Psychologists and economists explained why vacation in May is a bad idea

You won’t be able to rest, and you’ll lose money.

Some people plan part of their vacation for May to extend the weekend and enjoy the warm weather. However, this is an extremely unprofitable practice, economists say. And “an outlet for stress,” psychologists add.

The amount of vacation pay is determined as the product of the employee’s average daily earnings and the number of calendar days of vacation. It turns out that the fewer working days there are in a month, the higher the cost of one working day. Accordingly, the more working days in a month and the fewer holidays, the higher the amount of vacation pay.

In May 2024, for example, there are few working days – 20. Almost two-thirds of the month falls on weekends and holidays. Therefore, May is one of the most unfavorable periods for vacation from a financial point of view.

“If the number of working days in a month is less than usual, it means that the amount of vacation pay will differ from the salary on the smaller side, and the employee will lose a certain amount of income,” economist Alisa Sannikova explained to MK. — Taking a vacation in May 2024 is beneficial only in terms of its duration. You can work a short day on May 8th and write an application for leave from May 13th. Thus, another 9 May will be added to the total number of days of rest – a holiday, 10 – transfer and 11-12 – weekends Saturday and Sunday. However, you still won’t win money.

Psychologist Elena Pivovarova is also extremely skeptical about the May holiday.

“A long vacation drags on: you have time to relax mentally, but you don’t have time to rest enough,” she says. — For many, dacha worries begin. Therefore, before the start of the summer holidays, this is not a respite at all, but rather a trigger: you will get tired of gardening chores and return to work with a feeling of dissatisfaction. The rest of us have a vacation just ahead, but you actually had yours before the hottest season.