never ever gets paid time off. This is capitalism at its worst. It's cruel and sinister. And, considering how many workers nowadays are considered contractors instead of employees I question that 1 in 4 number. I think it's much worse than we realize.
All evidence points to paid holiday time not only being good for the health of workers but also for the productivity of companies. Workers who get paid vacation are more productive and produce higher quality work. Germany, with its large manufacturing base, gives 30+ days of paid vacation to all workers, and it hasn't harmed their economy.
So, should the U.S have a paid vacation policy? Why isn't this a bigger political issue?
