Americans get shocking amount of holidays per year compared to Brits

There's plenty of differences between the US and the UK - although the cultural, social and political ones often dictate the majority of conversations.

Brits know they have a better snack selection, larger portion sizes and higher salaries in the States, but the grass isn't as greener as you may think.

Us lot are pretty obsessed with keeping a tight grip our work-life balance, so the longer working days and the higher expectations from the boss wouldn't appeal to a lot of people from the UK.

Let's be honest, we can barely get through our contracted hours without daydreaming about how and when we're going to utilise our annual leave - however, Americans don't really have this luxury.

A social media user from the US enlightened her TikTok audience in the UK about the differences between returning from time off from the job as an American and a Brit.

The woman, know as @anndreacalleste online, shared a skit where she portrayed workers from both sides of the Atlantic.

As the American employee, she appears scared and shaky upon her return to her job despite having a smile across her face following her 'two day holiday'.

She also says she 'got a lot of work done' in order to 'catch-up' before she came back, but would still have to do overtime 'until next month' to recover from her brief break.

When playing the British employee, she appears completely relaxed and refreshed after her 'two week holiday' and even blew off her fake meeting as 'it was 5:48' and she wanted to go to the pub.

Although the TikToker's video made light of the situation, it also has a lot of truth behind it.

In the States, there is no legal obligation for companies to provide PTO (paid time off) to employees at all - which is something which blows the mind of a lot of Brits.

Instead it is up to the discretion of each company, though many will include a holiday allowance in their compensation packages in order to stay competitive and desirable in the market.

The icing on the cake is how many vacation days the average American worker who enjoys this advantage gets in a year - a measly 11, so you can say goodbye to your annual two-week holiday in Tenerife.

This is in stark contrast to what British companies are legally required to offer full-time employees, which is 5.6 weeks (28 days) off per year, known as the Statutory annual leave entitlement.

Working weeks in typical jobs in the US and UK are similar too - with 9-5 Monday to Friday jobs being the most common, making the difference even more unbelievable.

Part-time workers are also often given no PTO in the US, so they are only being paid for their time on the job.

In the UK, people who work these shift patterns are given less than 28 days, but instead the amount of holiday awarded are in relation to the amount of hours they have put in.

However, in the US, vacation time for national holidays like Christmas and Independence Day are legal requirements.

Viewers took to the comment section to share their shock.

One American commenter said: "I'm on vacation. I check my work email twice a day so I don't come back stressed."

Another wrote: "I feel so sorry for people working in the US," while a third added: "This is so sad and so true."

Featured Image Credit: Flickr/Getty Stock Photo

Topics: US News, UK News, Jobs, TikTok

Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

@livburke_