Contrary to what you might think, and contrary to most nations in the world, there is no law in America that makes employers provide vacation time. For an American, there is no legal protection to have any vacation days. Not a day. Legally, it is a luxury if employers do.
In most of the civilized world, it is customary to get (paid or not) a week off from work between Christmas and New Years. Not in the USA. A week during the end-of-year holidays might be half of the entire allowed vacation time for most Americans. America, the so-called "Land of the Free", overworks its people, and it did that since the post-slavery Industrial Revolution. Tap on the image below to make it bigger/clearer.
For a first-world "developed" country, the United States treats its people badly. In a typical gesture towards Big Business, our tax-paid government is only OECD country that doesn't require employers to give any days of paid leave! Furthermore, there is no federal law that enforces holidays as "paid time off". Employers in America are not required to let employees have days off for Thanksgiving or Christmas: it is a luxury if they do. Employers in America are not required to pay employees for those holidays: it is a luxury if they do. Making it worse, there is no mandate for "holiday pay" if employees must work on holidays. Federal or state holidays might exist, but there are no laws that compel employers to honor them.
Many occupations make their employees work six days per week and only have "paid days off" for 3 or 4 holidays per year!
Compare that many countries in Europe, which have laws that designate 8-10 national holidays as "days off away from work". Those are civilized societies that value a Work-Life balance. America is not one of them.
According to a 2011 CNN report, some companies in the USA don't like employees taking more than 1 week at a time. Too many folks are fearful of losing their jobs, so they don't even take their 2 weeks off. Only 57% of American workers use their full 2 weeks. If they do, many complain of "punishment consequences" when they return... as if it was sinful or something! Other bosses expect vacationers to check their work email/voicemail. What kind of Life Balance is that?!
A software engineer in Washington D.C. is fearful of taking more than 1 week off to "see the world". Meanwhile, an engineer in Weinheim, Germany gets 6 weeks of paid vacation, plus all of the national holidays. His company makes sure that he uses all of it. In fact, it's typical for Germans to take 3 consecutive weeks off in August--just like in France.
My often-vacationing hair stylist, Dragan, is from the Republic of Croatia (in the Balkans), and he said that Americans have an idea to work like robots. "If that's the way they want to be, that's up to them. But it doesn't have to be like that," he said, "What are Americans clinging to?"
My Hungarian friend stated, "Americans are too fearful of relocating. They're guilty about be away from their families. They're anxious that they won't find anything better elsewhere. They're sick in the head!"
That might be true: brainwashed and afraid.
My friend continued, "Most of my friends from our university in Hungary moved to other countries for jobs. They're lives are full and enriched, and their families are happy for their success."
Lewis and I have a friend who works in Communist China. Chinese law mandates a total of 16 paid vacation days and paid public holidays. The USA has zero! America in the same low category as Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia! Everywhere else gives more vacation time! Our friend in Japan gets 10. My friend from Mexico got 13. Lewis' friend in Singapore gets 18. The European Union mandates 20 (employers in the Netherlands give a bonus of "vacation pay"). Bangladesh gives 21 days. My friend in Israel gets 21. My former coworker returned to Vietnam and gets 22. Neighbors in my community say that Greece gives 24. My barista told me that Guatemala has 25, and Kenya has 28. A former Turkish colleague got 26. In India, Andy (mentioned in my prior entry) says they get 27 paid days off--the same as Switzerland. A friend who worked for the British Embassy in NYC informs me that the United Kingdom mandates 28, Ireland gives 29, and Australia gives 30. My friends in Brazil are given 30. Serbia gives 31. Italians enjoy 32 paid days per year... the same as United Arab Emirates. Cubans receive 33--including 9 paid public holidays! The Baltic nation of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Sweden give 34. Portugal and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg give 35. My colleagues in France get 36, and that country "closes down" in the summertime. Austria offers 38, which is one more day than Syria. A colleague from the country of Georgia got the most: 39. Once again, America = 0.
As for American employers, there's no evidence that "working people to death" gives a competitive advantage. It's merely to be cruel and tight-fisted. It treats employees like a "cog in a wheel": a mentality from the era of Industrial Revolution robber-barons.
Meanwhile, an engineer in Washington--who hasn't taken a long vacation in 10 years--is finally planning a real getaway. He's taking a cruise for his 60th birthday. Wow, so much time has escaped him. It doesn't have to be like that... wasting years until you can take a vacation.
The song lyrics of "Enjoy Yourself" sprung to mind:
"You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter, come what may. You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away. Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around. But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?"
According to a 2011 CNN report, some companies in the USA don't like employees taking more than 1 week at a time. Too many folks are fearful of losing their jobs, so they don't even take their 2 weeks off. Only 57% of American workers use their full 2 weeks. If they do, many complain of "punishment consequences" when they return... as if it was sinful or something! Other bosses expect vacationers to check their work email/voicemail. What kind of Life Balance is that?!
A software engineer in Washington D.C. is fearful of taking more than 1 week off to "see the world". Meanwhile, an engineer in Weinheim, Germany gets 6 weeks of paid vacation, plus all of the national holidays. His company makes sure that he uses all of it. In fact, it's typical for Germans to take 3 consecutive weeks off in August--just like in France.
My often-vacationing hair stylist, Dragan, is from the Republic of Croatia (in the Balkans), and he said that Americans have an idea to work like robots. "If that's the way they want to be, that's up to them. But it doesn't have to be like that," he said, "What are Americans clinging to?"
My Hungarian friend stated, "Americans are too fearful of relocating. They're guilty about be away from their families. They're anxious that they won't find anything better elsewhere. They're sick in the head!"
That might be true: brainwashed and afraid.
My friend continued, "Most of my friends from our university in Hungary moved to other countries for jobs. They're lives are full and enriched, and their families are happy for their success."
Lewis and I have a friend who works in Communist China. Chinese law mandates a total of 16 paid vacation days and paid public holidays. The USA has zero! America in the same low category as Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia! Everywhere else gives more vacation time! Our friend in Japan gets 10. My friend from Mexico got 13. Lewis' friend in Singapore gets 18. The European Union mandates 20 (employers in the Netherlands give a bonus of "vacation pay"). Bangladesh gives 21 days. My friend in Israel gets 21. My former coworker returned to Vietnam and gets 22. Neighbors in my community say that Greece gives 24. My barista told me that Guatemala has 25, and Kenya has 28. A former Turkish colleague got 26. In India, Andy (mentioned in my prior entry) says they get 27 paid days off--the same as Switzerland. A friend who worked for the British Embassy in NYC informs me that the United Kingdom mandates 28, Ireland gives 29, and Australia gives 30. My friends in Brazil are given 30. Serbia gives 31. Italians enjoy 32 paid days per year... the same as United Arab Emirates. Cubans receive 33--including 9 paid public holidays! The Baltic nation of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Sweden give 34. Portugal and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg give 35. My colleagues in France get 36, and that country "closes down" in the summertime. Austria offers 38, which is one more day than Syria. A colleague from the country of Georgia got the most: 39. Once again, America = 0.
As for American employers, there's no evidence that "working people to death" gives a competitive advantage. It's merely to be cruel and tight-fisted. It treats employees like a "cog in a wheel": a mentality from the era of Industrial Revolution robber-barons.
In 2009, a Congressman from Florida introduced a Paid Vacation Act, which would require large companies to provide at least one week of paid annual leave. The bill stalled, thanks to under-serving, two-faced politicians. Opponents said that it would have a negative impact on business. Really?
If overworked employees balk or complain about their situation, their employers reprimand them to be grateful that they have jobs. They sound like Ebenezer Scrooge from the 1840s! Unchanged for a century, America's companies, landlords, and government agencies are intolerant of criticism from workers. Their attitude is, "If you don't like it, you can leave. Many people will replace you". Please watch this video by Lewis' coworker who complains about her job duties increasing while her compensation and "paid time off" decreases each year.
Meanwhile, an engineer in Washington--who hasn't taken a long vacation in 10 years--is finally planning a real getaway. He's taking a cruise for his 60th birthday. Wow, so much time has escaped him. It doesn't have to be like that... wasting years until you can take a vacation.
The song lyrics of "Enjoy Yourself" sprung to mind:
"You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter, come what may. You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away. Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around. But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?"
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