Working Vacations Don’t Have to Stink

When it comes to vacations, Spain knows how to do it big: The average Spanish worker get 40 paid vacation days.

Americans, unfortunately, fall on the other end of the spectrum. We’re terrible at getting away from work, with the average US worker only receiving a measly 10 paid days off every year.

On the surface, that may sound like good news for our employers: We Americans are industrious, hardworking people. We’re so invested, you basically have to beg us not to come into the office!

The reality is that our aversion to vacation here in the States is actually bad for both our own health and the health of our employers. By not taking enough time off of work — and often working beyond regular office hours — we ramp up our stress levels, sap our morale, and run headlong into burnout.

Paradoxically enough, the most effective and productive workers are those who know when to call it quits. Vacation gives us necessary time to step away, clear our heads, and recharge. That way, when we return to work, we can perform at consistently higher levels for a sustained period of time instead of exhausting ourselves and running on fumes.

Reservations.com has a potential solution to America’s dangerously low vacation time: more working vacations.

Now, typically speaking, the concept of a “working vacation” might fill a person with dread. In fact, you may even be a little confused: Isn’t the problem that Americans don’t unplug enough? Why would we encourage them to plug in more often?

In a new infographic, Reservations.com makes the case for why a smarter, more flexible, more employee-oriented approach to working vacations could be key to restoring work/life balance for overworked Americans. Check it out below: