Poll

How many weeks vacation do you have? (only for working people, not FIRE)

2 weeks
33 (10%)
3 weeks
82 (24.8%)
4-5 weeks
159 (48.2%)
6-7 weeks
25 (7.6%)
more than 7 weeks
14 (4.2%)
0 days
17 (5.2%)

Total Members Voted: 326

Author Topic: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?  (Read 28729 times)

Jet711

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #100 on: August 09, 2017, 01:26:00 PM »
As a teenager, I don't work, and when I do, its on my own schedule ;D

Gronnie

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #101 on: August 09, 2017, 02:12:22 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

dougules

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #102 on: August 10, 2017, 10:31:16 AM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

A friend of mine was talking about being happy his new employer had that policy.  It sounds so nice on paper when you phrase it as unlimited vacation, but I couldn't convince him that that was a bad thing. 

prognastat

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #103 on: August 10, 2017, 10:44:17 AM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

A friend of mine was talking about being happy his new employer had that policy.  It sounds so nice on paper when you phrase it as unlimited vacation, but I couldn't convince him that that was a bad thing.

Some of the most insidious things sounds like great things at first glance. effectively you don't have unlimited time off, your productivity is getting judged by how much vacation you take. I effectively creates a race to the bottom.

Gronnie

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #104 on: August 10, 2017, 11:05:01 AM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

A friend of mine was talking about being happy his new employer had that policy.  It sounds so nice on paper when you phrase it as unlimited vacation, but I couldn't convince him that that was a bad thing.

Some of the most insidious things sounds like great things at first glance. effectively you don't have unlimited time off, your productivity is getting judged by how much vacation you take. I effectively creates a race to the bottom.

This. Nobody wants to leave their team in the lurch. You are also still judged on how much work you got done and contributions made when it comes time for bonuses, raises, and promotions -- if you took a bunch of time off there is a good chance that will have been noticed even though it isn't supposed to be tracked.

When it vacation is an accrual, you don't have to feel bad about taking vacation, because you "earned it" and everyone gets the same amount.

prognastat

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #105 on: August 10, 2017, 01:11:20 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

A friend of mine was talking about being happy his new employer had that policy.  It sounds so nice on paper when you phrase it as unlimited vacation, but I couldn't convince him that that was a bad thing.

Some of the most insidious things sounds like great things at first glance. effectively you don't have unlimited time off, your productivity is getting judged by how much vacation you take. I effectively creates a race to the bottom.

This. Nobody wants to leave their team in the lurch. You are also still judged on how much work you got done and contributions made when it comes time for bonuses, raises, and promotions -- if you took a bunch of time off there is a good chance that will have been noticed even though it isn't supposed to be tracked.

When it vacation is an accrual, you don't have to feel bad about taking vacation, because you "earned it" and everyone gets the same amount.

It also blurs the question of how much vacation you "should" be taking. When you have an accrual system you know how much you should be taking, the amount you received. However, when you have an unlimited vacation system the amount becomes obscured and people are going to err on the side of caution(thus take less).

MsSindy

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #106 on: August 10, 2017, 01:24:00 PM »
I get 18 days (plus paid holidays) of vacation, plus unlimited sick days (I take about 4 a year - we jokingly call them "mental health" days) - we also use sick days for doctor appointments.  I'll get 25 days after 5 years of service (next year).  We don't log our vacation time anywhere, so it's really between you and your boss - I've taken more than my 18 days last year, and as long as I get my work done, my boss says nothing - not sure he even tracks it.

All-in-all, I think I have it pretty good.  However, we work on projects with our counterparts in Europe and joke a lot that all work/decisions cease in the summer as they all take month-long vacations (and yeah, we're all jealous!).  Well, less joking, just stating facts, really  We find that the Swedes take the most time off :)

boy_bye

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #107 on: August 10, 2017, 02:19:23 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

We implemented this at my company last year. Most people are taking the same amount of vacation (normally a week in the summer and a week some other time). I am taking a bit more (2 weeks in spring, 2 weeks in fall, 2 weeks at Christmas).

valsecito

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #108 on: August 10, 2017, 02:29:07 PM »
Not American, but 15 weeks off, plus more public holidays than in the US. Can't pick my holidays though.

In a typical working week, I work under 15 hours for a boss, usually concentrated in two days. A luxury situation.

Gronnie

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #109 on: August 11, 2017, 03:02:30 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

We implemented this at my company last year. Most people are taking the same amount of vacation (normally a week in the summer and a week some other time). I am taking a bit more (2 weeks in spring, 2 weeks in fall, 2 weeks at Christmas).

Since when does 300% equal "a bit"? :)

Good for you, if you can get the vacation you should take it. I had planned to take about 5 weeks this year, but we have been very busy with the project I am working on nearing release. I plan to take 6 or more weeks next year to make up for it!

boy_bye

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #110 on: August 11, 2017, 05:32:24 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

We implemented this at my company last year. Most people are taking the same amount of vacation (normally a week in the summer and a week some other time). I am taking a bit more (2 weeks in spring, 2 weeks in fall, 2 weeks at Christmas).

Since when does 300% equal "a bit"? :)

Good for you, if you can get the vacation you should take it. I had planned to take about 5 weeks this year, but we have been very busy with the project I am working on nearing release. I plan to take 6 or more weeks next year to make up for it!

Haha I should mention we all get those 2 weeks at Christmas off. So it's only 200% :)

firelight

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #111 on: August 13, 2017, 11:57:24 PM »
I work for a tech company, and the policy changed about a year ago to "take as much as you need as long as you can work it out with your manager".

I think in practice this actually causes many engineers to take less vacation, not more.

A friend of mine was talking about being happy his new employer had that policy.  It sounds so nice on paper when you phrase it as unlimited vacation, but I couldn't convince him that that was a bad thing.

Some of the most insidious things sounds like great things at first glance. effectively you don't have unlimited time off, your productivity is getting judged by how much vacation you take. I effectively creates a race to the bottom.

This. Nobody wants to leave their team in the lurch. You are also still judged on how much work you got done and contributions made when it comes time for bonuses, raises, and promotions -- if you took a bunch of time off there is a good chance that will have been noticed even though it isn't supposed to be tracked.

When it vacation is an accrual, you don't have to feel bad about taking vacation, because you "earned it" and everyone gets the same amount.

It also blurs the question of how much vacation you "should" be taking. When you have an accrual system you know how much you should be taking, the amount you received. However, when you have an unlimited vacation system the amount becomes obscured and people are going to err on the side of caution(thus take less).
My company has unlimited vacation policy. Since my manager and higher ups take vacations of 2+ weeks, we are encouraged to take vacations too. I love unlimited vacations since I tend to take atleast 4 weeks every year. I used to have 3 weeks in my previous company and would take a week off with no pay.

If your management takes vacations, it is a good sign for others to take it too. But I agree, usually people take less vacation if there is unlimited vacation policy.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #112 on: August 14, 2017, 01:07:25 AM »
Australian example here (not American, so I didn't vote).

32 days annual leave per year (with 17.5% loading) + 10 days of sick leave + 5 public holidays.

Villanelle

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #113 on: August 14, 2017, 01:12:28 AM »
At my last job, we got two weeks as new employees.  At the two year mark, we got an additional week, and at 5 years, we got a 4th week.  This was in addition to sick time (I think also 2 weeks per year, but I've forgotten) and one "personal day" that was basically an additional vacation day.  And a smattering of paid holidays (the number 12 rings a bell, but I could be wrong). 

Husband is in the military.  He gets 30 days a year, but that includes weekends and holidays.  Technically, if we were to go on a long drive over a weekend, even if he missed no work he would need to take two days of leave.  Also, using it is quite often difficult.  They can only carry over 60 days each fiscal year (with a few exceptions) and most years of his career he has given back time, a fact that makes me irrationally upset. 


dougules

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #114 on: August 14, 2017, 10:51:40 AM »
One factor to take into account is that this forum is strongly skewed toward higher level professionals.  It gets a lot worse as you go down the skill level ladder. 

JLee

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #115 on: August 17, 2017, 06:20:15 PM »
Four weeks plus one week of sick time. Two years ago (different employer) had two weeks and...I think 3 or 5 sick days.

happylife17

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #116 on: August 22, 2017, 09:46:14 AM »
Last job: I started out at 1 week vacation on my 2 year anniversary I was given an extra week.  After I passed my CPA exam (6 years later) I negotiated an extra week vacation into my raise.  I was never told how many sick days we could get but if I took a sick day it was paid and not deducted from my vacation time.  This was a small company (3-4 people).

Current Job:
0-3 years tenure: 19 PTO days, 3 Float Holidays & 7 paid holidays
3-9 years tenure: 24 PTO days, everything else stays the same

PTO is supposed to be use for sick, personal, inclement weather, etc.  This is a larger company (over 200 employees).

Vegasgirl

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #117 on: August 23, 2017, 11:18:49 AM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

JLee

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #118 on: August 23, 2017, 06:35:17 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #119 on: August 23, 2017, 07:29:05 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

I'm guessing they are a gov't employee without disability insurance.  It's a trade-off.

nnls

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #120 on: August 23, 2017, 07:45:40 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

abhe8

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #121 on: August 23, 2017, 08:06:27 PM »
Tons! 10 holidays, 28 Vaca days, 13 sick days and up to 10 days to go to training conferences. I also end up with about 6-7 comp days per yr.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk


JLee

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #122 on: August 23, 2017, 08:16:27 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

Only 15?

I have 5...I want to say I had 3 or 4 at my last employer, but I don't remember.

nnls

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #123 on: August 23, 2017, 08:21:32 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

Only 15?

I have 5...I want to say I had 3 or 4 at my last employer, but I don't remember.

I said "only" in reply to "holy crap that is a lot" i certainly wouldn't say its a lot. I suppose because I am in Australia where the standard is two weeks, an extra 5 days doesnt seem like much. 

Plus as I said, I get 3 months of sick leave a year, so 15 days isn't all that much. Though my work is really generous

JLee

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #124 on: August 23, 2017, 09:01:48 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

Only 15?

I have 5...I want to say I had 3 or 4 at my last employer, but I don't remember.

I said "only" in reply to "holy crap that is a lot" i certainly wouldn't say its a lot. I suppose because I am in Australia where the standard is two weeks, an extra 5 days doesnt seem like much. 

Plus as I said, I get 3 months of sick leave a year, so 15 days isn't all that much. Though my work is really generous

The US work environment is...different...than most other modern countries.  :/

nnls

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #125 on: August 23, 2017, 09:36:48 PM »


The US work environment is...different...than most other modern countries.  :/

True. It seems a bit crazy to me, though looking through this post it seems most people get more leave then I would have thought.

Still 15 days doesnt seem like a "holy crap" amount of days off for illness, a couple of colds a year could easily wipe through that. I would much rather my co workers be at home than at work and sick


kamille

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #126 on: August 24, 2017, 09:36:57 AM »
One of the perks of my job as a nurse is taking every other week off even though it doesn't technically count as vacation because I squeeze 2 weeks worth of work into 1 week (I work 12 hour shifts). I get 5 weeks off a year which also is lumped in with sick time. I have to work a minimum number of weekend and holiday shifts throughout the year too.

simonsez

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #127 on: August 24, 2017, 12:12:22 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

Only 15?

I have 5...I want to say I had 3 or 4 at my last employer, but I don't remember.

I said "only" in reply to "holy crap that is a lot" i certainly wouldn't say its a lot. I suppose because I am in Australia where the standard is two weeks, an extra 5 days doesnt seem like much. 

Plus as I said, I get 3 months of sick leave a year, so 15 days isn't all that much. Though my work is really generous

The US work environment is...different...than most other modern countries.  :/

Keep in mind this is for accumulation.  If you worked 20 years and were never utilized sick leave, at this yearly rate you'd have 2400 sick leave hours.  If this person is indeed a fed, there is no cap on sick leave.  Any unused sick leave is converted to time in service at retirement and added to the pension.  A guy I worked with who retired last year at age 62 had about 4100 hours (just under 2 years, 1 year=2087 hrs for feds) of sick leave.

I'm a fed with a little more than 6 years experience (10 holidays + 160 annual leave + 104 sick leave) that works in a maxiflex environment.  Maxiflex loosely (my agency has core hours) means I have two weeks to get my 80 hours in.  This also means I can work extra at any time if I have enough to do and build up to a 24 hour credit bank to use in a later pay period.  The distinction between this and OT (paid out or comp time) is that OT is required by a supervisor whereas credit hours are strictly voluntary.

With the credit hours and maxiflex I find it hard to use all of my annual leave in a given year as 240 is the max we can roll over (SES, the executives can roll over 720 but that isn't me).  I've started using annual leave instead of sick leave to help me get under the 240 threshold.

From what I people tell me, I'm supposed to say I'm underpaid as a fed but I definitely have no qualms about the amount of leave and the work/life balance it affords.

Dicey

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #128 on: August 26, 2017, 09:13:38 AM »
I'm FIRE, but DH still works. He's been at his employer for 16 years. It is relevant to note that he is union.

He currently gets:
22 vacation days
13 sick days
12 holidays

He is also eligible for OT, which he mostly avoids so the younger guys with families can have it. When it's unavoidable, he opts for Comp Time instead.

He has banked all his sick days, so "only" spends 34 days/yr. However, he works a 9/80 schedule, so has every other Friday off. He's a master at combining Fridays off, holidays, comp time and vacation time for maximum time off. Next month, he has a ten-day stretch of "vacation". Project time!

When I was working, I had three weeks (only because I negotiated it prior to hiring on) and seven paid holidays. No dedicated sick days. And unless you could get someone to cover for you, you still had to field calls. The best vacations were the ones spent in areas without cell phone reception. No wonder I'm FIRE and he's still working!

kissthesky

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #129 on: August 26, 2017, 10:31:23 AM »
In my first job out of grad school I got 2 weeks vacation + 10 paid holidays. After a successful tenure of 3 years I got 3 weeks vacation. A week later they changed the policy to everyone gets 3 weeks to start. That was a bit annoying, haha.

Now I'm at 4 weeks (because of tenure). Caps out at 5 weeks (based on tenure as well). New hires still get 3 weeks.

I've also never taken a sick day even though everywhere i've worked had technically unlimited sick days. I wish instead I had say a certain number of sick days that if unused I could take as vacation days. But I can't complain about being healthy.

There is also an unofficial policy (usually up to your manager, but so far I've had pretty good ones) where if you had to work all weekend because of a crazy deadline you take a day or two off when things calm down.

Overall as an American I know I have it really, really good.


chaskavitch

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #130 on: August 27, 2017, 08:31:19 AM »
I have:

15 holidays a year (including a week off around Christmas)
40 hrs of sick time (you can call in to say "I'm sick!" and take this)
56 hrs of sick leave (3 days absence and drs note required)
120 hrs of accrued leave per year, with a cap of 200 hrs accrued before they stop giving you any more

Once I hit 5 years at the company in December, I'll get bumped up to 160 hrs a year with 240 hrs accrual, and at 10 years (sweet Jesus that sounds like forever) we get 200 hrs per year.

The sick time is a new thing, and is greatly appreciated.  We definitely are more likely to take sick time days than vacation days, since sick time doesn't roll over at the end of the year.

DH gets fewer holidays, but he also accrues 120 hrs of leave/yr.  His leave, however, doesn't roll over from year to year, which seems ridiculous to me.  How the heck are you supposed to save up for paternity/maternity leave or a big vacation if you have to start the accrual process over at the beginning of the year?  I suppose it makes sense as a way to kind of force people to use their time off every year, but I don't like it.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2017, 07:03:11 AM by chaskavitch »

Pizzabrewer

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #131 on: September 03, 2017, 11:55:21 AM »
I think the poll needs a "1 week" option.  Many, many Americans have but one week.

JLee

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #132 on: September 21, 2017, 07:40:01 PM »
I accumulate hours:

208 hours annual leave per year
120 hours sick leave per year
3 personal days per year

sick leave is the only one that can be accumulated year to year and eventually gets added as credited service when it comes time to calculate pension.

It equates to roughly 6 weeks AL and 3 weeks SL per year plus 8 holidays per year

Holy crap that is a lot of sick time.

isn't it only 15 days? assuming an 8 hour work day.

I am in Australia, our company gives us 3 months sick leave which can be extended up to 12 months if you have something serious like cancer . Though the standard here in Australia is two weeks which can be accrued. 15 days doesnt seem like that much

Only 15?

I have 5...I want to say I had 3 or 4 at my last employer, but I don't remember.

I said "only" in reply to "holy crap that is a lot" i certainly wouldn't say its a lot. I suppose because I am in Australia where the standard is two weeks, an extra 5 days doesnt seem like much. 

Plus as I said, I get 3 months of sick leave a year, so 15 days isn't all that much. Though my work is really generous

The US work environment is...different...than most other modern countries.  :/

Keep in mind this is for accumulation.  If you worked 20 years and were never utilized sick leave, at this yearly rate you'd have 2400 sick leave hours.  If this person is indeed a fed, there is no cap on sick leave.  Any unused sick leave is converted to time in service at retirement and added to the pension.  A guy I worked with who retired last year at age 62 had about 4100 hours (just under 2 years, 1 year=2087 hrs for feds) of sick leave.

I'm a fed with a little more than 6 years experience (10 holidays + 160 annual leave + 104 sick leave) that works in a maxiflex environment.  Maxiflex loosely (my agency has core hours) means I have two weeks to get my 80 hours in.  This also means I can work extra at any time if I have enough to do and build up to a 24 hour credit bank to use in a later pay period.  The distinction between this and OT (paid out or comp time) is that OT is required by a supervisor whereas credit hours are strictly voluntary.

With the credit hours and maxiflex I find it hard to use all of my annual leave in a given year as 240 is the max we can roll over (SES, the executives can roll over 720 but that isn't me).  I've started using annual leave instead of sick leave to help me get under the 240 threshold.

From what I people tell me, I'm supposed to say I'm underpaid as a fed but I definitely have no qualms about the amount of leave and the work/life balance it affords.

It's still 15 days a year! That's the same (or more) sick time than I had combined vacation and sick time at my last employer.

expatartist

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #133 on: September 21, 2017, 09:04:49 PM »
American living in Asia, working for an international education foundation. I started with the org as an Admin, with about 3 weeks off/year. 2 years ago a colleague negotiated for us to have the teachers' holidays, since much of what we do is student-centered. So we now have on average 13 weeks holiday, including:
* Chinese/Western New Years
* Christmas
* Easter
* Chinese National Day
* Mid-Autumn Festival
* Qing Ming [grave-sweeping] Festival, etc.

martyconlonontherun

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #134 on: October 30, 2017, 02:07:02 PM »
One factor to take into account is that this forum is strongly skewed toward higher level professionals.  It gets a lot worse as you go down the skill level ladder.

There's also a difference in vacation from my experience. If you are a cashier and you take PTO, you are on vacation. When I take PTO at work, I usually have both my work phone (w/email) and my laptop with me. I get 3 weeks plus floating holidays and health days but I will have use less than 2 weeks this year since there is never a good time to take it. I'm only at the senior level and it appears to get worse for always being on the clock as you move up.

dougules

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #135 on: November 01, 2017, 11:24:06 AM »
One factor to take into account is that this forum is strongly skewed toward higher level professionals.  It gets a lot worse as you go down the skill level ladder.

There's also a difference in vacation from my experience. If you are a cashier and you take PTO, you are on vacation. When I take PTO at work, I usually have both my work phone (w/email) and my laptop with me. I get 3 weeks plus floating holidays and health days but I will have use less than 2 weeks this year since there is never a good time to take it. I'm only at the senior level and it appears to get worse for always being on the clock as you move up.

Good point.

To anybody from outside the US, is that an issue in the broader developed world?

Linea_Norway

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #136 on: November 01, 2017, 11:27:13 AM »
One factor to take into account is that this forum is strongly skewed toward higher level professionals.  It gets a lot worse as you go down the skill level ladder.

There's also a difference in vacation from my experience. If you are a cashier and you take PTO, you are on vacation. When I take PTO at work, I usually have both my work phone (w/email) and my laptop with me. I get 3 weeks plus floating holidays and health days but I will have use less than 2 weeks this year since there is never a good time to take it. I'm only at the senior level and it appears to get worse for always being on the clock as you move up.

Good point.

To anybody from outside the US, is that an issue in the broader developed world?

My colleagues are often answering job emails of their days of. They read them on their phones. Boss is always telling us that we can call her if there is something, even though she is free.
I have choosen to not read job email on my phone.

Car Jack

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Re: To working Americans: how many weeks vacation do you have?
« Reply #137 on: November 02, 2017, 12:55:59 PM »
I work for megacorp.  I get 3 weeks off.  If I'm sick, that's a vacation day.  I've been in this job for less than 2 years and the company usually only gives 2 weeks for starting employees, but since I've been working in this profession for over 30 years, I get another week.

If I've been tasked with airplane travel for training or meeting with a client or such and am sick, I can take as many days off as I want since I'm fired.  (not financially independent early retired....no longer have a job)