The importance of holidays can't be quantified, and I always wish we had more of them in this extremely busy age the world is in at the moment. Every day, people go through so much stress just to make ends meet, and in the course of making a living, many don't remember what it feels like to rest anymore. For instance, many Lagosians wake up as early as 4-5 a.m. every morning just to beat the Lagos traffic; they sit in the same traffic after closing at work and return to their homes at dark hours.
I honestly don't blame workers who go through all this stress because their work time isn't flexible, and it's either they meet the company's demands or get replaced. I can tell how tiring it is, and most times, holidays are the only time people get that much-needed rest since some organizations today even work on Saturdays and leave just Sundays for rest, which can never be enough because I believe Sundays are meant to be for the new week's preparation, but we combine both rest and preparation in one day, which leaves many people in bad shape for the new week.
Sometimes, whenever I see people in an aggressive state, especially on the bus, I always have the impression that the nature of their job might be responsible for their rash behaviors because inadequate rest can put them in a terrible state of mind. If we are being sincere, holidays are quite important since they turn out to be the time we get to spend away from work.
I once told a friend that if I had the opportunity to rule Nigeria, the country's 8 a.m.–5 p.m. work tradition would end because people needed more personal time. Resumption time will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; all work must close on Thursday evening so workers will get two days of rest and a day to prepare for the new week.
At my previous workplace, Sunday was the only rest day, and workers didn't get overtime for working on Saturday, while our boss got a substantial amount for working on Saturday. Staff who are Christians can't observe the Muslim holidays, while Muslims can't observe the Christian holidays, and if you must violate this rule, you definitely clock in at work that day. It was really annoying and exhausting, and we didn't have a choice other than obeying the company's rules and regulations.
If I had my way, adding more holidays wouldn't be my only plan. I would extend some holiday duration because I feel like it is too short, and anyone who insists on working during the holidays must be paid overtime.
Many of the significant holidays that are majorly festive have just two days of celebration. I always feel like there should be more time to celebrate, so a festive holiday will be celebrated for a week, and they include Christmas, Sallah, New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Easter. Having that much time for a holiday will give people time to not just celebrate but to properly rest as well.
I remembered how we used to rush back to work on the 27th of December when I was just bonding with my family, which I hadn't seen throughout the year, and that annoyance always makes me very unproductive.
Aside from extending the duration of the festive holidays, there are some holidays that should be taken more seriously. An example is Labour Day, which should be Labour's Week because just one day isn't enough to celebrate the impact of the workers in the country. Just a day to honor them isn't enough; giving them a whole week to relax and have fun wouldn't be a bad idea.
My intention for these holidays is simple: I just want people to have more rest time. During these holidays, many would focus on self-care, family bonding, and many other things that would help them not just physically but mentally as well.
I want to believe you will agree with me that the need for more holidays is crucial, and all these shouldn't be restricted to just government workers; all private companies must abide by these holiday rules or get penalized.
Thanks for reading.