What with annual leave entitlement now standing at 24 days, and a rise to 28 days on the cards, plus in most instances eight or nine bank holidays on top of that and a host of arrangements for special leave, you might think most people get enough days off.
But no, forget about duvet days, or their more formal counterparts for the civic minded (otherwise known as time off for public duties), a Japanese employer is reported today to have come up with the ultimate in days off.It is offering its staff “heartache leave” to recover from a bad relationship break-up. Staff aged 24 or younger can take one day off a year, those between 25 and 29 two days off and those aged 30 or over three days off.
Not sure that would suit our age discrimination laws, but apparently this same employer also offers two mornings off a year for staff wanting to go to the sales, offering the justification that this means “we don't have to feel guilty about bringing our shopping bags to work”.
It seems, however, that they are not alone in finding some rather far-fetched opportunities to stay at home.
In Portugal, blood donors get a half day off work, leading to long queues when there is an afternoon kick-off for important football matches.
Ontario in Canada has just introduced a Family Day on 18 February, which isn’t necessarily going down very well with employers.
Last September, Russians were told to take a day off work to conceive a baby. The regional governor of Volga, Sergei Morozov, apparently even promised those who succeeded in producing a baby on 12 June cars, fridges, and cash prizes.
And back in the UK pagan prison inmates are reportedly being given a day off work on 31 October to mark Halloween, out of respect for their religious beliefs. Though admittedly this does look a bit like a Daily Mail scare story since Prison Service guidelines offer similar days off to all religions.
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