Business law

of article: Cure for Office Burnout: Mini Sabbaticals article appeared: October 28, Page: http online. wsj. com/articles/cure-for-office-burnout-mini-sabbaticals-usually-with-full-pay-1414540995
Article summary:
The article entitled Cure for Office Burnout: Mini Sabbaticals about enforced extended rests in the company to avoid employee burn out and reduce stress with the objective of reducing turnover particularly among the younger employees. While nobody will disagree with its desirability and intention particularly among employees, the article raises legal concerns that has business implications.
First, each country has different set of labor laws that pertains to vacation leaves. It would be inaccurate to take the vacation leave practices in Europe and then assume that the same is applicable in America. For example, in Europe, a three week vacation is normal but workers in America are not keen in even taking a week off much less three week vacation.
Employers however are encouraging tenured employees to take vacation by giving them incentives ranging from $750 to $1, 000. The idea was to avoid being burned out at work and to reduce work related stress.
Effects upon business:
Nobody will disagree that everybody needs to rest and have a break at some point. Studies have shown as indicated in the article that employees who unplugs from work reduces the risk of being burned out and reduces work related stress. But having a mandatory long break in a business setting where long breaks are not typically taken may have an adverse effect on the operations and bottom line of a business which is not desirable particularly at this time where companies are still in the process of recovery from a long period of recession during the 2008 financial crisis.
Employees having long vacation will obviously leave the business understaffed and a business who is not used to being undermanned may have hard time adjusting and this may affect the company’s competitiveness. Having fewer tenured staffs around meant that the inexperienced employees have to step up and this could make the business under its optimal performance that could leave many customers dissatisfied thus undermining the competitiveness of the business.
The timing of implementing sabbaticals or long vacation is also a suspect. It raises the question whether employers can actually afford giving its employees long vacation and to top it, with an incentive that goes with it. It is only recent that companies have recovered from the crisis and most companies may not yet that have deep reservoir of resources to send their employees on long vacation.
The efficacy of the sabbatical program is also doubtful in American context who have the penchant of working long as “ work martyr complex” is already part of American psyche. That instead of making its employees to relax, they may even feel guilty in taking long vacations making the proposed sabbatical program ineffective. It has to be remembered that America just came from a recession where millions lost their jobs, homes and savings and taking a long day off may not be a good idea when they are still in the process of getting their finances back in order.