May 6, 2004

Newsfeed: Bernard Beck

Bernard Beck discusses vacation time

Americans are taking less vacation time than ever before, a trend that could be damaging to both employees and employers. Bernard Beck, associate professor of sociology, says Americans are just too busy for vacation.

I think Americans today don’t have much time to take vacation. They’re busy at work. They’re busy looking for work. They’re busy working more than one job. The employment situation has gotten grim again and those people that do have jobs are working hard to keep them. And that means, compared to other countries, we can’t spare or won’t spare the time off because we have less job security.

According to Beck, a law requiring employers to grant a certain amount of vacation time is unlikely.

Employers would be well organized and would cry out loud about the imposition it would put on them in terms of costs and things like that, especially if there’s government enforcement behind it. This would make it even more expensive because you’d have to keep records and reassure the government that you’re following the law.

Beck says employees who do not take enough time off may end up being less productive.

In any kind of activity, people can’t continue repeating the same thing too often without losing efficiency and even damaging themselves. As more jobs move to the office realm there are fewer and fewer guaranteed vacations. Taking a long weekend has become the standard way to get a break.

Beck thinks an improved economy and stronger trade unions would lead to more vacation time.

Full employment would make a big difference. An economy working at great speed so that everybody had a job would provide a bit more negotiating power for employees. Also, a revitalization of the trade union movement would probably make for a real difference in this balance of power.

— Paul Tenorio