Half workers in China choose not to take paid leave

A surprisingly large amount of Chinese employees refuse to take paid leave, a legal right for workers stipulated by Chinese law, a new survey has found.

带薪休假是国家法律规定员工享有的合法权利，令人惊讶的是，?最新一份调查的显示，相当多的中国员工拒绝带薪休假。

According to a nationwide survey conducted by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, around 50 percent of Chinese employees choose not to take paid leave.

人力资源和社会保障部的一份全国性的调查显示，大约有50%的员工没有选择带薪休假。

In a bid to find out why, the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Part of China, recently interviewed several employees in different employment settings in an article published Monday.

为了找到原因，作为中国共产党的官方报纸，人民日报最近采访了几位从事不同工作的员工，并刊登在周一发表的文章中。

The newspaper found interviewees who work for government organs, institutions and state-owned enterprises, reluctantly give up their rights due to concerns that asking for paid leave might "leave bosses the bad impression of being lazy" and influence future job promotions.

一些政府机关、事业单位和国企里的受访者被迫放弃带薪休假的权利，因为他们担心要求带薪休假会给领导留下懒惰的印象，并影响未来职位的升职。

In other jobs, such as sales, employees forego paid leave to avoid smaller bonuses, as only basic salary is given during that time.

而别的一些像销售之类的工作，员工放弃带薪休假是为了避免少发奖金，因为休假期间只有基本工资。

Complicated application procedures were another reason cited.

复杂的申请程序则是造成该现象另一个原因。

Liu Junhai, a law professor with Renmin University of China, believes paid leave, as a right of laborers both stipulated in China’s Labor Law and the Regulations of Paid Annual Leave of Employees, should be ensured by tougher law enforcement and a more encouraging attitude from both employees and employers.

中国人民大学法学教授刘俊海认为，带薪休假作为《中古劳工法》和《带薪休假条例》中都规定劳工享有的权利，应当通过更为严厉的执法和员工及雇主更积极地态度来保证落实。

In a society ruled by law, employees should be more aware of their legal rights while employers must guarantee the right of having annual paid leave in accordance with the law, said Liu in an interview with the People’s Daily.

刘俊海在接受人民日报采访时称，在法治社会中，员工应该提自身高合法权利的意识，雇主也必须要依法保障员工享有带薪休年假的权利。

"Now law enforcement departments in Beijing and other places have launched inspections on the implementation of the system of annual leaves with pay, which is a really good start," Liu said.

“现在北京和其他一些地方的执法部门已经开始就带薪休年假制度的实施进行检查。”刘俊海说道。

Ensuring paid leave may serve as an important method for employers to attract the best talent in the job market, he said.

他说，确保带薪休假成为雇主在求职市场上一种吸引优秀人才的重要方法。

Paid leave is also crucial to China’s ongoing economic restructuring, promoting consumption and the development of the service industry amid subdued economic growth, noted Liu.

刘俊海强调，在我国经济增长低迷的情况下，带薪休假对于当前经济体制改革、扩大内需及服务业发展是至关重要的。

"Besides, taking paid leave means people can travel around anytime they want, which will help with social and security problems caused by the surging tourists during holidays," said Liu.

“同时，带薪休假意味着人们想要旅游的时候可以随时出发，这对缓解节假日期间游客激增带来的社会和安全问题很有帮助。

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来源:华尔街日报中文网爱语吧作者:孙梦光