“I really need a vacation!”
Is there a more common phrase in the workplace in America today? I’m sure all of us had uttered that phrase at least once in the last 12 months. Americans are so vacation-deprived, then why is it that almost a third of the American working adults are giving up some earned vacation this year, and when they do go on vacation they still do some work by checking in with office communications, according to a Harris Interactive vacation-related poll?
The following table below indicates that the U.S. ranks 10th in term of average number of vacation days around the world per year, with the average of just 13 days per year compared to the United Kingdom’s 28, and Italy’s 42 days per year. Even the average worker in Japan – where the term karoshi, which means “death by overwork”, was coined gets five weeks of annual paid vacation.
Average Number of Vacation Days Around the World Per Year
Italy 42 days
France 37 days
Germany 35 days
Brazil 34 days
United Kingdom 28 days
Canada 26 days
Korea 25 days
Japan 25 days
U.S. 13 days
Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO).
We like to think that we’ve got the world’s highest standard of living with the per capita GDP of $37,800, 3rd highest in the world , and yet, we are the only industrialized nation that refuses to mandate vacation for workers in the private sector. And if you think we are making the most of those precious few days that we get, you couldn’t be more wrong. According to a study conducted in May 2004 by Harris Interactive, the average American planned not to use three of his or her vacation days this year, up from two days last year. The study also found that nearly 40 percent American said they had canceled or postponed vacations due to work.
So what’s the matter with us?
Miller, G. (2010, October 12). Twenty Something Finance . Retrieved April 12, 2011, from The U.S. is the Most Overworked Developed Nation in the World – When do we Draw the Line?: http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/
National Eating Disorder Association (2006). The media, body image, and eating disorders. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
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.
Henderson, K., & Spettigue, W. (2004). Eating disorders and the role of the media. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13(1), Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2533817/
Researchers have used various abstract foundations for examining the relationship between media and body image ( Holmstrom, 2004). Here I review the theory that has been used by researcher in the area. Bandura’s Social cognitive theory (1994) assumed that “people learn and model the behaviors of attractive others”. The supporters of this theory suggest that young women find slim models in the media attractive and try to imitate them through dieting which leads them to eating disorders.
At some point, the more time one spends working, the less productive they become, as Delistraty states. Delistraty tells us that the French are required to take at least 30 days off each year. This should not just be mandatory for French workers, but for every full-time worker. Too many people in our culture overwork causing them to miss out on important milestones in their loved ones’ lives. Working over 50 hours a week not only stresses one’s body but also limits time spent with friends and family, which is one of my top priorities. Delistraty mentions Menlo Innovations and how they see people who work overtime as “inefficient workers, not dedicated.” I think that every company should view overtime this way, they recognize that overwork is inefficient. If companies have this mentality it might help people to focus more on themselves and not neglect their physical and psychological health and lead them to more efficient work. The motivation for employees to work hard, and overwork, is to allow themselves a comfortable retirement as Delistraty states. By overworking, people tend to miss out on milestones and important events, in their lives and family. As Delistraty tells us, people “are too busy fitting their lives into work, rather than fitting work into their lives”
America was built around the idea that if you work hard and endure your hardships you will reap the benefits life has to offer you. As religious leader and author Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Without hard work nothing grows but weeds.” Many families in America continue to instill a hard work ethic within their children, and the prosperity of our country relies its citizens work. Although, living in a country where more vacation time is being offered sounds luxurious in the long run it only negatively affects problems concerning, obesity, less household funds, and increased feelings of stress.
“The attention-grabbing pictures of various high-flying supermodels and actors on different magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices” (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-cultural influences, like the false images of thin women have been researched to distort eating and cause un-satisfaction of an individual’s body. However, it is clear that, although virtually all women are exposed to these socio-cultural influences, only a very small proportion develop clinical eating disorders (Mazzeo and Bulik). Every article believes that socio-culture have an impact on eating disorders. Although, researchers believe that is not the only reason, and the easiest statement to make. Eating disorders are far more complicated than it just being blamed on the media. Bagley, Mazzeo and Bulik all state that media play a role in the development but are not the main reason to developing an eating disorder. In all of the research done thus far media is a part of eating disorders, but not the only culprit.
When the U.S. is compared to the conditions of other workers in other countries the numbers come as quite a shock. According to the magazine Psychology Today, “The United States—one of the richest countries in the world--ranks 28th among advanced nations in the category of work-life balance, 9th from the bottom” (Cummins 1). This stressful imbalance of home life with excessive work hours has left us in desperate need of more time and is becoming a strong identifier of American culture in the world. As Cummins explains, “We log long hours at work with the fear of losing our jobs through downsizing hanging over our heads. Then we fight rush hour traffic to get home in time to be super-parents, putting dinner on the table, helping our kids with their homework, and checking in with friends and family members we feel we have neglected because we are so overwhelmed” (Cummins 1). This well pa...
Reduces unscheduled absences––this benefit saves employers money. According to Lister, 78% of employees who take sick time, aren’t really sick, but do so due to family issues, stress or other personal problems. Unscheduled absences cost employers an average of $1,800/employee/year; that adds up to $300 billion/year for U.S. companies
Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-261.
Rader, Jonathon. "Does the media cause eating disorders?." healthcarecommunication.com. N.p., 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
In Germany, psychological illness counts for one of ten “sick days”. The United Kingdom had a survey of HR directors, 80% who responded stated they were “afraid to lose top employees to burnout”. Japan termed burnout in the workplace Karoshi, which means “burnout that leads to death”; Karojisatsu is suicide related to overwork. In Japan, work-related burnout is so common place that the government awards $20,000 to families of employees who have committed suicide or passed away due to work-related stress. Comparatively, in China the word for death from being overworked is Guolaosi. In the United States, no body of Government has yet addressed burnout in the US, nor the effect it has on public health. In America people work longer hours (1,800) than workers in Australia, Canada and most of Western Europe and is the only developed nation that doesn’t guarantee paid vacation as well as no guarantee paid paternal leave. Does this mean that America has not impacted by burnout? Different APA studies have explored the impact that burnout has in
Dalia Etzion, M. W. (September 2001). Psychology & Health. The impact of vacation and job
Family obligations are also a large contributor to people not being on the job. A large majority of the working population have kids. Some may have child responsibilities that become even more apparent when children are off from school for the summer break. Also, these kids need care when parents are at work, and sometimes the people that are responsible for taking care of the children when they are at work cannot be available when always needed. People always need to leave work early to pick kids up, drop them off, or take care of them when someone else is not around