More play and less work makes Jack a non-Canadian, according to a recent survey.
Employees in several European countries enjoy more time off than Canadian workers and their U.S. counterparts, according to the first global vacation deprivation survey commissioned by Expedia and conducted by Ipsos Reid in Canada and Harris Interactive in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
France leads the pack with a whopping average of 39 vacation days given per year, followed by Germany with 27, the Netherlands with 25 and Great Britain at 23. North Americans are at the bottom of the list with an average of 21 vacation days per year given in Canada, and 12 in the U.S.
"Many European governments mandate, on average, between four and five weeks of paid vacation," explains sociologist and stress expert Beverly Beuermann-King. "On the other hand, Canadians are entitled to a base of two weeks paid vacation, and there are no national requirements in the U.S. As Canadians, we are reliant on our employers to reward us with extra vacation time."
The survey also revealed the total amount of estimated vacation days that each participating country "gives back" each year, and considering how little time we receive, we are generous. Canadian and U.S. employees are the most kind, offering up three days per employee on average.
So how generous are we? In total, Canadian employees gave back a staggering 40 million days.
In comparison, the average employee in France gives back just a single day and the average Briton gives back just half a day.