Vacations and Mini-Retirements

Employees need vacations to stay productive and recuperate from stresses and pressures at the office. Some countries fully agree with this philosophy. Take France as an example, which has a work week that is only thirty-five hours to improve the quality of life there. And the Germans almost believe that their one month vacations are a sacred right.

Other countries have opposite practices, though. Japanese employees use only a small fraction of their yearly vacation time because they want to be seen as full contributors to the team. In the US, work habits continue to change. Fewer employees take all their entitled vacation days, which equals about nine days per year. The worsening economy is partly to blame for the change. Many employees fear layoffs as companies post weaker profits, and so they want to be viewed as hard workers.

But a growing number of people support mini-retirements. Rather than take short vacations every year, or no vacation whatsoever, the mini-retirement can be viewed as an extended vacation. Mini-retirements advocate an active youth instead of working until old age and then taking a "macro" retirement. Several months away from work allows employees to pursue personal goals and dreams. And if the person travels abroad, then he can immerse himself in the foreign country and culture. With remote technology, Internet cafes, and free Wi-Fi services, it's even possible to stay up to date of developments at the office, too.
Life should be more than work, money, and savings. Hopefully more offices around the world will not only encourage vacation, but take up the mini-retirement concept, too.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

1. I work too much!
2. I look forward to my retirement. (Or I'm already retired and I really enjoy it.)
3. Employees shouldn't take long vacations because there could be problems at the office.
4. I would be much happier and enjoy life much more if I could take at least one long vacation every year.
5. Vacations don't have much benefit.

Talk about the following questions.

1. Have you ever canceled, postponed, or limited your vacation because of work? Please explain.
2. What do you think about the idea of mini-retirements versus regular vacations? Please explain.
3. What are the pluses and minuses of mini-retirements from an employer's point of view? Please explain.
4. What are the pluses and minuses of mini-retirements from an employee's point of view? Please explain.
5. What will the balance between work, vacations, and retirement be in the future? Please explain.

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