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Put simply, we are overworked as a nation. Compared to other industrialized nations of the world, we rank far behind in vacation time. For some, this is a good thing because it is a product of our hard-working "nose-to-the-grindstone" ethic that has made our nation great. For others, it is a negative product of capitalism gone amok, where profit has replaced people as the main priority of the nation.

Progress?

The unfortunate problem is that some people do not seem to care because it will affect their bottom line. For others, the problem seems too complicated to fix so they just keep doing what has been done in the past. In addition, there are plenty of people that are unaware that things are done differently in other parts of the world. Clueless behavior continues to reign supreme.

Just too tired

Vacation time is not just about business, it is also about health, wellness, and happiness. Everyone is concerned about productivity, but we can tend to have a task-master mentality where we push employees to "just work harder" rather than address any shortcomings in their lives. When people do not get enough vacation, they are more fatigued and incur more stress. When they are tired and get stressed, they lose additional sleep, get sick, and cost the company more in health benefits.

Health and wellness

Another side effect of stress is eating more and exercising less. This also leads to sickness and more health problems. As a nation, we aren't exactly the healthiest, as we struggle with obesity and heart disease. Instead of taking some days off to clear our head and eat unhurried meals at home, we are sitting at our desks eating donuts and drinking coffee.

Big brother?

Some will argue that the government cannot impose this kind of requirement, as it seems to strict, particularly for small business. However, if the government is truly concerned about the well-being of it's citizens and the productivity of the economy, they will not shy away from these types of changes.

Some controls

This is why the government has implemented a minimum wage, because they know that given the chance, some businesses will take advantage of their employees. The same should apply to vacation as the health and wealth of the nation are at stake. It may seem counterintuitive to say that giving people more time off would lead to more profit, but it does make sense to say that happier and healthier employees are more likely to be productive.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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