Just when you thought you’d never get a free minute, you’re handed 1,440 of them, compliments of that quirk of the Gregorian calendar: Leap Day.
Our last Leap Day was a Tuesday, in effect, shoehorning another workday into the year. But this time around it’s a Sunday. The day of rest. And considering how hard we all work, it’s not much of a leap to say we can use more of that.
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, reported that in 2001, the average annual hours worked per employee in the U.S. was 1,821, compared with 1,606 in Italy, 1,532 in France and a measly 1,467 in Germany.
Adding insult to injury, workers in Finland, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden enjoy five weeks minimum mandated paid vacation each year. The average U.S. worker won’t earn that much time off after 30 years on the job.
So there’s no good reason to spend Sunday’s extra 1,440 minutes with your nose to the grindstone. For an alternative and to meet some people celebrating a rare birthday, see Page 2.
