Motivation for leisure has two sides. Organizations motivate employees with generous vacation entitlements, yet many workers do not ever take all of their vacation time. The contrast between North America and Europe in this regard is surprising. European workers do take their vacation. The other side of motivation for leisure is the unemployed. With generous social safety nets in place, individuals might choose to be unemployed and enjoy the leisurely lifestyle.

Questions

1. Why do you think North American employees are given less vacation time relative to employees in other countries?

2. Why do you think Canadian workers often do not take all of their allotted vacation time? Are these personal choices, or are they driven more by society, or by organizational culture?

3. If many unemployed are spending around two hours/day looking for work as some research indicates, do you think that means they are enjoying a “leisurely” lifestyle? Why or why not? If you were unemployed, how would you spend your days?