Why vacation has become a hidden pain for professionals in the workplace? Worker's Daily: Dare not take vacation, sorry to take it
"If the boss doesn't take a vacation, how dare we workers expect more?" "Whenever we think of taking a leave, we feel guilty." "Due to practical factors such as the difficulty of job seeking and the prevalence of overtime culture, many people are deeply worried about paid leave, resulting in distorted views on leave such as" not daring to take a leave "and" being embarrassed to take a leave. "This embarrassing concept of taking a leave urgently needs to be eliminated.".
"When chatting with colleagues, everyone is looking forward to taking a vacation, but no one dares to report it." Wang Chen, who has just started working in a central enterprise in Sichuan, is adapting to the new workplace environment. When talking about paid annual leave, he is deeply moved.
Some people are worried about missing their future and dare not take a vacation; Some people are burdened with heavy tasks and are afraid that taking a vacation will increase the workload of their colleagues; There are also people who watch their leaders and colleagues work hard and feel embarrassed to take a vacation... Wang Chen and his colleagues have a deep understanding of these vacation concerns hidden in the hearts of the workplace.
Workers who work continuously for more than one year are entitled to paid annual leave. The paid annual leave system was established as early as the Labor Law implemented in 1995. The Regulations on Paid Annual Leave for Employees and the Outline of National Tourism and Leisure also have detailed provisions for implementing paid annual leave. However, even with legal rights, workers still feel anxious, guilty, and even ashamed when it comes to paid leave. The difficulty of taking leave in one's heart has become a hidden pain for many professionals.
Proactively applying for leave may feel guilty and embarrassed
"It will be very stressful to get the leave application form signed by all leaders and the colleague who handed over the work to sign it." Wang Chen is from Inner Mongolia. In August this year, his parents came to Chengdu to see him. Wang Chen wanted to apply for leave to accompany his parents, but after learning about the leave application process in detail, he hesitated. "None of my colleagues left their posts. If I wanted to take a leave, I felt a little guilty, so I was embarrassed to ask for leave."
Wang Chen's company is an engineering and construction enterprise, with construction projects scattered throughout the southwest. As a newcomer, he needs to rotate to the front line of the project for training. Although the working hours are not long, he has deeply felt the tight pace of work. Colleagues often use "5+2", "white+black", and "taking the project as home" to joke about their usual work status.
"In this work atmosphere, does taking a vacation mean wanting to be lazy?" Wang Chen was a bit conflicted. "It's not worth it to have a few days off, which affects the leader's evaluation of their work."
Unlike Wang Chen's hesitation, Li Jing, who works in advertising planning, has long given up her expectations for vacation. "Even if someone is not in the office, work is still on their back." A few years ago, after busy with several major projects, she applied for leave from her superiors to accompany her family on a trip. However, the entire vacation process was very bumpy, with non-stop work calls, and she could only ask colleagues for help time and time again to respond to customer needs.
"I didn't play or do well, and I feel very embarrassed in front of my family, clients, and colleagues." Li Jing said that in order to achieve performance and efficiency, she sometimes works on multiple advertising projects at the same time. The industry competition is fierce, and the survival of the fittest within the company is also very cruel. From a small county town to a big city, Li Jing dared not relax in her work at all. After that, she never took the initiative to apply for leave again.
The prevalence of overtime culture makes people feel ashamed to take a vacation
Taking breaks and vacations can be compared to being lazy or taking advantage of work, and can be marginalized in fierce workplace competition... This is not only the concern of Wang Chen and Li Jing, but also the voice of the vast majority of professionals.
"Do you have any shame in taking leave?" In March of this year, a media initiated an online vote on this topic. The results showed that out of nearly 40000 responses, 18000 people chose "yes, I feel anxious when I take leave", 10000 people chose "no, I feel anxious when I want to take leave", and another 10000 people chose "it depends on leadership attitude and workplace atmosphere".
In July this year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued 20 measures to restore and expand consumption, among which the comprehensive implementation of the paid leave system has sparked widespread discussion. "If the boss doesn't take a vacation, how dare we workers expect too much?" "Whenever we think of taking a leave, we feel guilty." In the comments section of relevant news, many professionals candidly express their desire to express their workplace emotions and psychological pressure, such as "guilt" and "shame", when applying for a leave. ".
"This mentality is related to the prevailing overtime culture in the workplace. This distorted culture has led us to subconsciously believe that vacation is not an option. Only by working hard and 'welding' ourselves to work can we have a sense of security in the competition." He Tian, a Heilongjiang native, has worked in many Internet enterprises for 10 years in Chengdu. Due to the distance from his hometown, he usually saves up his annual leave just to have more time to reunite with his family during the Spring Festival. "For this reason, I rarely take leave and promise to work remotely during my vacation, never delaying work," he said
During an interview with the Workers' Daily, it was found that the difficulty in implementing paid leave is particularly prominent in private enterprises, especially in some small and medium-sized enterprises. The difficulty of finding a job and the prevalence of overtime culture have led many people to worry deeply about taking a vacation, resulting in distorted views such as "not daring to take a vacation" and "feeling embarrassed to take a vacation".
"It must be emphasized that 'shame in taking leave' is a misconception, and submitting a leave application is not contrary to diligent work." Yan Fuke, Executive Director of the Labor and Social Security Law Research Association of Sichuan Law Society and Deputy Director of Shanghai JiangTriangle Law Firm, believes that behind the difficulty in implementing paid leave, there is a very important but often overlooked issue, that is, the concept of workers taking leave has not changed among various sectors of society.
Reshaping the concept of vacation, allowing employees to dare to take vacations and be able to do so
"Paid leave is the bottom line protection of labor laws for workers, and the right to leave should not be ignored." Yan Fuke believes that some business leaders believe that allowing employees to take leave will affect the production and operation of the enterprise, causing cost pressure. However, in order for enterprises to achieve sustainable and healthy development, a good and harmonious workplace environment and atmosphere are equally important. "We have observed and statistically found that high work intensity and limited rest time are significantly positively correlated with high employee turnover and talent loss in enterprises."
In Yan Fuke's view, rest and vacation are for better work and the comprehensive implementation of the paid vacation system. It is necessary to gather consensus from the whole society, reshape the vacation concept, form a joint governance force, and allow workers to take vacations in a generous manner.
"People should balance work and rest, rest and recuperate, replenish energy for the body, and change the environment for mood." Yan Fuke called on employers to actively implement the paid annual leave system, and form clear institutional arrangements in the leave process, approval standards, and post leave work arrangements. This is not only a legal requirement, but also conducive to improving the work enthusiasm and quality of life of employees, enhancing their sense of gain, happiness, and security.
Yan Fuke suggested that regulatory authorities should strengthen the constraints on employers implementing paid leave systems, such as moderately increasing administrative penalties for illegal activities, increasing the cost of illegal activities for enterprises, and providing more assistance and guidance for employees to protect their rights.
When the right to vacation is deprived, workers generally have only two choices based on employment opportunities, salary income, and job promotion. Either endure or leave. As an outstanding lawyer in Sichuan Province who upholds the rights and interests of employees, Wang Enhui, the director of Sichuan Weixu Law Firm, has been involved in various labor dispute cases for years. He has found that applying for labor arbitration to protect the rights and interests of annual vacation is often brought up when employees are preparing to resign or have their labor relations terminated by the company.
Wang Enhui told reporters that there are many cases in practice where workers voluntarily give up paid annual leave. How to guide them to enhance their awareness of protecting their rights in accordance with the law and change their vacation concepts is also a key link in promoting the effective implementation of the paid annual leave system.