Why Are You Reading This Instead Of Working, You Lazy Bastard?found on Simple Livingwritten by ms_sue_collins, edited by George (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Wed 10 Sep 5:52amWork-life balance is something we're really struggling with in this country.... We don'thave the issue under control by any means — David Logan, associate dean of the USCMarshall School of Business"U.S. workers are putting in longer hours on the job and taking fewer vacation days thanany other industrialized countries," ms_sue_collins writes. "Labor statistics show thatU.S. workers have even surpassed the Japanese in the number of days at work per year.Working Americans average a little over two weeks' vacation anually, but unlike all other industrialized countries, the U.S. has no legislative requirement guaranteeing a minimumnumber of days of paid leave. A national survey by Oxford Health plans found that oneout of six Americans who receive paid vacation are unable to use it, nearly one-third of employees work through lunch and 19 percent reported feeling obligated to work evenwhen sick or injured. Whether such numbers reflect workers' anxiety or a stronger work ethic, experts worry about the physical and psychological ramifications while policymakers argue over proposed solutions."Studies on job stress and health have suggested that chronic stress, particularly amongthose workers with high demands but little decision-making power, can double the risk of heart disease. An Ohio State University study equates stress with high level of a proteinthat can lead to ailments such as type 2 diabetes. USC's David Logan refers to studiesshowing that a lengthy enough vacation results in increased productivity and that theeffect can last as long as 90 days. Some mental experts fear that the American work- based culture has created a situation where people build their whole identities aroundtheir jobs: 'These days, people belong to nothing.... Work is the one thing they do,'contends Dr. Marc Graff. So some in the U.S. have begun a campaign to change whatthey view as an all-work, no-play cycle."The Take Back Your Time Day campaign, a project of the Center for Religion, Ethicsand Social Policy at Cornell University, has chosen October 24 as a day of awareness.John de Graaf, the coordinator, says that the date, nine weeks before the end of the year,represents the 350 more hours per year that Americans work compared to WesternEuropeans. According to IDS Employment Europe and the European Union, mostEuropeans get five to six weeks of vacation. Last year, the European Commissiondecreed that the minimum paid vacation period must be four weeks in all EU countries,superseding the previous three-week mandate. In contrast, American workers receive anaverage of 14.2 days paid vacation. Joe Robinson, founder of the Work-to-Livecampaign, is lobbying for a national paid-leave law that would provide all U.S.employees with three weeks' vacation."Extended paid vacations, however, don't come free. Edward Hudgins, director of regulatory studies at the Cato Institute, alleges that Western Europe's vacation mindset isone reason that they have 'such dreadful labor markets compared with the United States.'
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