This is reported by HR and payroll service provider SD Worx based on a survey of more than 10,000 European employees.
According to SD Worx, employees are more than ever looking for an optimal work-life balance. The question of how many vacation days are needed to relax leads to varying answers among European workers. In the United Kingdom, 8.5 vacation days are sufficient. Italian employees need a holiday period of 11 days. In countries such as Spain and Finland there is a greater need for holidays, with employees preferring 27 and 34 days respectively.
There are less significant differences when it comes to a fixed holiday period that is taken year after year. For example, 37 percent of Europeans have a fixed annual holiday pattern. Dutch, Italian and Belgian employees in particular take a fixed holiday period every year. Finnish employees do that the least.
Activities
According to SD Worx, it is striking that 37 percent of the respondents are also willing to take unpaid leave after the holiday has already expired. This option is also popular in the Netherlands, while this is least true for Spanish employees.
A third of European workers indicate that they follow their work during the holidays and, for example, check their e-mail or answer work-related phone calls. This is especially the case for Norwegian, Dutch and Italian employees. German employees are clearly less busy with work during their holidays. On average, about a third of Europeans have trouble mentally letting go of work during the holiday season.