Some people believe that employees should receive at least four weeks’ holiday per year to improve their work performance. I somewhat disagree that employers should give their workers plenty of time to relax due to improvements in physical and mental conditions. However, a short duration of holidays likewise has drawbacks because there might be enough public holidays or a more free schedule may be achieved through remote work.
There are two main reasons why I believe that employers should provide four weeks’ or even more holidays per year to enhance job performance. First, the improvement of physical health. Getting a long-lasting vacation can give one a break from sedentary work, and people can have more time to spend outdoors. To illustrate this point, I saw in the news that at least 4 weeks of vacation per year reduces the risk of cardiovascular and other chronic illnesses. Second, the enhancement of mental well-being on heavy emotional work. People in such jobs need long vacations to recover from the horror of their jobs. For example, a friend of mine works as a surgeon and she begs her boss to give her at least 4 weeks of vacation as she is very susceptible and it is very hard for her to work in such a harsh environment with 2 weeks of vacation.
Despite the above, I also feel that employers should not give their employees four weeks’ holidays per year for improving workers’ function. Primarily, the popularity of remote work is increasing. Working in this way a person does not spend their time on traveling, often spends time with family and in general has a more mobile schedule. In particular, my father works remotely, and despite the fact that he has a 3-week vacation, we often spend time together and when we want to go on vacation, the work of my father does not prevent it. It should also be noted that some countries have enough public holidays. Having many days off, a shorter duration of vacation is needed to recover from work. For instance, my friend lives in Argentina and thinks that 4 weeks of vacation is excessive, because she has 3 weeks of vacation and 20 extra public holidays that can help her to recover from work without needing more.
In conclusion, I somewhat agree that employers should not provide holidays with a duration of at least four weeks. Even though there are some countries that provide enough public holidays and many people can afford a remote way of working, in my view, the physical and mental well-being of employees is the first thing that employers should look after.