This discussion is very important for our country, the second with fewer vacations, after the United States. In Mexico, formal workers are guaranteed six days of vacation after the first year. To those days should be added another seven holidays in which work is not done, which gives a total of 13 days.
This number is very low compared to Costa Rica (21 days) or Chile (30 days), which are countries similar to ours. And neither compare us with Europeans such as Austria or France, where 38 and 36 days are granted respectively.
Studies show that vacations raise creativity, allow release stress and rest to return with more energy. This as a whole can increase the productivity of organizations. However, it seems that the effect is not linear.
A study of Jessica de Bloom, a psychologist at the University of Tampere in Finland, found that vacation benefits tend to wane two to four weeks later. This implies that to increase the well-being of the employees, it is better to have frequent disconnections, instead of a single long period during the year.
It seems to me that the conclusion of this study is relevant for Mexico, where we work too much. In 2021, an average Mexican worked 2,128 hours in the year. This figure is higher than that registered for a Costa Rican (2,073) or a Chilean (1,916).