"In fact, Americans are notorious for shirking vacation, clocking the lowest rates of vacation on the plane"
That's because America is one of the very few 1st world countries without mandatory holiday time. 25 days of paid holidays + unlimited sick leave here in the EU are the required minimum by law.
Nope, sorry. That might be part of it, but Americans also are very reluctant to take vacations even when we have plenty of time off to use. In my experience it comes down somewhere between "things will fall apart without me" and "this is what I do".
I'm a (regrettable) example of this. I get 22 days off a year, and maybe take off half of that. I've usually accrued the max vacation we are allowed, so it just goes to waste each pay period. It's ridiculous, but its not caused by anyone but me.
>>I've usually accrued the max vacation we are allowed, so it just goes to waste each pay period
Sorry to be annoying about this, but in EU if you don't use your vacation time you have to be paid for it, at full rate. So it never really goes to waste, even if you willingly decide not to use it.
That's because America is one of the very few 1st world countries without mandatory holiday time. 25 days of paid holidays + unlimited sick leave here in the EU are the required minimum by law.