RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
We have more news this morning on happy workers. Our last word in business today is: vacation shmacation.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
It is August, and that means many parts of the world are virtually shut down, with many workers off on summer holiday. Well, a recent blog post in "The Atlantic" took on the question: Does more vacation mean happier workers?
MONTAGNE: Some data suggests not so much. It turns out that countries like Spain and the U.K. - countries that give lots of mandatory paid vacations, up to seven weeks - still have lots of grumpy workers.
GREENE: And then there's the United States, which has no mandatory vacation time, and yet seven in 10 of us are happy anyway. Of course, there are other factors: job security and better hours can certainly play a role in job satisfaction.
MONTAGNE: And David, we should note that this is all very subjective. You might get a very different answer from someone if you catch them - say now, here's another factor - before they've had their morning coffee.
GREENE: That's what I'm having right now.
MONTAGNE: Oh good. I'm glad. But you're never grumpy anyway.
GREENE: Thank you.
MONTAGNE: And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
GREENE: And I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.