Hotels.com Urges Americans To Have Legally Guaranteed Vacations
Vadim Liberman August 06, 2014
Americans need to take it easy. That’s the message that Hotels.com wants to send U.S. lawmakers. More precisely, the travel giant recently launched the Vacation Equality Project, an online petition to press the White House to support legislation ensuring that all workers receive paid time off.
The United States is the only advanced country that does not legally guarantee its citizens paid vacation time. As a result, 1 in 4 Americans—28 million people—do not receive paid vacation or holidays, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. What’s more, a telephone survey by research firm GfK reveals that most Americans are unaware that the United States is the only advanced nation that doesn’t require employers to pay workers for time off. At the same time, 51 percent of Americans would support legislation to change that.
At zero days, the United States lags far behind much of the world in the amount of paid leave that workers get. Here are just a few of the countries that offer more paid time off:
France: 30 days
Russia: 28 days
Germany: 24 days
Tanzania: 21 days
United Kingdom: 20 days
Sierra Leone: 18 days
Argentina: 14 days
Japan: 10 days
“Vacation is good for America,” proclaims Hotels.com. “Paid vacation translates to quality time spent with family and friends and volunteerism in communities. Vacation has a positive effect on American workers – improving health and wellness and increasing job satisfaction.”
In promoting the petition, Hotels.com draws upon research indicating that vacations are good for business, citing positive relationships between increased vacation time and worker productivity, creativity and innovation. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that paid leave is also a boon to the very businesses that Hotels.com represents. In other words, more time off equals more potential bookings.
Still, a study by travel-news site Skift shows that roughly one-third or Americans say they cannot financially afford to take a summer vacation this year. And a Glassdoor survey found that Americans who do receive paid time off used only 51 percent of it last year. Many people cite fear of job loss and getting behind on work — which also explains why many American end up working during their vacations.
Nonetheless, the U.S. Travel Association suggests that encouraging people to take just one more day of earned leave each year can pump $73 billion annually into the economy.
“We are a strong believer in the power of vacation and we hope that the Vacation Equality Project will help increase awareness of this issue,” said Hotels.com president Johan Svanstrom.
To get the petition in front of the President, 100,000 people must sign it before Aug. 15. There are only 8 days left — and more than 86,000 signatures to go.
[Photos: iStock / Hotels.com]
Hi srdshelly! Thanks for weighing in. About your remark about the petition, check out this link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/01/15/why-we-re-raising-signature-threshold-we-people For a petition to reach the President, the White House requires 100,000 signatures within 30 days. Just FYI. To your other point, personally, I too would not take a job that didn't allow me sufficient vacation time. I live to travel! But since you do acknowledge that some people would rather work than take time off, that they'd prefer wages over vacation time, seems to actually bolster the case for mandated paid leave. Without a law, companies are able to deprive workers of the choice. After all, no one HAS to take a vacation. But jobs should at least allow people to do so. The issue is actually bigger than vacation time, though. When companies don't allow paid leave, that means if you get sick or need to take care of an ailing child or parent or..you name it...many people cannot afford to suffer a pay reduction for not coming into work. This may not be a big motivator for Hotels.com -- who knows? -- but it's an important variable to keep in mind. What do you think?
While I wish more people loved travel the way I do, I don't think it's something the government should mandate. It's a cost to the employer, and some people would rather see that in the form of wages and benefits, rather than vacation. It's a matter for individual negotiation and/or collective bargaining. Personally, I would not take a job where I had to work 50 weeks a year, but others feel differently. I also find the statement silly that to get a petition to the President 100,000 people have to sign it by Aug. 15. That sounds like a hustle more than a serious proposition. You can turn in a petition to the President - for whatever that's worth - on any day of the month and with any number of signatures on it.