Should India Have Less Paid Holidays?

When it comes to paid holidays, India and Japan top the list in the Asia-Pacific region. Indians annually enjoy 16 public and 12 statutory holidays, a total of 28 days. However on a global comparison, the economic power house U.S. has the least number of paid leaves which is a reason for their growth factor.

Finland, Brazil and France are the champs, guaranteeing six weeks of time off.

Organizations in India are trying to boost productivity among employees by granting them more flexibility in seeking leave from work. Some of the country's leading companies are trying to increase their paid leave component as well.

"Leave has taken on a different connotation, a way to provide a level of comfort to employees,"said P Dwarkanath, veteran HR professional and Director (human capital).

In India every worker who has worked for 240 days or more during a calendar year is entitled for leaves at the following rate: one day for every 20 days of work performed during the previous calendar year. The use of public holidays is not appropriate in the Indian context when dealing with private establishments.

Private establishments must observe national holidays (26 January, 15 August and 2 October) and holidays on major festivals. The average number of such festivals may vary from five to seven. Local variations, depending on the state, are prevalent.

"Public holidays tend to be rooted in local tradition or religious beliefs, so it can be difficult to change practices. But with the increasing cultural diversity of the global workforce, there is pressure for greater flexibility around public holidays," said Matthew Hunt, Mercer International Team Principal.

Back in America the scenario is a lot more different. Working more makes Americans happier according to a study published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies. That is because Americans associate their with success.

U.S. offers employees no statutory minimum holiday allowance but the typical average is 15 days compared to Canada which offers a statutory minimum of 10 days. "Americans maximize their... [happiness] by working, and Europeans maximize their [happiness] through leisure," says Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, the study's author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas.

But critics say it's time for a change.
"There is simply no evidence that working people to death gives you a competitive advantage," said John de Graaf, the national coordinator for Take Back Your Time, a group that researches the effects of overwork.

He noted that the United States came in fourth in the World Economic Forum's 2010-2011 rankings of the most competitive economies, but Sweden, a country that by law offers workers five weeks of paid vacation came in second.