The American/United Kingdom Dream (Dicussion #7)

Date: November 30th, 2018
Location: University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
   
          Perhaps one of the most notable differences between the United Kingdom and American workforce is the attitude towards working. Even when attending university, students and professors alike have distinctly contrasting views on studying. Now that it is December and my time in the UK is nearly over, I have seen that the vacations (known in the UK as "holidays") and the reason for working is strikingly different in both countries due to the societal pressure.

Taking time to visit University of Glasgow (My photo)

          Taking a holiday could mean anything from taking the weekend off to using those precious vacation days to head down to mainland Europe for a luxurious, week-long getaway. Scottish professors will gladly take a few days to head down to a conference, even if it is in the middle of a week, or otherwise seek out relaxation despite many students relying on their teachings to pass one that determines all their marks for the course. Even students, if their class do not have compulsory attendance, will gladly take a day to rest and nurse a terrible hangover from the Wednesday night not taking a holiday from work is considered odd and up for question. On the other hand, America takes working a lot more seriously. While vacations are a lovely retreat from reality, the daily stress of the work place also makes it so that there is still work needing to be caught up after returning from a week away in Florida. It was found even while taking a break, 66% of Americans take work with them so that they can continue even while away from the office (glassdoor). The view of how vacations should be taken and how often they should occur is vastly different between the two countries.

Water on the beach from a photography holiday (My photo)

          The reason why the attitude of American workers is much more strained and vigorous is because many works still adhere to the idea of the "American Dream", or that hard, unrelenting work can make a person more successful. Fourteen percent of respondents to a 1,200 person survey responded that they didn't take a vacation for fear of derailing their career (Forbes). This attitude isn't as widely shared in the UK as they are given more vacation time, most up to five weeks paid vacation. As mentioned above, professors are an example of the attitudes towards taking a holiday as many professors will gladly pursue opportunities to go to conferences and come back feeling refreshed. On the other hand, I've had experience with professors at Mines will only take a few days off if they absolutely have to. Most notably, my old Calculus professor was quite apologetic about needing two classes off and expressed his regret over missing this multiple times. 

          Overall, the attitudes between both countries in reference to vacation time is quite different. The reason why vacations are more strained and less offered in the US is due to the "American Dream" that people idealize, thinking that working more and more will lead them to a better life. However, working without rest can lead to less quality work and therefore, not achieving the American Dream.

Quickly weekend away to Isle of Skye (My photo)

Bibliography:

Lipman, Victor. “Why America Has Become 'The No-Vacation Nation'.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 June 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2018/05/21/why-america-has-become-the-no-vacation-nation/#58160ec54c53.

Low-Kramen, Bonnie. “Do These 5 Things Before Going On Vacation.” Glassdoor, 25 Mar. 2015, www.glassdoor.com/blog/5-vacation/.