Author Topic: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)  (Read 9975 times)

ender

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #50 on: May 09, 2018, 07:27:59 AM »
Give yourself a reasonable amount and pretend you have that.


nobody123

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #51 on: May 09, 2018, 07:28:52 AM »
I was going to say hey could just limit vacation to something like 8 or 12 weeks... but maybe that doesn’t get them out of the accrued vacation payout laws.  What is it about “unlimited” that makes it different from some other specific number?  I’d be interested to see this challenged in court, because someone fired for taking too much vacation means that it’s not really unlimited

Nobody will be fired for taking too much vacation.  They will be fired / not promoted / get a bad raise because they aren't being a team player and putting in their fair share of work.
 The company wants things done on their schedule, not when it's convenient for employees to show up.  The "unlimited" vacation policy is just an intelligence test, sort of like the drug screen at the NFL combine.

boarder42

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #52 on: May 09, 2018, 08:37:10 AM »
if you're afraid to use it or bend rules - like most of society this is great for the employer.  otherwise assuming youre a top performer.  i would welcome this.  they dont want to lose you and you can take more time off than before.

Cali

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #53 on: May 09, 2018, 11:00:19 AM »
My boss told me today I’ll be receiving an email this week about our new “unlimited vacation time” corporate policy.

Anyone have experience with this?

I generally have found that when you get to a certain level of profession, the agreed upon 'vacation time' doesn't matter, and what matters is whether you are delivering or making the boss happy.  It is sort of a blue collar vs white collar thing.
The other factor is whether your coworkers are gossipy and pay attention to how much you are present. 

In my job, I feel pressured not to use my vacation because I have a lot of shit to get done.  It becomes necessary to force myself to take the time off, otherwise I'll never go on vacation.

For other people that have jobs that are more like punching the time card and putting in their required hours, I don't think you'd ever be given unlimited vacation.  I assume you're not in this situation, and I assume that regardless of the vacation policy, you are expected to meet certain deadlines/etc... (to perform), and this ultimately determines whether you keep your job/etc...

The vacation policy doesn't matter (unless it is super restrictive); what does matter is your workplace culture.

The policy matters because if you're in a job where you don't take much "real" vacation (e.g., where two weeks out of the office means you work at least three hours/day on seven of those days), the more vacation time you accrue, the more you have accrued and paid out when you leave.

Where are these mythical companies that pay you money for unused vacations?

More seriously, i know they exist, but my large corporate employer sure does not.  Count yourself lucky if you do.

A lot fo these crazy benefits are common in the govt or the tech industry, but many do not.

Thanks, California! My employer has a lot of people in CA and gives the same treatment in all locations. 

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_Vacation.htm

"Under California law, earned vacation time is considered wages, and vacation time is earned, or vests, as labor is performed. For example, if an employee is entitled to two weeks (10 work days) of vacation per year, after six months of work he or she will have earned five days of vacation. Vacation pay accrues (adds up) as it is earned, and cannot be forfeited, even upon termination of employment, regardless of the reason for the termination."

Nope. This works in theory. What they’re doing is putting accrued pto in a bank and you use that time during unlimited. Better to use it all asap before July 1.

Also, we’re multinational so it’s not just CA.

Undecided

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #54 on: May 09, 2018, 01:25:35 PM »
My boss told me today I’ll be receiving an email this week about our new “unlimited vacation time” corporate policy.

Anyone have experience with this?

I generally have found that when you get to a certain level of profession, the agreed upon 'vacation time' doesn't matter, and what matters is whether you are delivering or making the boss happy.  It is sort of a blue collar vs white collar thing.
The other factor is whether your coworkers are gossipy and pay attention to how much you are present. 

In my job, I feel pressured not to use my vacation because I have a lot of shit to get done.  It becomes necessary to force myself to take the time off, otherwise I'll never go on vacation.

For other people that have jobs that are more like punching the time card and putting in their required hours, I don't think you'd ever be given unlimited vacation.  I assume you're not in this situation, and I assume that regardless of the vacation policy, you are expected to meet certain deadlines/etc... (to perform), and this ultimately determines whether you keep your job/etc...

The vacation policy doesn't matter (unless it is super restrictive); what does matter is your workplace culture.

The policy matters because if you're in a job where you don't take much "real" vacation (e.g., where two weeks out of the office means you work at least three hours/day on seven of those days), the more vacation time you accrue, the more you have accrued and paid out when you leave.

Where are these mythical companies that pay you money for unused vacations?

More seriously, i know they exist, but my large corporate employer sure does not.  Count yourself lucky if you do.

A lot fo these crazy benefits are common in the govt or the tech industry, but many do not.

Thanks, California! My employer has a lot of people in CA and gives the same treatment in all locations. 

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_Vacation.htm

"Under California law, earned vacation time is considered wages, and vacation time is earned, or vests, as labor is performed. For example, if an employee is entitled to two weeks (10 work days) of vacation per year, after six months of work he or she will have earned five days of vacation. Vacation pay accrues (adds up) as it is earned, and cannot be forfeited, even upon termination of employment, regardless of the reason for the termination."

Nope. This works in theory. What they’re doing is putting accrued pto in a bank and you use that time during unlimited. Better to use it all asap before July 1.

Also, we’re multinational so it’s not just CA.

I was responding to the question "[w]here are these mythical companies that pay you money for unused vacations?" I didn't mean to imply that employers that switch from "earned" to "unlimited"---even in CA---would pay out whatever was on the books at the time of transition. I do wonder whether (at least in CA) employees who take fewer PTO days after the transition to unlimited PTO than the number of vacation days they'd accrued prior to the transition would still be entitled to be paid out at termination for their unused pre-transition accrued vacation days.

Cali

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #55 on: May 09, 2018, 02:19:09 PM »
Quote from: Cali
Nope. This works in theory. What they’re doing is putting accrued pto in a bank and you use that time during unlimited. Better to use it all asap before July 1.

Also, we’re multinational so it’s not just CA.

I was responding to the question "[w]here are these mythical companies that pay you money for unused vacations?" I didn't mean to imply that employers that switch from "earned" to "unlimited"---even in CA---would pay out whatever was on the books at the time of transition. I do wonder whether (at least in CA) employees who take fewer PTO days after the transition to unlimited PTO than the number of vacation days they'd accrued prior to the transition would still be entitled to be paid out at termination for their unused pre-transition accrued vacation days.

No I got that, I was answering the implied question. There were too many sub quotes to specify that and I’m on my phone. lol.

dragoncar

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #56 on: May 09, 2018, 08:03:54 PM »
I was going to say hey could just limit vacation to something like 8 or 12 weeks... but maybe that doesn’t get them out of the accrued vacation payout laws.  What is it about “unlimited” that makes it different from some other specific number?  I’d be interested to see this challenged in court, because someone fired for taking too much vacation means that it’s not really unlimited

Nobody will be fired for taking too much vacation.  They will be fired / not promoted / get a bad raise because they aren't being a team player and putting in their fair share of work.
 The company wants things done on their schedule, not when it's convenient for employees to show up.  The "unlimited" vacation policy is just an intelligence test, sort of like the drug screen at the NFL combine.

I get that you are being sarcastic, but you if you could show that a company with unlimited vacation disproportionately fired people who take more vacation, you’d have a strong argument that the stated reason for dismissal is a pretext.

If they don’t promote you or give you a raise, we’ll yen is just take 10% more vacation every year I don’t get a raise

Catica

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #57 on: May 10, 2018, 04:08:17 AM »
Are these unlimited vacations paid?

L2

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #58 on: May 10, 2018, 07:19:09 AM »
Are these unlimited vacations paid?
in my experience, for salaried employees, yes.

nobody123

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #59 on: May 10, 2018, 08:50:43 AM »
I was going to say hey could just limit vacation to something like 8 or 12 weeks... but maybe that doesn’t get them out of the accrued vacation payout laws.  What is it about “unlimited” that makes it different from some other specific number?  I’d be interested to see this challenged in court, because someone fired for taking too much vacation means that it’s not really unlimited

Nobody will be fired for taking too much vacation.  They will be fired / not promoted / get a bad raise because they aren't being a team player and putting in their fair share of work.
 The company wants things done on their schedule, not when it's convenient for employees to show up.  The "unlimited" vacation policy is just an intelligence test, sort of like the drug screen at the NFL combine.

I get that you are being sarcastic, but you if you could show that a company with unlimited vacation disproportionately fired people who take more vacation, you’d have a strong argument that the stated reason for dismissal is a pretext.

If they don’t promote you or give you a raise, we’ll yen is just take 10% more vacation every year I don’t get a raise

No sarcasm at all.  And if your reaction to getting a bad performance review because you're not available enough is to be even less available, good luck to you.  If you miss documented deadlines repeatedly, it will be difficult to argue that your dismissal was part of some sort of systemic oppression of those that like to take vacation.  And anyway, if it's an at-will state, it doesn't matter because "people who take a lot of vacation" are not a protected class / status.

dragoncar

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #60 on: May 10, 2018, 10:48:28 AM »
I was going to say hey could just limit vacation to something like 8 or 12 weeks... but maybe that doesn’t get them out of the accrued vacation payout laws.  What is it about “unlimited” that makes it different from some other specific number?  I’d be interested to see this challenged in court, because someone fired for taking too much vacation means that it’s not really unlimited

Nobody will be fired for taking too much vacation.  They will be fired / not promoted / get a bad raise because they aren't being a team player and putting in their fair share of work.
 The company wants things done on their schedule, not when it's convenient for employees to show up.  The "unlimited" vacation policy is just an intelligence test, sort of like the drug screen at the NFL combine.

I get that you are being sarcastic, but you if you could show that a company with unlimited vacation disproportionately fired people who take more vacation, you’d have a strong argument that the stated reason for dismissal is a pretext.

If they don’t promote you or give you a raise, we’ll yen is just take 10% more vacation every year I don’t get a raise

No sarcasm at all.  And if your reaction to getting a bad performance review because you're not available enough is to be even less available, good luck to you.  If you miss documented deadlines repeatedly, it will be difficult to argue that your dismissal was part of some sort of systemic oppression of those that like to take vacation.  And anyway, if it's an at-will state, it doesn't matter because "people who take a lot of vacation" are not a protected class / status.

An at-will state doesn't preclude your employer from being in violation of your contract by firing you.

boy_bye

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #61 on: May 10, 2018, 10:53:40 AM »
I'd love to hear from someone who milked the daylights out of such a policy.  Even better if they did it right before quitting or retiring. 

Personally, I'd aim for 6 weeks. That always sounded like a good number to me.

I did 6 weeks last year. This year is looking to be about the same. I'm probably 10 years out from retirement, and I also work from home. My job is annoying sometimes but they are quite good about trying to keep high achievers happy!

Lanthiriel

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #62 on: May 10, 2018, 12:22:58 PM »
I used to work for a company where you had to work 2000 hours per year. Yes, 2080 is 40-hour weeks at 52 weeks per year, but 40 hours per week isn't standard for my industry. I wound up taking 5.5 weeks of time off (including holiday, sick, and vacation) and easily making my 2000 hours. I think this is a good way to do "unlimited time off." It made me feel like I was being compensated for extra time I worked and was extremely flexible.

Sand101

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Re: Unlimited Vacation Time (the Corporate kind)
« Reply #63 on: May 13, 2018, 04:47:01 PM »
I used to work for a company where you had to work 2000 hours per year.

i could kick off for the year mid-September.  That's an awesome policy.