This is how my company works too, and I think it's a great idea, assuming that the culture isn't one where people are belittled for taking vacations. If the culture causes people to feel a complex about taking time off, people will just resent the policy. Personally, I really enjoy the flexibility it affords, and it's quite a golden handcuff when I think about leaving to find another job.
Looking at job descriptions with their little 3.5 weeks of vacation is just a bummer now. Who wants to sit around thinking about the optimal way to use that time? Just do a kick-ass job and take vacations when you want. This benefit means more to me than a considerable increase in salary would.
3.5 weeks? Sheesh, I only get 2 weeks at my current job. One week gets used up throughout the year for random errands, kids school stuff, that sort of thing. That leaves one week to actually take a vacation, and this year we just skipped it all together because about the time the kids were out of school my work got really busy.
Yeah, that's something you in the US really need to fix. The EU Working Time Directive gives Europeans the right to 5+ weeks (and in professional jobs this has been standard practice anyway).
Well, maybe. But a happy and adequately-vacationed workforce is surely going to be more productive, so the loss might be less than it seems (citation needed here, admittedly).
And I guess it might mean a few extra jobs, which surely can't be a bad thing.
By all measures I've seen, the U.S. workforce is dramatically more productive than the European workforce. I suspect the amount of time spent working is a significant factor in that.
Everything I've read indicates productivity improves when you have employees who take vacation. I really like the idea of shutting down for a few weeks per year (in addition to normal vacation time, whatever policy that is). Shutting down means nobody is looked down on for not being there.
Looking at job descriptions with their little 3.5 weeks of vacation is just a bummer now. Who wants to sit around thinking about the optimal way to use that time? Just do a kick-ass job and take vacations when you want. This benefit means more to me than a considerable increase in salary would.