Can Reducing Public Holidays Inject Cash? – Advanced Business English

BUSINESS ENGLISH

Can Reducing Public Holidays Inject Extra Cash into the Economy?

Level: C1–C2 Time: ~90 min Topic: Law & Productivity

TEXT:

📋 Overview

1Warmer

2Reading for Gist

3Key Words

4Understanding

5Business Language

6Discussion

7Writing Task

📰 Article

HIGHLIGHT:

Cutting Public Holidays to Boost Growth? Don't Bank on It

Reducing days off is tempting for policymakers, but rest can help us work more effectively

By Srinidhi Balakrishnan · Financial Times, 24 August 2025

1It was decried as "a direct attack" on France, lambasted as "a symbol of social violence" and, to one critic, compared to being given the finger.

2It is safe to say French Prime minister François Bayrou's attempt last month to scrap two of the country's 11 public holidays went down like a lead balloon.

3The proposal for the 2026 budget hoped that two extra days of work would boost output and help plug a yawning government deficit. "The entire nation must work more to produce [more]," Bayrou declared, comparing the month of May, dotted with four public holidays, to a Gruyère cheese full of holes.

4With governments globally casting about to plug state deficits and gee-up growth, the idea of cutting public holidays can seem an enticingly quick fix. In the past few years, Denmark and Slovakia have both cut public holidays.

5In the US, President Donald Trump marked Juneteenth, a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, by proclaiming on Truth Social that there are "Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed". Although he himself announced two new public holidays to mark US victory in the world wars, neither will involve a break from work because "there are not enough days left in the year".

6But does working more actually produce more? Bayrou claimed his national holiday cutbacks, which would order France back to work on dates such as Easter Monday and Victory in Europe Day, would raise roughly 4.2 billion euros. That is almost a tenth of the planned 43.8 billion euros in savings needed to narrow France's deficit, the third-worst in the EU after Romania and Poland, according to Eurostat. Yet France's statistical agency Insee estimated that an additional worked holiday would only boost GDP by a negligible 0.06-0.08 per cent.

7In England and Wales, which on August 25 observes one of a relatively measly eight annual public holidays, officials found negative effects of public holidays to GDP are partly offset by a "bounceback" the following months. Plus, while some businesses may take a hit, others such as in retail and tourism are likely to see an increase in demand. As a 2024 House of Commons briefing states, "it is challenging to measure the economic effects associated with an additional bank holiday".

8On the individual level, working longer hours is not necessarily conducive to productivity. Rest is important, particularly what psychologists call "recovery processes" away from the daily grind.

9On vacation days "we're detaching from work, so we're essentially not using the bits of our brain and body that we would be using while working", says Michael Clinton, a professor of work psychology at King's College London. "There's also a resource gain, regaining the energy and motivation that enables us to go back to work with our batteries recharged." He points to a study by the psychologist Sabine Sonnentag, who surveyed workers and found that those who rest after work reported feeling more proactive and engaged the next day.

10Not getting enough rest can also be harmful. Clinton's research shows people have a limited capacity for "self-control", and those who use it up at work can slip into dangerous behaviours later — they are more likely to engage in risky driving, like breaking the speed limit, for example.

11Physical and mental wellbeing aside, recent history tells us scrapping public holidays is not the sharpest political manoeuvre. The abolition of the Great Prayer Day holiday in Denmark in 2023 was met with fierce opposition. In France itself, the 2005 attempt to turn Whit Monday into a working "solidarity day" to fund care for the elderly faced similar resistance. "The non-remuneration of work is illegal," declared the Confédération Générale du Travail trade union. "It is not for employees to pay for the negligence and disengagement of the government."

12There is, after all, the principle of the thing. As law-abiding, hard-working citizens, we are entitled to days of rest and relaxation. It's part of that nebulous contract we all signed with the invisible HR department. Budget deficit or not, any attempt to shift deeply embedded perceptions of work and play — and rights and responsibilities — was not going to be easy.

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Lesson Overview

About This Lesson

This article discusses the economic costs of days off and whether it is beneficial for state budgets to reduce them. It looks at examples from France, Denmark, the US and the UK, explores research on rest and productivity, and examines the legal rights of workers.

Business Topic: Productivity, work culture, budgets, law
Business Language: Talking about the law and government
Activities: Key words · Understanding the text (True/False) · Business language · Discussion · Writing a description of a legal system
Groups: Whole class, pairs, small groups, one-to-one

👈 The article is always visible on the left. Use the tabs above to navigate each section. choose a highlight colour and select text to mark in the article.

Warmer

Discuss the questions below. Provide details for your answers.

⚖️

What is the law regarding public holidays and paid leave in your country?

🏛️

Do you think the government should force employers to give their employees paid days off? Why / Why not?

😴

What are some of the consequences of an overtired workforce?

Reading for Gist

Read the article quickly and choose the statement that best summarises the main idea.

Which statement best summarises the article?

1.Countries with budget gaps have cut down public holidays, but this may not fix their financial problems.

2.France failed to boost its budget, and public holidays are the main cause for this.

3.Paid days off cost too much for employers to be able to afford.

Answer: 1 – Countries with budget gaps have cut down public holidays, but this may not fix their financial problems. The article shows the economic benefits are minimal (0.06–0.08% GDP boost) and argues that rest is essential for productivity and is a workers' legal right.

Key Words

Read each definition and find the matching key word in the article (paragraph number given in brackets). Then complete the example sentence with the same word. Use a capital letter where needed.

are government officials or other authorities responsible for making rules and policies. (subheading)

The introduced new regulations regarding maternity leave compensation.

To be is to be harshly and publicly criticised. (Para 1)

The company was for their treatment of employees with disabilities.

is an idiom meaning to be received poorly. (Para 2)

She watched her idea to swap paid leave for a small bonus .

means an extremely large difference in amounts. (Para 3)

There is a gap between the number of paid time off in the US and in Europe.

To means to encourage or to increase effort or start an activity. (Para 4)

The CEO tried to the team to finish the project on time by promising a performance bonus.

means formally announcing something. (Para 5)

The HR representative appeared at the meeting, that there will be changes to the employee benefits.

are reductions in spending. (Para 6)

Because of the low sales numbers, there will be in bonuses this year.

is something too small to notice. (Para 6)

The overall cost of the new holiday scheme was compared to the profits from increased productivity.

is too small or inadequate in amount or size. (Para 7)

The bonus they offered was and failed to motivate anyone.

10.

A(n) is a recovery or improvement after a period of decline. (Para 7)

The sales department is optimistic about a quick in the next quarter with the Christmas holidays coming up.

11.

To is to move or manipulate something. (Para 11)

The boss tried to around the budget restrictions.

12.

means complying with the law and regulations. (Para 12)

companies should follow the right regulations for waste disposal.

13.

means vague or unclear. (Para 12)

After the merger, the company's future strategy remains .

Answer Key:

Policymakers / policymakers
lambasted / lambasted
went down like a lead balloon (×2)
Yawning / yawning
gee-up / gee-up
Proclaiming / proclaiming
Cutbacks / cutbacks
Negligible / negligible
Measly / measly
bounceback / bounceback
manoeuvre / manoeuvre
Law-abiding / Law-abiding
Nebulous / nebulous

Understanding the Article

Are these sentences True or False according to the information in the article? Select T or F. For false sentences, rewrite them correctly in the box below.

The French government tried but failed to reduce the number of public holidays.

The French government wanted to remove the holidays because it needed more money in its budget.

Denmark and Slovakia removed two days of public holidays.

The US President agrees there is no money in the budget for extra holidays, so he hasn't added any.

The French Prime Minister's plan to cut holidays would cover around 10 per cent of the budget deficit.

England and Wales do not have many public holidays.

The English and Welsh governments discovered that public holidays do not affect financial outputs in the long term.

Days off may boost productivity because they support rest, which has positive effects.

Longer holidays impact people's motivation levels negatively.

10.

The author thinks rest during holidays is the right of honest and hard-working citizens.

Answer Key:

TRUE – The proposal went down like a lead balloon and was not implemented.
TRUE – France needed to plug a yawning government deficit.
FALSE – The article says they "both cut public holidays" but does not specify two days each. Denmark removed one (Great Prayer Day).
FALSE – Trump actually did add two new public holidays (to mark US victory in the world wars), but made them working days.
TRUE – 4.2bn of 43.8bn euros = almost a tenth (~10%).
TRUE – England and Wales have only 8 annual public holidays, described as "measly".
TRUE – Negative effects are partly offset by a "bounceback", so they do not greatly affect long-term financial outputs.
TRUE – Rest supports "recovery processes" which boost engagement and productivity.
FALSE – Research shows rest impacts motivation positively, not negatively.
TRUE – The author states we are "entitled to days of rest and relaxation" as "law-abiding, hard-working citizens".

Business Language – The Law & Government

a. Define these words from the article

Find these words in the article. Work with a partner and try to define each word. Then write the definition in the input boxes. Answers are provided in the Answer Key.

abolitioncitizensfederal House of Commonsillegalofficials presidentPrime Ministertrade union rights and responsibilities

is the democratically elected house of the UK Parliament, responsible for making laws and checking the work of the government.

is the head of the government in some countries (e.g. the UK) who is elected from the ruling or majority political party.

are the people who live in the country and have the nationality of that country.

is the title given to the person holding the highest political position in a republic.

means related to the central government in countries with a specific union structure such as the US or Mexico.

is an organisation that works in the interest of people who work in a specific industry, e.g. education, to protect their rights and negotiate with employers and the government.

is the act of ending a custom officially.

are the people who hold power and have legal responsibility.

means not allowed by the law.

10.

are the things a citizen of a country must do and is entitled to.

Answer Key (a):

House of Commons
Prime Minister
Citizens
President
Federal
Trade union
Abolition
Officials
Illegal
Rights and responsibilities

b. Fill in each sentence with the appropriate word or phrase

Use the vocabulary from part a to complete the sentences.

1.Narendra Modi has been the of India since 2014.

2.The law regulates education funding in the US.

3.Jury duty and due process are some of the of a US citizen.

4.Driving while drunk is in most countries.

5.Claudia Sheinbaum is the first woman of Mexico.

6.The teachers regularly goes on strike to lobby for an increase of salaries in education in Poland.

Answer Key (b):

President
federal
rights and responsibilities
illegal
President
trade union

c. Write sentences about your own country

Work with a partner. Write sentences about your own country using the vocabulary from a and b.

Discussion

Look at the statement from the article. What do you understand by it? Do you agree with it? Why / Why not? Discuss in pairs or groups.

"As law-abiding, hard-working citizens, we are entitled to days of rest and relaxation. It's part of that nebulous contract that we all signed with the invisible HR department."

— Srinidhi Balakrishnan, Financial Times

💬

What does the writer mean by "nebulous contract" and "invisible HR department"? Is this an effective metaphor?

⚖️

Do you believe rest is a right or a privilege? How does your country's legal system reflect this?

🌍

Do you think citizens in different countries feel differently about this "contract"? How might culture affect these views?

Writing Task – Describing a Political System

You are hosting a delegation of colleagues from a branch of your company in another country. Prepare a brief presentation explaining how your country's government is structured and what key government offices are relevant to your industry. Read the model text about the UK first.

📖 Model Text: UK Government & Pharmaceutical Industry

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The king serves as the ceremonial head of the state. The prime minister is the head of the government leading the executive branch which makes policies and legislations. Parliament consists of two chambers: The House of Commons elected by the public, and the House of Lords where some positions are hereditary. The Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. However, the actual health system is different in England and Scotland who have their own NHS branches, which work differently.

1. Fill in the notes based on the model text

Complete the blanks based on the UK government text above.

The UK has a king who is the and a PM who is the .

Two chambers of : House of Lords & House of Commons.

The is the elected branch.

The regulates medicines and medical devices.

Important! England and Scotland do not have the same .

Model answers:

ceremonial head of the state / head of the government
Parliament
House of Commons
MHRA
NHS branches

2. Prepare your presentation

Prepare a short presentation on your country's government. Include the points below, then present to the class.

🏛️

The main structure of the government

📋

What each branch of the government does

🔎

Important government agencies making rules and supervising your industry

🤝

How you work with these government agencies

ℹ️

Any other relevant information for your industry

💬 Useful Language

In [country], we have a president/prime minister, who is …

The government consists of two chambers …

The government agency that regulates … is …

They make laws about …

We also need to be mindful of …

Cutting public holidays to boost growth? Don’t bank on it