Extended weekends, as favoured by Americans, are not enough of a break
THE SWIMMING trunks have been dug out of the chest of drawers. The beach shoes have been retrieved from the shed. Like tens of millions of others, Bartleby is about to go on his annual holiday.
That means going away for at least a week. An extended weekend break, favoured by many Americans, risks adding to the stress, as a high proportion of the vacation period is spent travelling to and from the desired destination. No sooner do you arrive than you have to think about packing for the trip back.
For those on vacation, the occasional work-related thought might occur when walking quietly along the beach, or through a wood. Often such ideas will be all the more original for being dreamed up in a moment of detachment. Returning to 3,000 unread e-mails is also not an appealing prospect, so five minutes deleting the detritus while the rest of the family is in the shower seems like a reasonable compromise.
Indeed, just as employees need a break from the workplace, companies sometimes need a break from their employees. After a trading scandal at Société Générale, a French bank, in 2008, Britain’s then regulator, the Financial Services Authority, recommended that all traders take a two-week break at some point in the year. The aim was to ensure that any unusual dealing patterns would be discovered while the miscreant was away from their desk.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
12 Easy Summer Crockpot Recipes That Let You Turn Off the StoveThe versatility of warm-weather slow-cooking is boundless. So whether you're feeding friends at a backyard barbecue or meal-prepping for the week just for you, these summer Crock-Pot recipes have you covered.
Read more »
How to turn your walk into a workoutUpgrade your stroll with Nordic Walking
Read more »
The new '90210’ is a nostalgia bender with a meta twist. Will that turn off diehards?'Beverly Hills, 90210' is back... with a twist. The team behind Fox's reboot talk about its metafictional premise and its relationship to the series' fans.
Read more »