Vacation vs. paper clips

I've gotta stop watching weekend TV news shows. It's bad for my temperament.

Two things from this morning's TODAY show on NBC got me wondering. These two segments aired about half an hour apart. No one made any attempt to connect them, to the best of my recollection. If I'm wrong about any of this, please correct me.

First segment: Americans are working harder and putting in longer hours. In some industries, people are giving up four vacation days a year to keep up with the work load.

Second segment: Office workers take office supplies home. Paper clips, scissors and paper tend to disappear during back-to-school season. About 34 percent of managers say they have fired someone for stealing supplies.

But in the first segment, no one ever said they had fired a manager for working people so hard they had to give up four paid vacation days.

Employers work people so hard -- or put them in so much fear for their jobs -- that people are afraid to take vacation time. In return, workers don't feel bad about pilfering a few dollars' worth of office supplies.

Am I the only one who thinks there might be a connection?