The Vacation Crisis

I found this in a local paper (read: Villiage Newspaper). It was originally on the "Opinions" page; and it was written by Michael Miller.

July is the vacation season. But chances are you aren't on a vacation. Separate studies by Universal Resorts, Expedia.com, Hudson Staffing and the Families and Work Institute show that the American vacation crisis is worse than ever. And a lot of it is self-imposed.

Americans took the money, and left the vacations on the table. French workers get five to six weeks of paid vacation each year, and they are expected to take that time off. German workers average at least 30 days of vacation each year, a minimum of 24 full days by law. Workers in Great Britain typically receive 23 vacation days, the fewest among Europeans. Australians get 30 days of paid vacation by law, and average 25 days of actual days taken off. Meanwhile, there is no federal right to any vacation time in the United States (21 percent of full-time workers don't have access to paid vacations), though most employers do have a vacation policy. Between 36 percent and 51 percent of full-time U.S. workers don't take all their vacation days off. Two weeks of paid vacation is typical here, but Americans are on track to give back more than 421 million days of vacation time during 2005. One study puts the actual value of that extra work at about $54 billion worth of economic productivity.

The trends are ominous. In 2004, Americans gave back 415 million days of vacation time, a rise of 50 percent over 2003. Since 1970, American hours worked per capita have increased a full 20 percent. Meanwhile, per capita hours worked are down 23 percent in France, 18 percent in Germany, 12 percent across the entire European Union and even 18 percent among Japanese workers. It is American productivity which ballooned the stock markets, adding incredible value to American corporations. And those corporations are not returning the loyalty and effort.

In a corporate world rife with downsizing, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, employees are hesitant to take time for fear that bosses will decide that the job can get done without them. In addition, many companies have cultivated a machismo workplace attitude in which vacation and downtime are seen as a sign of weakness. Twenty-three percent of American workers check in with the office "most days" while on vacation, and that figure rises to 38 percent among managers. Perhaps it's no surprise that 34 percent of U.S. workers said they return to the office more stressed or as stressed as when they left.

Even when companies try to make it easier to take vacations, many Americans can't bring themselves to go. One management firm invited employees to buy extra vacation days, and 52 out of 138 workers put up the money. By the end of the year, though, just under three-fourths of them had asked for refunds.

More and more it's becoming clear that vacation is vital to sustained productivity, which is why Europeans take the vacations and still get the job done. Studies show that job performance increases after a week's vacation, that workers come back recharged and rejuvenated (it takes most Americans three full days of vacation to decompress and feel relaxed). An annual vacation can cut the risk of heart disease in men by 30 percent and in women by 50 percent. Rand Corporation, the think tank giant, now gives employees a 5 percent bonus if they use all of their vacation days.

To hardworking Americans, time isn't just money, it's the currency of life. Juggling long work weeks with commuting and kids and civic responsibilities takes its toll on physical health, mental health and marital health. It takes two incomes to get by and it seems as though there is a relentless treadmill.

But perhaps Americans are starting to catch on. Since 2001, Salaries.com has asked respondents if they'd rather have more time off or a $5,000 raise. The first year of the survey, 33 percent said they'd take the vacation time. In the 2004 survey, 53 percent said that they wanted the time.

So maybe we're wising up.

I thought you guys would appreciate that. I have the unnerving impression that, if you're reading this blog, you're not on vacation. You're at a desk, somewhere.

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