Similar in Norway, where there are times of the year companies basically shutdown or run on minimal staff. In Norway this is July, Italy has similar for August.

Similar in Norway, where there are times of the year companies basically shutdown or run on minimal staff. In Norway this is July, Italy has similar for August. But ultimately I think it's culture as much as policies. The US, and lesser extent the UK, has a culture of submitting to work over life (as do other countries, so not singling out the US or UK here). In the UK I had to nag people to take holidays and there was usually a holiday crunch at the end of the year when lots of people took time of just because they had to. Whereas, living in Norway now, the Scandinavian ethic of maintaining a good work/life balance means there's not really a problem of people not using all their holidays. Or work much overtime either.