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Work as Our Culture

Each day into the 21st century that passes, the line between home and work get foggier.  This means that as long as we work, we do it for longer hours and in more places. We can thank the wonders of technology that we cannot live without, including internet connection, cell phones, laptop computers, and tablets, for our ability to work anywhere and anytime. This includes on vacation.
 
There are countless studies about Americans and vacation time. Studies show that some people do not take any of their earned time off annually, while others do not take all of their annual allotment. There are still many people that do have any paid vacation days at all. Comparing this to many other countries, where the love of vacation is culturally in grained, it seems that Americans have the issue with work.
 
Many Americans take vacation only to check the email remotely. The reason may be to clean it up or ensure that nothing urgent is happening, but in reality it goes to our culture of work. So why are Americans so obsessed with work? Perhaps it is because the United States was built from scratch by hard working immigrants. Regardless of the circumstances of immigration, each new arrival to the United States had to work, even if against their will, to build the country. As a proud American, I cannot shame work, but only honor the work by those before me.
 
As workforce development professionals, we make a career of keeping America working. From advising job seekers, assisting employers, collecting statistics, or monitoring regulations surrounding work, each workforce development professional gets to keep the culture of work alive in America every day. We are cheerleaders for the culture of work.  This means that the temptation to merge work time into personal time is even more tempting.
 
Next time you take vacation time, make it count.  Enjoy vacation time without monitoring work. It is time to put down the devices and let the sun shine on your face. Have fun that is not rushed or busy, but at your pace. Above all work to rest and refresh for all the work that waits you when you return.  ~ Karen Cirincione
Email: kcirincione@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione
Twitter @kcirincione

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