Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Countries With Most, Least Vacation Time: Canada Near Bottom In Global Survey

Canada may have fallen out of the top 10 on the UN’s list of the world’s most developed countries, but here’s a ranking where the country never even stood a chance of cracking the top 10.

In fact, Canada sits squarely in the bottom five when it comes to mandated vacation time, according to a survey from human resources consultancy Mercer.

Among 62 countries surveyed for vacation and holiday time, Canada’s minimum 10 vacation days per year place it in the company of China (10 days), India and Indonesia (12 days each).

And it’s well below most Western European countries, which, according to Mercer, lead the world in leisure time for workers.

At the very bottom? The U.S., with no mandated vacation time at all. (Though most employers will offer a minimum of two weeks.)

“Canada and the United States are amongst the least generous nations when it comes to statutory holidays,” the report states, noting, however, that “some organisations provide up to six weeks’ vacation after 20 or 25 years of service.”

Wolfgang Seidl, head of Mercer’s health care consulting business, argued robust vacation policies can actually be good for business, not just employees.

“A break from the daily routine is essential in maintaining employee wellbeing,” Seidl said in a statement.

“Companies that keep holiday provision[s] as low as possible in order to reduce lost income from absent workers may find that their employees are less robust, in poorer health and crucially, less productive. It’s key to create a culture of health in the workplace and employees will take the message home with them and look after their health outside work as well.”

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca
Author:   The Huffington Post Canada

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