Brits shocked after discovering Americans don’t get ‘paid holidays’

There's a lot of things the United Kingdom and the United States have in common but there's one major difference between the two nations that has left Brits well and truly stunned.

One woman, Andrea Celeste who goes by the handle @anndreacelleste online, took to TikTok to share a video discussing the major discrepancy when it comes to attitudes surrounding work-life balance in both Britain and America.

Celeste, who originally hails from California but now lives in London, has left Brits beyond baffled after discovering those across the pond don’t get 'paid holidays'.

In a skit, Celeste pretended to be a US woman named Becky, who seemed to be bright and cheery but was shaking and clearly not in a mellow state of mind in her desk chair following a two-day break.

She also played the role of a UK woman who looked a whole lot of refreshed and relaxed following a lengthier two-week holiday.

Now, every single full-time employee in Great Britain is entitled, by law, to 5.6 weeks paid holiday - also known as the statutory annual leave entitlement.

This differs in the States, however, as there is no federally guaranteed right to paid time off (PTO).

The short clip has since clocked up nearly one million views on the platform alongside hundreds of comments from people eager to share their thoughts on the news.

One TikTok user asked: "Can someone tell me if this is actually genuine or an exaggeration? Like surely most people don’t just get two weeks off a year?"

A second asked: "You don’t get holiday leave in the US?"

"Is this normal in the US???" pondered a third while a fourth exclaimed: "Meetings AFTER 4:30 pm????? Absolutely not!"

"*cries in American*" chimed in a fifth while a sixth advised: "If that's your reality in the US, get a new boss or go to a different company. Healthy work boundaries do exist here too!"

Another American revealed: "I can’t even take one week off per year in the US, so burned out!"

A third admitted: "American here, definitely treat my PTO like the UK haha. If I’m off I’m off, byeeee!

"Delete Gmail, delete Slack, I don’t exist!"

"Is there no work/life balance promoted by employers in the US?" asked a final TikTok user. "In the UK I put my out of office on email and direct to colleagues who are covering."

What do you make of it?

Featured Image Credit: Douglas Sacha/Getty Images kieferpix/Getty Images

Topics: Money, News, TikTok, UK News, US News, Life, Travel

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.