Americans are done with short 11-day vacation — This is what they demand

Most Americans are unhappy with the teeny-weeny 11-day vacation span offered by their employers and demand month-long paid leaves like Europeans enjoy to become part of their company's policy across the United States.

The results were revealed in a survey conducted by Morning Consult based on 1,047 adult American respondents.

The European Union Working Time Directive, which was implemented in the early 1990s, guarantees employees in the European Union at least 20 working days of paid vacation per year, but the average American worker is lucky to receive 11 vacation days from their company each year. 

Before paid public holidays are taken into account, several nations provide even more vacation time by law, which can amount to more than a month's worth of working days per year.

However, not all Americans say they'd welcome legislation allowing for more time off. 

While the remaining respondents either don't know or don't have an opinion, 21% of Americans believe businesses shouldn't use extended PTO policies in the workplace.

According to Morning Consult brand analyst Ellyn Briggs, the study didn't particularly address the concerns of individuals opposed to taking more time off from work. 

However, about half of American workers say they would utilise their extra time to catch up on work or develop a job-related skill in replies to a different question concerning people's attitudes towards a four-day workweek.

On the other hand, 41% of US workers report being more satisfied in their careers today than before, which is nearly double the share of those who feel less satisfied in their careers today, according to Morning Consult data. “These data points suggest a portion of employed US adults generally enjoy their work and seek new opportunities to improve upon it,” Briggs says. “Extended periods off may hold little appeal for this group," reported CNBC.

However, generous vacation time isn't the only European custom that Americans believe should spread to their country. 

According to a survey, 65% of American workers favour longer lunch breaks, 62% favour workweeks under 40 hours, and 51% favour slower employee response times outside of normal working hours, which are similar to many labour laws in Europe.