Vacation time: The Difference Between North America & Europe
In the recruitment industry, vacation time can become a contentious issue when negotiating an offer between an employer and a candidate. In North America, vacation time is becoming more and more important to individuals and companies are anxious to keep their employees happy, so how do we find a happy medium? Europe doesn’t seem to be struggling with this issue in the same way as North America. Let’s compare the two continents.
Unfortunately, the majority of employees in North America do not take their full vacation days. Are employees nervous to ask for the time they are owed for fear of upsetting their superior? For the most part, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Rather, the workload is often too high and employees cannot spare the days off in order to make deadlines or fulfill deliverables. There is also the desire to show commitment and dedication to their employer, often putting their own needs aside.
Alternatively, in Europe, it is common practice for employees to receive a minimum of 4 weeks of paid vacation each year. Usually, an employee will take his/her time off all at once and use it to travel. They don’t split up their vacation time nearly as much as those in North America. Interestingly, their productivity does not seem to be diminished because of their time off. Europeans tend to have a much better work life balance, less stress, and better focus and productivity when at work.
North Americans often suffer from burn out, especially those who don’t take their full vacation. These employees tend to bear a high work load with a high amount of responsibility and pressure. When an employee takes time off, it allows them to recharge and come back to work more focused and with more energy. An interesting observation to note is that the top performers at most companies are those that take advantage of all of their vacation time. They are able to fully disconnect and come back to work more productive, focused and engaged.
There is a case to be made for North America to learn something from Europe. A happier and more productive work force means less burn out and sick time and potentially higher revenues. It might be a wise decision for companies to rethink their vacation policy in order to actually better serve their own bottom line.
Bird Dog is a recruitment firm that provides staffing services to some of the most innovative, creative and emerging companies across North America.
Thanks for sharing Matt. Great article, and I have always been thinking how is it that companies in Europe have people work less hours and still are able to not only survive but also grow? We must be doing something wrong here in North America!
Successful Talent Acquisition Specialist, performance management and coaching. Accredited DISC Flow practitioner (SI) , Accredited Strengths Profile Practitioner (Langley Group)
5 年Totally agree, NA needs to recognise that working longer and not taking time off is not working harder. Having just returned to NA from living in NZ where 4 weeks is the minimum leave given to employees and employers understand the need for a balance, I was shocked that NA had remained in the 80-90's in its belief that you need to work long hours and not take holidays otherwise you won't be seen to be committed and doing your job. Legislation also does not seem to have moved to recognise employee rights, which explains why unions still have such a strong presence. Also explains the health issues in NA, high stress, burnout, diabetes, cardio vascular disease, obesity. If you constantly feel stressed and recharge you are doing yourself a disservice and your employer. As long as employers don't see the value in making sure their staff take the time owing to them, they will only ever do well but not excel
HR Transformation Leader | People Experience Advocate
5 年Excellent article. What is interesting also is that European countries are comparably as productive than N.A. Countries, with more vacation time and less hours worked per week...