2024-03-14 13:39:36
For you, the offices of LinkedIn, Dropbox or even Netflix look like huge open spaces with modular offices, with ping-pong tables in the cafeteria and “sleep rooms” on all floors? Nestled in the heart of the United States, Silicon Valley not only fantasizes with its avant-garde architecture designed to boost the well-being of its employees, but also with its futuristic ideas. Among them, the concept of “unlimited vacation”. A model that is struggling to establish itself here. The Belgians would also be particularly reluctant to the idea. But why, behind its dreamy name, does this new organization of work leave people so skeptical?
Nearly half of Belgians are bored at work according to a study:
Leave where we want, when we want?
If you were asked to take as many vacation days as you wanted, what would you say? To this question that one would think rhetorical, many answer “no”. The idea born in the United States has however slowly germinated in France where more and more companies present themselves as “liberating”. Complete autonomy of employees is advocated to manage their planning and customer relations. Human resources are placed at the heart of the system and the hierarchy is built as horizontally as possible. This notably involves vacations taken according to the good wishes and organization of each employee. The dream ? Yes and no.
Yes, because we are not all equal at all times of the year. We sometimes experience complicated events that can have a direct impact on our productivity and results. The need then arises to regain a balance between private and professional life. In this context, if we had “unlimited leave”, we could withdraw for a moment to start again. A logic which also comes into play in more flexibility regarding working hours. Companies allow those who wish to work more in the morning, during the day or in the evening, why not at night, if that is what suits them best. A way to boost the performance of its employees, but also and above all to establish a culture of trust and transparency. As a reminder, in Belgium, full-time salaried workers generally benefit from four weeks of leave per year. However, the calculation of the number of days of leave and vacation pay is different for workers, employees, apprentices, artists and civil servants.
Under some conditions
To ensure the proper organization of these “unlimited leave”, companies generally develop several rules. The first: that the vacation you take does not prevent others from taking it. You should not be on a particularly important or tense project. Finally, there is a certain “right of consideration” to be respected. This means that if you are leaving for three days, you must give three days notice, two weeks in advance if you are leaving for two weeks, and so on. What about the rebels? “We must get away from the management of the 3% who constrain the majority. Indeed, we often put in place procedures to prevent employees (3% on average) from abusing the system. This forgets that 97% people are honest!”explique Welcome to the Jungle.
So why so many refractory people?
Many experts speak of a “good idea on paper” or even “pure marketing”. According to Geoffrey James, editor-in-chief of online magazine Inc.com: “You may dream of taking a month’s vacation, but chances are you won’t have the nerve to do it.”. Some occupational psychologists see it as an insidious transfer of responsibility for employees and a source of tension between colleagues. There are also some constraints from a legal point of view. While the work limit cannot legally exceed 8 hours in Belgium, how can you squeeze all your work over a year into eight or six months for example?
The Belgian, very down-to-earth, is mostly resistant to the idea. Only 21% of employees surveyed would consider it. 36% would not say no to a little more vacation and 36% are satisfied with the current situation. If the Belgians are the least convinced by the idea along with the Irish, the results of the study show that only 48% of European workers are interested in “unlimited leave”. In question ? Workers are generally satisfied with their number of days off. But a psychological factor would also come into play. Work, a source of fulfillment and personal development, allows you to structure your daily life and get closer to others.
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