With summer underway, millions of Americans will take advantage of the nice weather and book a vacation. While everyone needs some time off to relax and recharge, a new study shows American employers aren’t too generous when it comes to offering paid vacation time.
Lack of vacation time
A new report conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research found one in four Americans (23%) has no paid vacation days.
“Relying on businesses to voluntarily provide paid leave just hasn’t worked,” says report co-author John Schmitt, a senior economist at the center.
That finding makes the U.S. the only advanced economy that does not require employers to provide paid vacation days.
Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, has introduced legislation that would require companies to offer paid vacation time. The bill was first introduced in 2009, but was never passed.
Time away is well spent
Research suggests employees need a break from work. When people come back refreshed they are more likely to be productive.
“Work is inherently stressful,” Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in San Francisco Bay told USA Today. “There are psychological demands of interacting with other people, meeting deadlines and performing. We need breaks from that to recover, reboot.”
Other countries lead the pack
Which country offers the most vacation? France is the winner, offering thirty days of paid vacation. The United Kingdom comes in second, offering 28 days and Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden all offer 25 days.
The non-profit that conducted the research first did this study six years ago and says little has changed.
“It is striking that six years after we first looked at this topic, absolutely nothing has changed,” Schmitt says. “U.S law and U.S. employer behavior still lags far behind the rest of the rich countries in the world.”
