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Every year, it’s the same story. The French often complain of not having enough vacation time. However, they are not the most to complain about internationally, according to an Expedia survey.
Workers in France have an average of 31 days of paid vacation per year. This is much more than the Japanese (19), Canadians (19) and Mexicans (16). However, the worst-off employees are Americans with their 12 days of vacation. However, a large number of French people think that they do not have enough real “off” days. 69% of those surveyed by Expedia feel cheated, compared to only 62% of employees worldwide.
But how can we explain this feeling? First of all, cultural differences. The French believe that paid leave is a right, unlike their neighbors across the Atlantic who see it more as a luxury (93% versus 83%). In addition, the French tend to split up their vacations, which explains why they feel like they are not taking full advantage of them.
Generally speaking, the Japanese are those who feel least penalized when it comes to vacation time. Only 53% of them say they don’t have enough throughout the year. This is explained by the fact that Japanese workers try to regularly go away on weekends. Short getaways that allow them to break away from the daily grind at a lower cost. Because the Japanese don’t go on vacation on a whim: they make the most of public holidays to be away from the office for as long as possible, without having to take many days off.
“Free” vacation days for companies
If this strategy proves to be successful, it shows how reluctant the Japanese are to take full advantage of their holiday capital. Most of them do not take all the days off provided for in their contract. They give up an average of seven days of leave per year, for fear of reprisals. These fears are often well-founded since presenteeism is still very much rooted in Japanese managerial culture.
The Japanese are not the only ones who do not take all their leave. The French, Germans, Mexicans and British generally deprive themselves of two days of rest per year, compared to three for Australians and New Zealanders. A heresy for Hong Kongers who tend to take full advantage of their 26 days of annual vacation.
And they are right to do so: it is necessary to give yourself a break from time to time. Taking it easy not only increases your personal well-being, but also helps you excel more in your work. It may seem paradoxical, but researchers from the University of Oxford found that happy employees are 13% more productive than others. So not taking all the vacation days you’re entitled to is a bad calculation, on all counts.
*The new edition of Expedia’s “Vacation Deprivation” study was conducted by Harris Research Partners among 11,580 respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.