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Old 11-15-2011, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,041 posts, read 83,864,110 times
Reputation: 114255

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Quote:
Originally Posted by revrandy View Post
I get 4 weeks vacation, 1 week study leave, 1 sick day per month plus federal holidays. You better believe I take all of it. Well I don't take the sick time unless I am really sick; it accumulates to a maximum of 60 days, even if I max out I can't see me using them just because.

The best part is in year 6 I get an additional 3 months off (with pay) to rest and recuperate.

How people can not take their time off has always amazed me.
Sometimes you have no choice. I've had my planned vacations shortened or canceled twice in the past two years by my boss because of workload. In addition, we're expected to check in on our blackberries or email when we're out to see if anything's going on. My boss was told to take a laptop with him on his vacation to Florida.
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Old 11-29-2011, 09:53 AM
 
2 posts, read 2,227 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
Sometimes you have no choice. I've had my planned vacations shortened or canceled twice in the past two years by my boss because of workload. In addition, we're expected to check in on our blackberries or email when we're out to see if anything's going on. My boss was told to take a laptop with him on his vacation to Florida.

Wow...that is unacceptable!! I make sure people know that I will not be checking email and / or voicemail for however many days I'm off. If you continue to check email, voicemails, blackberries, then it defeats the purpose of a vacation, as you never really disconnect from work. We have big problems with vacation / time off in this country. I think Europe is too far the other way, but we should be somewhere in the middle. It's so important to get away, clear you mind, forget work and remember why you go to work.
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Old 11-29-2011, 09:57 AM
 
Location: FL
1,138 posts, read 3,317,318 times
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Try to keep enough for unforseen events such as illness. At least 120 is only 3 weeks worth.
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Old 11-29-2011, 10:06 AM
 
Location: Baltimore, MD
3,879 posts, read 8,356,844 times
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I use all of my 15 PTO days for the year.

And I usually do. This is the first job I've had since 2008 where I got paid time off so I use them.
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Old 11-29-2011, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Ayrsley
4,713 posts, read 9,658,972 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Analblast View Post
I make sure people know that I will not be checking email and / or voicemail for however many days I'm off. If you continue to check email, voicemails, blackberries, then it defeats the purpose of a vacation, as you never really disconnect from work.
True. Although I am not expected to be on-line while on vacation (other than reachable in an urgent situation) I tend to spend about 10-15 minutes per day on vacation checking in on the BB, especially on our few week-long vacations per year. The main reason is that I can usually breeze through to see if anything important has popped up and dismiss with unimportant messages. That way, when I get back, I don't have hundreds of unread e-mail to go through. But that is generally my choice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Analblast View Post
Wow...that is unacceptable!!
I assume that was in regard to the poster mentioning that their boss was told to take their laptop on vacation. Truth is, the people who do sometimes need to stay connected while on vacation are often those higher up the chain...its a sacrifice the may be making in order to earn a solid 6-figure income.
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Old 11-29-2011, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,041 posts, read 83,864,110 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Analblast View Post
Wow...that is unacceptable!! I make sure people know that I will not be checking email and / or voicemail for however many days I'm off. If you continue to check email, voicemails, blackberries, then it defeats the purpose of a vacation, as you never really disconnect from work. We have big problems with vacation / time off in this country. I think Europe is too far the other way, but we should be somewhere in the middle. It's so important to get away, clear you mind, forget work and remember why you go to work.
It depends too upon what's going on at the time you are taking vacation. When I took a week off in August, I didn't check my BB every day because I pretty much knew what would be happening that week and someone else could take care of it, and I knew he would call me if he was missing something. I can't afford to actually travel anywhere on vacation for a few years because I have a kid in college, but if someone is going, say, to Asia or Europe, naturally they aren't going to be expected to check in.

Right now the mantra is "you're ******* lucky to have a job", and so more is expected of us now than in previous years.
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Old 11-29-2011, 12:36 PM
 
977 posts, read 1,810,301 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
if someone is going, say, to Asia or Europe, naturally they aren't going to be expected to check in.
That's why I always claim I'm going overseas or going camping in the Rockies, Appalachians, or something like that LOL.

I always use all of my vaca days. Why wouldn't you? You are turning down freebies when you don't use them all up.

There are some corporate donkeys here who don't use them up, can't understand why since we don't roll over unused days.
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Old 11-29-2011, 12:54 PM
 
Location: Henderson, NV
8,882 posts, read 20,259,030 times
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My wife works in the banking industry and, for the first time in her working life, gets 4 weeks of vacation a year plus 3 Floating Holidays and 5 sick days. All of it has to be used during the year or lost. Four weeks of vacation a year can be a little much, especially "financially" if we go somewhere out-of-town. For 2 1/2 weeks of the 4, we stayed at home. She has taken 1 sick day so far this year and I told her "take another one before you lose all 4 of them. Just call in and say you are sick and then we will do whatever we want to." She is much more devoted to the job than I ever was, so it's harder for her to call in and lie. For me, it was no problem! I'd call my supervisor, tell him I was sick (with something) and then head to Denny's for a nice breakfast!
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Old 11-29-2011, 01:20 PM
 
977 posts, read 1,810,301 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveBoating View Post
For me, it was no problem! I'd call my supervisor, tell him I was sick (with something) and then head to Denny's for a nice breakfast!
Nice! But make sure Denny's is far away from work lol.
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Old 11-29-2011, 01:35 PM
 
Location: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
24,665 posts, read 69,444,658 times
Reputation: 26726
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveBoating View Post
Four weeks of vacation a year can be a little much, especially "financially" if we go somewhere out-of-town. For 2 1/2 weeks of the 4, we stayed at home.
It's quite possible I'm having a DOH moment but why would four weeks vacation be a little much especially financially when the time is paid? Your wife is really lucky to have four weeks paid vacation. In all my working life as an employee I've never had more than three and even that paled in comparison to my family in England who are quite used to enjoying 5-6 weeks as the norm!

I remember a former poster on CD who used to boast that although he was entitled to two weeks paid vacation a year he never took it because he had nothing much to do outside the job and preferred just to work. As I recall his vacation time wasn't cumulative from year to year so he basically just lost that vacation time every year. Now that to me was really daft but he was quite an oddball in more ways than one!

As for all the checking-in via telephone and email when on vacation, unless you're either the company owner or in top management making mega $$$ and your input is crucial to the everyday flow, to heck with being on call. As has been said on this thread by many, a vacation is a vacation is a vacation and it's not any kind of time-out refresher if that umbilical cord remains firmly in situ.
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