We all dream of the day when we can put aside our clipboards, kick our shoes off, our feet up, and close our eyes with nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing and the feeling of the warm sun beating down on our goose bumped bodies. For many, the thought of a vacation sounds relaxing. However, most people are not given the opportunity to take one. Recent debates show that more people than ever before are now fighting for their right to a paid vacation. Workers in any industry should be granted with paid vacation each year because it brings forth quality time with friends and family, provides good stress relief, and will reduce the possibility of becoming burnt-out and unhealthy. “Time off is medicine” (Robinson, Joe). Because there is …show more content…
The body is designed to respond to short bursts of stress, but when stress is prolonged… the situation turns into one of chronic stress, where the real health problems begin to set in. Obviously, we feel less stress when we are not in a stressful environment. Vacations bring more than that; they interrupt the cycle of stress that can lead to overwhelm. Taking a vacation is more important than many people realize” (Scott, Elizabeth). The United States is one of the very few countries that does not guarantee paid vacations. “You would think something like the topic of paid vacation would be a no-brainer to companies, but unfortunately it’s not. As advanced as the United States is, we seriously lag behind other countries around the world where it counts” (Peart, Tanveir). Some people are against, and others are for this. No matter the side, both have their own arguments as to why they should or should not receive paid vacations. Some believe there is not enough time for a vacation and there is just too much to do while others say the time off work would do them well. “Close to one in four Americans don’t receive paid time off. For those who enjoy numbers, that translates to roughly twenty-six million people in the work force who can’t take a vacation” (Peart, Tanveir). “In European countries, vacations are incorporated in their laws. These include Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Employers are …show more content…
By taking time away from work, you allow your body to rejuvenate, as well as, repair itself inside and out. A good vacation can make you feel your best while making you look your best. Even if you can’t get away for a whole week, try a few days or a weekend when you are not busy. “Vacations, whatever form they take, are a chance to unwind, regroup, and take a step back to examine your life from a new place with a new perspective” (IBT STAFF REPORT). They are essential for everyone, and they are just as important as everything else you do in your life. They can also reduce many risks you may have. When you return, your work habits will be much better and you will be able to concentrate easier. “Studies show that vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise. A study earlier this year showed how vacations boost energy reserves so that you need less effort to get work done when you return. Maybe most importantly of all, a vacation can make up for the toll working puts on your heart. An annual holiday can cut the risk of a heart attack in men by thirty percent and in women by fifty percent,” (Robinson, Joe). Just as vacations can improve your health, the lack of them can affect it just as
When you have an employee, who does not have paid time designated to sick, they will often go to work sick as opposed to losing a vacation day. (Miller) The reluctance of giving up a vacation day versus staying home and getting healthy is noteworthy. “The problem”, eloquently put by Miller, “they drag their contagious carcasses to work, infecting colleagues, delaying their own recovery and giving less than a day's work for a day's pay”. As an employer, dealing with an employee who comes to work sick does cause concern as they can infect other employees. Similarly, if the employee is in the food or retail industry, they can pass germs along to consumers. As Paquette states, “More than half of U.S. and Canadian fast food workers in a 2015 survey said they reported to work under-the-weather because they didn't want to lose money”. This is a trend that must end and can by offering employees paid sick
at some point all employees will eventually need time off from work to deal with either a serious personal illness or other family obligations. “Many European nations took to the idea of making balancing family and work easier for employees but the movement did not gain momentum in the United States until the late 60s and 70s when working women were no longer the minority” (AAUW). There was a general shift in the nature of the common everyday american household and a two income household was slowly but surely becoming the new reality of american life.
By neglecting to acknowledge the importance of balancing work and life, policies have failed to support employees and their circumstances. This disregard has also cost taxpayers their well-earned dollar. And who are these taxpayers? Needless to say, they are our employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act stipulates that employees are allowed a twelve (12) work-week leave in a twelve (12) month period (for specified situations dealing with childbirth, adoption, family care, serious health conditions etc.). Unfortunately, this act does not specify that the said employees on leave MUST be paid, and it only applies to about sixty (60) percent of all workers. The Federal government is the single largest
Majority people travel from all corners of the earth to America, “Land of the Free,” to create better lives; living the American dream is a dream for more than just Americans. The beautiful thing about America is this dream can actually become reality, but the impediment of this dream is that it can morph into a living nightmare. Stress can be the producer to this dream turned horror movie. According to American Psychological Association adults in America are continuously reporting high levels of stress, and the stress level is currently rising. Causes and effects of stress are dispersed from all aspects of the American culture. Some fervent causes of stress are financial obligations, divorce, and personal discontentment. There are so
The steady rise of healthcare costs and the ever increasing cost of health insurance premiums are making it harder and harder for employers to pay healthcare premiums for their employees. In the past, it was almost a given that employers picked up the tab for health insurance coverage. The health coverage was usually exceptional with little or no money paid out of pocket by the individual for the insurance premiums. Those appear to be the “good old days”, with fewer and fewer employers shelling out money for health insurance premiums and demanding a larger percentage to be paid by the employee. Other employers are simply unable to financially provide healthcare coverage for their employees and have stopped all together.
Offering employee benefits is one way a company must competes in today’s marketplace to retain old employees and attracts new ones. These benefit packages may range from offering basic health insurance to additional discretionary and perk benefits such as vacation and retirement packages. Benefit packages are often a large portion of employee costs and Federal mandates require an employer to carry and offer certain benefits even if they offer nothing else. Federally required employee benefits make up approximately a quarter of the costs associated with employer offered benefit packages. Some of these mandated benefits include Social Security, Worker’s Compensation Insurance, and the Family Medical Leave Act.
Trends in time off with pay can vary from public (i.e. not for profit) and private (i.e. for profit) sector organizations. Usually public sector employees are governed by benefits that separate vacation, sick, personal days, jury duty, funeral leave etcetera. Private sector employers primarily utilize Paid Time Off (PTO) that lump all of the instances of needing time off in a time bank that each employee is responsible for maintaining. Time off with pay is a topic that is regularly evaluated throughout organizations today. In this paper I will be discussing the paid time off benefits that are offered to public employees.
Imagine you were pregnant, When you gave birth to your child, the only maternity leave you received was a month’s worth of vacation and sick time. And when you went to return to work, you found your job no longer existed. Since your employer was a small company, it didn’t have to go by federal laws that require 12 weeks of job protection after birth. This story is fictional, but it is real for so many. In America, there is no federal mandated paid maternity leave and that is hurting our women and our children by causing the miracle of birth to be masked by the all too real cost of no paid maternity leave.
However, it is up to each state to declare its own holidays. Just because there is a national holiday does not mean employers have to give their workers the day off.
Personal time off (PTO) also referred to as paid time off can be defied as the defined policy in the category of human resource management that gives employees a time off the daily duties at the work station for the vacations and other personal days off but with no payment withdrawal. PTO also covers the sick days off in such a way that the labor law set the PTO in combination of the vacation days and the sick day off. This means that the policy was set to include this two categories of days off without separating the two to be the sick day off and the vacation day off.in addition to this PTO does not accommodate general leaves that are pertained to employee such as medical leaves, business or company duty leaves among other entitled leaves.in
Scheil-Adlung, X., S and Ner, L. 2010. Evidence on paid sick leave: Observations in times of crisis. Intereconomics, 45 (5), pp. 313-321.
We enjoyed the vacation because we knew there was no debt baggage to come back with us. We practice saving to spend. In other words, if we do not have the funds, we will not spend. People might view the budgeting process as restrictive; however, it is liberating. Once one sees the progress one is making to get out of debt, it is the most amazing feeling to know that you are working towards a goal. At times one might have to wait for something he or she really wants; it only brings a feeling of satisfaction once one reached the goal of making the purchase free of debt. The budget has also helped my marriage, the majority of divorces are over finances, and I believe that couples who budget together stay
Carnival’s strategy focused on the "Fun Ship" concept, beginning with the Mardi Gras, which targeted people of all ages. In recent years the driving force behind why a person needs to take a vacation has changed. Today vacationers look to get away from everyday stress, and opt for a stress-relieving cruise.
Stress affects many Americans and is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with.
Days spent relaxing are therapeutic and stress relieving. Sometimes the only thing that gets me through a tough day is visualizing the next blissful lazy day. I love nothing more than snuggling on the couch with my puppies and watching cheesy chick flicks. If you use the expert lazy day planning for items, food, and attire, you can experience the ultimate bliss of down-time. Those unproductive hours are sometimes more beneficial than hours of therapy. Having time to de-stress and unwind is something a lot of people can rarely allow themselves. But even if it is only a few hours- I highly recommend lazing. A little ‘me’ time never hurt anyone. Enjoy it.