It reminded me of the Puritan/Protestant work ethic. Mostly found in North America, the idea is that only by working hard and diligently will a person achieve the status of Good Person and get good things in this life (and if you were religious, the next life). One can compare and contrast this cultural idea about work with ideas about work in other countries, especially other Christian ones.
I'm amazed at the number of people in this thread who consistently work overtime, but even more amazed by the people who seem to think that working 9-to-5 is a bad thing, and who wants to work more.
I work for an "extremely" progressive company in the valley, and I have three whole weeks of paid vacation per year, and I'm chafing at that, because I'm used to having six weeks of paid vacation per year.
Is it common where you're from for people to take all six weeks? That's almost one week out of every eight spent on vacation. (Don't get me wrong, that sounds amazing...)
It's common in Western Europe.I get 5 weeks holiday plus 8 public holidays. I sometimes don't take a day or two but will then take a day or two extra the next year..
Yes, of course! Why wouldn't you take your vacation? It's in your employment contract! Not taking your vacation is exatly like not taking all of your salary.
In addition, you have the legal right to take four consecutive weeks of vacation in the summer, but you might not get to choose exactly when if you insist on four weeks, depending on scheduling for your work. If you're a blue-collar worker, you typically get July off, so the entire manufacturing industry shuts down simultaneously.
