Part 1 Annual leave- How do Holiday entitlements vary across the globe?

We all enjoy taking time off to spend time with our family and friends for the odd day or a couple of weeks at a time, but how does the holiday entitlement vary between countries and how does it affect how people use their holiday?

 

 

 Finland, Brazil, France and Germany are at the top, guaranteeing six weeks of time off including some bank holidays, with most other European countries enjoying 4-5 weeks holiday off a year.

In Hong Kong the entitlement is only 7 days for your first 2 years of service and India and Japan the entitlement on average is 10-12 days a year!

What I found most surprising was America have 0 yes that's ZERO days statutory minimum! It is left to the employers to offer paid holiday as part of the benefits package. Larger companies will typically offer between 10 and 20 working days, depending on the company and years of service. In addition to this some may offer a number of paid public holidays, typically 6-8, although smaller employers may offer no holiday at all! The average number of paid holiday days offered by private employers is 10 days after 1 year of service, 14 days after 5 years, 17 days after 10 years, and 19 days after 20 years!

So how does this affect how people take their holiday entitlement?
Some U.S. companies don't like employees taking off more than one week at a time. Others expect them to be on call or check their e-mail even when they're lounging on the beach or taking a hike in the mountains. In Europe its common for people to take off 3 consecutive weeks during the summer. Having said that some companies in Europe still have the summer shut down during the hot months and employees are told when to take time off.

The way America views annual leave and the way Europe sees it poses lots of questions. Is it healthier for staff to take a break and relax for a couple of weeks and come back refreshed, or is it better to take odd days here and there and avoid the build up in work (and therefore stress) that awaits you when you arrive back in the office after 2 weeks away?

The other question that springs to mind when thinking about the way people take holiday, is that if you are constantly thinking about work and not taking genuine time off, does your home life suffer? Or are you more likely to burn out quickly professionally?

In part 2 of my blog I will be investigating how different people across the world choose to spend that precious annual leave.

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