In Western culture, summer is the time of year when people traditionally take several weeks off work. Even the pace in the office seems to slow down (at least in many professions). But this is far from being the case everywhere.
In the United States, for example, workers enjoy 10 public holidays a year, but there is no federal law obliging companies to grant paid days off to their employees. In other words, this "privilege" depends on the goodwill of individual companies.
