By James N. Dillard, M.D.
(03/11/2010) Dateline: Grand Cayman Island, the Caribbean
How much vacation time did you take last year? As with most of us working folks, you probably didn’t take nearly enough. Hard-working Americans are notorious for taking less vacation time than people in any other industrialized nation. With our current tough economy, it’s harder than ever to afford a remote vacation, but even wealthy working people don’t get away from the stress.
I was getting another great haircut at Vinnie’s Barber Shop in Amagansett when the conversation turned to vacations. Vincent P. Mazzeo, proprietor of the barbershop, admitted that he hadn’t gotten away much recently. “I’ve taken maybe a week of vacation each year for the last 30 years working here,” he told me. It didn’t seem to bother him.
As a small-business owner, it’s been tough for Mr. Mazzeo to take any time away over the years. Mr. Mazzeo’s son Nicholas, who works the chair next to his father, explained that he didn’t really mind it while growing up in East Hampton. “Nobody took vacations when I was a kid. Maybe people would take a few long weekends to Pennsylvania or Connecticut to visit family, but that’s it,” he told me. “That was normal here.”
Nick and Vinnie Mazzeo are not alone. According to reliable research, more than 41 million Americans take no vacation time at all. Statistically, most of us spend more time in the restroom than we do on vacation. Over 400 million vacation days go unused each year. This is certainly the classic American work ethic, but is it a good idea?
Working too hard without a break can damage your health. A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000 showed that men at risk for coronary heart disease were 32 percent more likely to die of a heart attack if they did not take an annual vacation. A 2005 study of 1,500 working women showed that they were much less likely to be tense and depressed, and were more likely to sleep better and to be satisfied with their marriages, if they took enough vacation time.
The United States is the only industrialized nation without vacation time mandated by law. Italians take 42 days off per year, the French take 37, and Germans take 35. I don’t think anyone would describe the Germans as lazy. Even our English and Canadian colleagues go on holiday for 28 and 26 days per year respectively. The Japanese have voluntarily taken on bad American habits of rarely taking time off, and they call it “karoshi,” translated as “death from overwork.”
Do you feel rested and renewed when you do get back from a break? My friend Stefanie just got back from two weeks in the Caribbean with her two sons, her husband, and her parents. But taking care of the kids and managing the family, even with significant help from her husband, left her feeling exhausted and depleted upon her return. “I need a vacation from my vacation,” she told me with a smile. I think many of us have had this experience.
Do you take your BlackBerry with you on vacation? Many business and professional people do. I noticed that the business center here on Grand Cayman is packed between 5 and about 8:30 a.m. as the stock market is about to open. The e-mails and faxes are flying. But is this really taking a break?
Many workers are afraid of the perception that they are not pulling their weight relative to other colleagues. With so many job losses in the last few years of recession, this pressure is worse than ever. If you are not killing yourself with long hours, you might get replaced. But is this really true?
The official work week in the United States is 40 hours. But studies show that on average American workers put in 47 hours per week, with many more hours worked per week in financial services, law, high-powered business, and medicine. Between 19 and 35 percent of American workers eat their lunch at their desk. With projections for future pay raises below 3 percent this year, the lowest in 20 years, is it really worth it?
As a physician who manages pain at the end of life, I’ve never heard a dying patient tell me that they wished that they had worked longer hours.
Why do people give you a hard time when you do take a vacation? You know how it goes — you walk back into the office and somebody says, “Oh, look who has a tan! Been taking it easy, have we?” You’ve gotten that before. But why do people say it?
Nick Mazzeo says that they’re just jealous, and he may well be right. Americans talk about where they’d like to go, they plan for getting away, they compare destinations, but more often than not they do not go.
Vinnie Mazzeo is looking forward to taking more time off, maybe several months in Europe and Italy. After 30 years of tidying up East Enders, he certainly deserves it. Have a good break soon, Vinnie.
And, against my better judgment, at 70 feet down on the coral reef in Grand Cayman, your Star health columnist is still thinking about how to keep you in the pink!
Questions can be directed to Dr. James Dillard at jdillard@ehstar.com.