Communication Across Cultures: Work-Life Balance

COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURES

Communication Across Cultures

Work–Life Balance: Around the Globe and Around the Block

If you’re like most Americans, chances are that when you consider a job or career, you think not only about salary but also about benefits. As we learned in this chapter, some of the most appealing companies to work for offer enticements like flexible work hours, in-house dining, child care, and even laundry services. These kinds of perks are relatively new, still largely unexpected, and rare enough that the companies offering them are able to fill their staff rosters with the best talent. But what about the most basic benefit of any job—time away from the job?

Two weeks of vacation time is standard in most U.S. companies—but it’s not guaranteed. There are no laws in the United States requiring employers to give their employees any paid vacation time or paid holidays. According to recent studies, the average private sector worker in the United States receives only about nine paid vacation days per year and six paid holidays; almost one in four U.S. workers has no paid time off at all. Of course, most successful U.S. companies do offer vacation time to employees, even if they are not required by law to do so. But lower-wage workers typically receive fewer paid days off (seven on average) than higher-wage workers (an average of thirteen) (Ray, Sanes, & Schmitt, 2013; Ray & Schmitt, 2007).

In other rich nations, things are quite different. Workers in the United Kingdom are guaranteed twenty-eight vacation days per year; in Austria and Portugal, workers get twenty-two vacation days in addition to thirteen paid holidays. Canadians enjoy a minimum of ten vacation days and nine holidays. In some of these nations, employers are even required to provide a little extra pay to help with vacation expenses (Ray, Sanes, & Schmitt, 2013; Ray & Schmitt, 2007).

Think About This

  1. Does it surprise you that vacation time is not mandated in the United States but is mandated in most other wealthy nations? Do you think that Americans would be more or less productive if they had more vacation time?

    Question

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    Does it surprise you that vacation time is not mandated in the United States but is mandated in most other wealthy nations? Do you think that Americans would be more or less productive if they had more vacation time?
  2. Consider the cultural variations discussed in this chapter and in Chapter 3. How is the largely masculine, individualist culture of the United State reflected in U.S. policies on and attitudes toward vacation time?

    Question

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    Consider the cultural variations discussed in this chapter and in Chapter 3. How is the largely masculine, individualist culture of the United State reflected in U.S. policies on and attitudes toward vacation time?
  3. What are your expectations for paid time off from work? Do you expect to be paid for holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving? Are your feelings about religious holidays different from your expectations for national holidays?

    Question

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    What are your expectations for paid time off from work? Do you expect to be paid for holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving? Are your feelings about religious holidays different from your expectations for national holidays?