American culture worships a model of overworking. We admire and give high praise to those who work the hardest to an extent that is undeniably unhealthy. 

Working at the level that Americans praise is completely unsustainable for the duration of one’s lifetime. It requires an excessive sacrifice of mental and even physical health, and ultimately decreases quality of life entirely.

Many European countries operate on a model which allows for and encourages vacation time. Between 2013 and 2015, I spent some time living in France. Though I was young, only in the French equivalents of sixth and eighth grade, the model there promoted frequent vacations, and gave its students time off approximately every six weeks. Though these vacations were not necessarily long, it allowed us the necessary time to recover from hard work.

Arguably, school there was more difficult than in the majority of the United States. The grading was tougher, I had more homework, and the school days were longer, sometimes lasting until 5 p.m. However, this amount of schoolwork became manageable when there was reliably a vacation coming up within a few weeks.

 This mentality of rest translates in the workplace, too. For example, according to USA Today, France legally mandates 30 days of vacation time. The United States is one of few developed countries to have zero days of federally mandated vacation. What is to prevent corporations from allowing employees absolutely no time off? How is that sustainable for workers? If every business in America functions on this principle, Americans will have no choice but to work jobs where their needs are left unmet.

All of this is made worse by the modern push for mental health. How is mental health sustainable when American jobs can legally allow absolutely no time to focus on it? Many jobs, especially in a retail capacity, allow employees little control over their schedule.

One classic example of an American lack of respect for rest is maternity leave. In the United States, employees may be allowed up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. However, in France, for example, mothers have the right to at least 16 weeks of leave. Fathers are even given a short period of paternity leave when their children are born. These laws emphasize the cultural values surrounding family and rest. Having a child is incredibly taxing and requiring mothers to come back so soon is massively challenging for them. Additionally, leave is not always paid in the United States, making it difficult for mothers to support their children.

I believe that the key player in these cultural values is the economic systems of the two countries. Capitalism encourages tireless work. The American Dream mentality looks at the very top and makes us believe that if we work hard enough, that level of success is achievable for us all solely through hard work.

Though I do not believe that a socialist model is the best economic choice for our nation, I do think it needs a massive overhaul of its values and a few new laws to protect the valuable recovery time that all people deserve. Even if the European model is too much to start with, small steps, such as requiring a week or two of paid vacation, could cause a massive shift in the business models of our country.

If America is going to preach in favor of mental health, it needs to make those models achievable in business too.