26 January 2024 , 14:01
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Never again will we complain about not having enough time off from the 9-5.
One of the best parts of having to work is still being paid whilst jetting off on a two-week holiday in the sun. Of course, we all wish we could have more annual leave, as it never seems to last and often dries up before the start of the new year.
But, Brits have been hit with a newfound appreciation of their jobs, after discovering how many holidays Americans are entitled to. According to business expansion experts Foothold America, US workers are not actually entitled to any paid holiday at all. Yes, you read that right: none at all.
Of course, most US employers do offer paid holiday to workers - but the average worker only receives around 10 days of paid holiday each year. It's also common for this annual leave to be accrued, meaning employees will have to work at a company for 12 months before getting access to the 'perk'.
Now, workers over in the US may get more 'buck' for their hours, but is the additional cash worth the holiday sacrifice? The UK government says that almost all people classed as a worker* should be legally entitled to take holiday time off. For the majority of workers on a five-day week, this amounts to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave (28 days).
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Part-time workers are also entitled to statutory leave, which is pro-rated based on how many days a week they work. For example, someone working four days a week will get at least 16.8 days off each year. While bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, many companies in the UK allow workers to have these days off on top of their annual leave allowance.
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Andrea Celleste is a content creator living in the UK, originally from Los Angeles. She has amassed more than 132,000 Instagram followers for her commentary on the cultural differences of living in the UK compared to the US.
Celleste posted a skit showing how US employers often discourage workers from taking annual leave - even if the company offers it as a perk. In the video, she pretends to be the boss - who informs the employee they'll have to 'catch up' on their workload when they return from a two-day holiday.
In contrast, she shows how some UK employers remind staff when they still have leftover annual leave and show an interest as to what they'll be doing outside of work. The post garnered hundreds of comments from shocked Brits - and Americans.
"Why would anyone from another developed country want to move to the US?" one person wrote. Another commented: "I’m from Texas but have lived in Wales for 20 years now and every second of this clip rings true." While a third added: "What's the point in vacation days if you have to 'make up for it'?"
*To see if you're qualified as a worker, click here.