Metacosm

America: No-vacation nation:

It seems Europeans get weeks and weeks of vacation and Americans don't get any at all. Shocker of the century, right? [...]

As a Frenchman living in the US, I have to admit that not having more vacation time is something I miss. With the small number of vacation days I get (compared to what my friends get in Europe), it becomes almost stressful to take vacations: you have to plan everything right, you can’t really afford to make a mistake because you know you won’t be able to go back on vacation soon. As a result, you almost feel pressure to enjoy yourself and do something when the only thing you really needed was to be able to do nothing and just relax. Quite difficult to do so, isn’t it?

Plus, for me, it also means spending most of my vacation days in France, to see my family and friends there, leaving precious (to none at all) time to take vacations elsewhere (including here, in the US).

But does all that time off make Europeans any less productive? The answer is a surprising no. Several European countries—Norway, Ireland, and even France—post higher productivity levels than does the United States. [...]

Even when America does beat European countries in the productivity rankings, "[t]he United States’ much higher output per person is due mostly to more hours on the job, not to superior productivity while working." Is it worth it?

On the productivity front, I am not surprised by the results either. When you spend too much time working, you get burnt out. Sure you can work more but you’re not going to be as efficient. This is especially true in creative/mental work. Not having much vacation/sick days makes it also difficult to take care of your family (how to deal with sick kids) or yourself and that eventually takes a toll on your work. If you have to constantly (or often) worry about things of that order, how can you be expected to give your best at work? Sure, vacations (and social benefits at large) can be perceived as unproductive money at first glance, but are they really? Wouldn’t it be better to have a reasonably rested workforce that knows that things will be taken care of if something unexpected happens, a workforce that can devote its full attention to the task at hand?