A new society (4) - time to rejuvenate

Many people work all the time. They are afraid to take an extended break or holiday, if they face the risk of losing their job to another person.

They work for a lifetime and look forward to enjoy life after retirement. But, when they get old, they are not able to move around easily or to enjoy the retirement.

I like to propose a better system. Each person should be allowed to take one or two months off every every three years of work. This should be made a feature of the employment contract.

To fund for this holiday, they have to pay an additional 3 to 6% of their wages into a fund, which is used to pay their replacement income when they take the vacation.

This arrangement should apply to all workers, so that there is no competition for people to continue working hard to show that they are productive.

When the worker takes the extended vacation, temporary workers can take over their work. Alternatively, the employer can have a pool of these workers to replace the permanent workers on vacation. These relief work can be a good training ground for the future workers.

The extended vacation can be for holidays, for continuing education, or for taking up a hobby. When the time comes for full retirement, it is easy for the retiree to find some other ways to occupy their time or to engage in suitable hobbies.

Tan Kin Lian