PTO, paid time off, vacation time—whatever you might call it, we need more of it in America. Wait, no, here’s a better idea: why don’t we go a step further like the Norwegians and form a communal summer holiday period? Allow me to explain…

When I moved abroad to Oslo last August and started introducing myself to new people, I quickly realized that no matter whom I spoke with, he or she would tell me the same two things: 1) the darkness is harder to cope with than the cold in winter (which I soon found to be true), and 2) the entire country practically shuts down for the entire month of July.

Of course, the latter point immediately struck my attention, so after conducting a bit of online research, I discovered the locals weren’t joking. Commonly known as the “Big July Shutdown,” nearly all employees take two to three weeks off, with many taking close to the entire month. Apparently, this concept of a communal summer holiday helps to prevent the potential inefficiencies of only having 50 to 75 percent of the workforce in place for a longer period of time. Store opening hours are also shortened, even in the country’s larger cities, such as Oslo.

While I haven’t yet experienced this widely acclaimed shutdown, I’m intrigued to see what it’s all about in the coming weeks, as I certainly still have lots of questions regarding how it even works. For instance, how can a country scale down operations during one of the main travel months of the year? Is this the reason Norway takes third place on the 2019 World Happiness Report?

Establishing this type of communal holiday period might simply be wishful thinking for a country as large and driven by capitalism as the U.S., but it does make me further recognize not only the value—mentally, emotionally, culturally, and even economically—of paid time off, but also the fact that more companies need to prioritize and encourage it.

Of course, having the opportunity to travel and take a vacation is a privilege, but even if our time away from work consisted of a rejuvenating staycation, perhaps we could somehow move away from the ‘busier-is-better’ mentality that is deeply ingrained in the States and, in turn, help prevent the significantly high rate of job burnout so many of us consistently face.

Establishing this type of communal holiday period might simply be wishful thinking for a country as large and driven by capitalism as the U.S., but it does make me further recognize not only the value—mentally, emotionally, culturally, and even economically—of paid time off, but also the fact that more companies need to prioritize and encourage it.

Plus, we’d be in good company. As it turns out, there are multiple other countries that take this summer shutdown approach. In the U.K., August is regularly referred to as the “silly season.” And so many other European nations following suit—which is why I can’t help but think, isn’t it time the U.S. got on board?