In their bid to narrow the gap with other European vacations, UK workers will be getting 8 extra days of paid vacations per year. As announced last June, employees will soon be enjoying a statutory minimum of 28 days (including public holidays) of paid vacations.
It's still several days shy of its neighbors' more generous number of vacation days (Germany has 30 days, France – 36 and Austria- 38) but, hey, it's a start.
According to Trade and Industry Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, "This extra time off will make a real difference in the lives of hard-working people – a proper rest from work and more time to spend with their families and friends". Amen!
Employees NEED to be able to take sufficient time off in order to relax and unwind. Going on vacation wouldn't be much of a choice for those who do not have enough days off for them to go somewhere where they can forget about work and just do nothing.
Powers that be need to keep in mind that employees are more productive if they are not overworked.
So… where will you go with those 8 extra days?