An article in the New York Times in 1910 asked 'How long should a man’s vacation be?’: businessmen, academics and politicians discussed whether vacations for the working classes were necessary and why. Today, European workers enjoy a minimum of 20 days paid annual leave (plus statutory days) and the tourism industry employs more than 260 million people worldwide. Does that mean we have the answers to the intriguing questions raised in a newspaper more than 100 years ago? 
Not quite.

With the holiday season in full swing, work and organizational psychologist Jessica de Bloom provided a view of the world of vacation research in a publication from the British Psychological Society

Vacations are considered a source of happiness and an essential ingredient for quality of life (Filep, 2012; Richards, 1999). As the longest chunk of leisure time that relieves people from job stress and leaves them free to do as they please, holidays are viewed as a means to preserve and to restore full working capacity.

But holidays also come at a price. In the UK, a legal minimum of 5.6 weeks of annual vacation adds up to roughly 840 million unproductive days. In addition, each British family spends about two months’ salary on their holidays. Are vacations worth this investment of time and money? What benefits can employees expect during their time off and after returning to their work? Is there anything people can do to increase or prolong the benefits of their vacation? And do holidays render employers a recovered, productive and better-performing workforce?

CLICK HERE to read more.