With summer approaching, I’m starting to think of vacation plans. As a clinician, part of what allows me to stay enthusiastic about my work year after year is making sure I take time off on a regular basis. Since I have my own practice, I am in the unique position of deciding when and how much time I want to take off. Usually that means sprinkling “mental health days” throughout the year and taking more extended time off during the holidays and summer.
I’m very aware that the average American is not so lucky. Did you know that the U.S. has no federal law mandating employers to even provide paid vacation? Nearly a quarter of all Americans have no paid vacation or holidays!!! Compared with the rest of the industrialized world, we rank really low on amount of vacation time available to employees:
- U.S. 12 days
- Canada 19 days
- Britain 24 days
- Japan 17.5 days
- Germany 27 days
- France 39 days
- Australia 17 days
More than a third of us don’t even use all our vacation time due to fears of falling behind at work, being perceived as slacking or expendable, or having to meet strict criteria for when you can take your vacation time. We are a culture of workaholics! Even when employees do take vacation, there is often still pressure to be accessible 24/7, thanks to modern technology.
Yet, the price for not taking vacation time is high. Increased stress-related illnesses, strained relationships, depression, decreased productivity, burnout, and even a higher risk of heart attacks are part of the price of not taking time for ourselves.
So next time you think of not using all your vacation time, think again.