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In Denmark we have minimum 5 weeks paid vacation every year for full-time jobs. Many have 6 weeks, some have 7 weeks. It's a luxury but one that Americans shou

In Denmark we have minimum 5 weeks paid vacation every year for full-time jobs. Many have 6 weeks, some have 7 weeks. It's a luxury but one that Americans should be able to afford for all.

Tarsul 5y ago
I think this is one of the most important points. Resting = less stress. Additionally, in Europe when you're ill it doesn't count against your holidays.
- Hamuko 5y ago
  >Additionally, in Europe when you're ill it doesn't count against your holidays. The first sick day might be unpaid though. Here it depends on the occupation, as in, which collective agreement your industry uses. I think the idea is that it reduces "unnecessary" sick days, but I think I have my first sick day as paid and I think the last time I had a sick day was around when World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth came out in 2018 (I swear it was a coincidence).
acuozzo 5y ago
> It's a luxury but one that Americans should be able to afford for all. Agreed, but health care first, no?
UnpossibleJim 5y ago
Unless I'm mistaken, Denmark also has socialized healthcare, does it not? I know this drum gets beaten to death on forums of all kinds, including this one, so pardon me for banging it once again. Tying one's health coverage (in a meaningful way) to one's job is just shameful for any type of developed nation, and to do so during a pandemic with lock down rules, doubly so. I know people who had trouble getting certain diabetic supplies covered on their state insurance when they were laid off during the lock down, in one of the richest nations of the world. I'm not sure people are even stressed about vacations. I think people are so stressed that if they lose their jobs, they lose their healthcare and since so many people have so little savings they face homelessness (our school system doesn't do a very good job of teaching economics for the individual - my parents taught me), They're stressed because their hormones are out of whack because for so many our diet and exercise routines are horrible (though, some of that could be blamed on long commutes). It's a symphony of issues that's causing stress derived from work that isn't the work itself, or time away from it =(
- m_ke 5y ago
  Most countries have universal healthcare (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universal_Healthcare_by_Country_20191229.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universal_Healthcare...)
- jobu 5y ago
  It's a combination of weak social safety net and people living paycheck-to-paycheck (or worse). Roughly 1/3 of US households have a hard time covering monthly expenses, and another ~1/3 are a paycheck away from disaster. If you lose a job in the US, you lose your healthcare (COBRA is way to expensive to be an option). Minimal housing protections in most states means you're one missed payment away from homelessness. Food banks are critically short-staffed and under-stocked across the US. Jobless benefits can take weeks or months to receive and even then they're usually well below what a person needs to survive. There was such a stigma against moochers and "welfare queens" in the 80s and 90s that politicians would rather cut funding to all benefits than let one person abuse the system. Florida even spent $178 million on drug tests to save from paying out $60k in welfare because addicts don't deserve to eat for some reason.
standardUser 5y ago
If we can't "afford" to give working human beings 6-8 weeks off every year, then what even is the point? What are all of these gains in productivity supposed to be for? To make a tiny number of people ever-wealthier or to give all of us the chance to both earn a living and live a life outside of the hours we're doing what our bosses want?
- ajmadesc 5y ago
  Most people who argue the point shout about how cheap, iphones, TVs, nice cars, and flights are. Something 80% can't afford regularly.
- acuozzo 5y ago
  > then what even is the point? World peace. Stressed, isolated, distracted people tend to work for the weekend and live in day-tight compartments. When something upsets them, they post about it on social media and feel better. When something really upsets them, they make a petition on change.org and feel better. When something really, really upsets them, they reach out to a friend, but that friend is too stressed or busy or distracted to care. When something really, really, really upsets them, they do something violent which plays on the news at 11 to distract some while the rest are too busy or stressed to care. Get every other country on-board, connect them with a global supply chain, and voilà!
- sangnoir 5y ago
  > What are all of these gains in productivity supposed to be for? For the shareholders, of course.

In Denmark we have minimum 5 weeks paid vacation every year for full-time jobs. Many have 6 weeks, some have 7 weeks. It's a luxury but one that Americans should be able to afford for all.

Tarsul 5y ago

I think this is one of the most important points. Resting = less stress. Additionally, in Europe when you're ill it doesn't count against your holidays.

Hamuko 5y ago
>Additionally, in Europe when you're ill it doesn't count against your holidays. The first sick day might be unpaid though. Here it depends on the occupation, as in, which collective agreement your industry uses. I think the idea is that it reduces "unnecessary" sick days, but I think I have my first sick day as paid and I think the last time I had a sick day was around when World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth came out in 2018 (I swear it was a coincidence).

acuozzo 5y ago

> It's a luxury but one that Americans should be able to afford for all. Agreed, but health care first, no?

UnpossibleJim 5y ago

Unless I'm mistaken, Denmark also has socialized healthcare, does it not? I know this drum gets beaten to death on forums of all kinds, including this one, so pardon me for banging it once again. Tying one's health coverage (in a meaningful way) to one's job is just shameful for any type of developed nation, and to do so during a pandemic with lock down rules, doubly so. I know people who had trouble getting certain diabetic supplies covered on their state insurance when they were laid off during the lock down, in one of the richest nations of the world. I'm not sure people are even stressed about vacations. I think people are so stressed that if they lose their jobs, they lose their healthcare and since so many people have so little savings they face homelessness (our school system doesn't do a very good job of teaching economics for the individual - my parents taught me), They're stressed because their hormones are out of whack because for so many our diet and exercise routines are horrible (though, some of that could be blamed on long commutes). It's a symphony of issues that's causing stress derived from work that isn't the work itself, or time away from it =(

m_ke 5y ago
Most countries have universal healthcare (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universal_Healthcare_by_Country_20191229.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universal_Healthcare...)
jobu 5y ago
It's a combination of weak social safety net and people living paycheck-to-paycheck (or worse). Roughly 1/3 of US households have a hard time covering monthly expenses, and another ~1/3 are a paycheck away from disaster. If you lose a job in the US, you lose your healthcare (COBRA is way to expensive to be an option). Minimal housing protections in most states means you're one missed payment away from homelessness. Food banks are critically short-staffed and under-stocked across the US. Jobless benefits can take weeks or months to receive and even then they're usually well below what a person needs to survive. There was such a stigma against moochers and "welfare queens" in the 80s and 90s that politicians would rather cut funding to all benefits than let one person abuse the system. Florida even spent $178 million on drug tests to save from paying out $60k in welfare because addicts don't deserve to eat for some reason.

standardUser 5y ago

If we can't "afford" to give working human beings 6-8 weeks off every year, then what even is the point? What are all of these gains in productivity supposed to be for? To make a tiny number of people ever-wealthier or to give all of us the chance to both earn a living and live a life outside of the hours we're doing what our bosses want?

ajmadesc 5y ago
Most people who argue the point shout about how cheap, iphones, TVs, nice cars, and flights are. Something 80% can't afford regularly.
acuozzo 5y ago
> then what even is the point? World peace. Stressed, isolated, distracted people tend to work for the weekend and live in day-tight compartments. When something upsets them, they post about it on social media and feel better. When something really upsets them, they make a petition on change.org and feel better. When something really, really upsets them, they reach out to a friend, but that friend is too stressed or busy or distracted to care. When something really, really, really upsets them, they do something violent which plays on the news at 11 to distract some while the rest are too busy or stressed to care. Get every other country on-board, connect them with a global supply chain, and voilà!
sangnoir 5y ago
> What are all of these gains in productivity supposed to be for? For the shareholders, of course.