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I worked for a university for a long time, and the paid leave there began at 3 weeks and worked up to 4 weeks in pretty short order. You could extend your leave by timing it for holiday periods, so for example if you included Christmas & New Year (back when ppl got 2 days off for Xmas), you could get 3 extra paid days off. Or Xmas, New Year and ML King Day.
I don't think anyone should be forced to work all year for only 2 weeks of vacation. It's not healthy, really.
Academia is another story. In all the places I worked - I changed jobs every 3 years and I am a software engineer - I started with 2 weeks. For me - I'm European transplant too - vacation days are more precious than gold. Why companies don;t give more? Because they are greedy. We now have an anomaly in US: there are people who don't know what to do with their time if they have more than 2 weeks vacation. There are people who check their work emails when they are on vacation, thinking that the office wont survive without them.
One time I discuss this issue with a German coworker - he has returned to Germany since than - and he said that up to mid century (last century) Europeans and Americans had the same pay and the same vacation. And that at that point US companies decided ti give people more money and less vacation. I don;t know if this is true but people in US tend to be better paid than their counterpart in Europe.
It used to be like that, but in recent jobs there is only 10 days PTO that you are supposed to use for anything you need: vacation, personal days or sick days. Since there's no law about vacation time, sick time and so on, employers give the least they can get away with. I also agree that's unhealthy.
That's the way it is where I work now, also where my son-in-law (age 29) works (separate banks of time for different things). I agree the lack of laws makes it all variable. My DH works with someone from France who says it's pretty comparable here. I expected him to say that France was much better!
Academia is another story. In all the places I worked - I changed jobs every 3 years and I am a software engineer - I started with 2 weeks. For me - I'm European transplant too - vacation days are more precious than gold. Why companies don;t give more? Because they are greedy. We now have an anomaly in US: there are people who don't know what to do with their time if they have more than 2 weeks vacation. There are people who check their work emails when they are on vacation, thinking that the office wont survive without them.
One time I discuss this issue with a German coworker - he has returned to Germany since than - and he said that up to mid century (last century) Europeans and Americans had the same pay and the same vacation. And that at that point US companies decided ti give people more money and less vacation. I don;t know if this is true but people in US tend to be better paid than their counterpart in Europe.
Very true. I'll take my higher pay and lesser vacation time. I have never worked any job where the starting paid leave was more than 2 weeks. I'm fine with that.
Private sector companies where I have worked are 1 week after a year, 7 sick/personal days. Takes 2-3 years to start adding another week of vacation.
Public sector jobs where I worked started with 3 weeks vacation plus 15 sick/personal days which started accruing immediately. One summer I took off every Monday, which was glorious.
Also noted that employees retire much younger at the public sector jobs with much better benefits. I really don't think private companies are greedy, they just have to balance their budgets to fit sales, while government agencies just raise taxes or push expenses down the road.
Different values.
Most Europeans would be horrified with the paltry 2 weeks that people in the usa start off with.
Also, aren't there lots of companies in the usa where if you actually take your vacation you're penalized ?
Sure, you have 2 weeks vacation but it you take them it means that you're lazy and unreliable.
It sounds insane to people from countries like Switzerland where pretty much everyone starts at 4 weeks. Guess what ? It's still a very well functioning extremely rich country and they work hard and well.
Thank God though americans aren't as bad as the Japanese and Koreans. They get less vacation and don't you dare take it!
Actually, places that give two weeks vacation usually have a separate bank of sick days, generally about two weeks' worth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merjolie8
It used to be like that, but in recent jobs there is only 10 days PTO that you are supposed to use for anything you need: vacation, personal days or sick days. Since there's no law about vacation time, sick time and so on, employers give the least they can get away with. I also agree that's unhealthy.
I worked for Southwestern Bell in Houston 1977 - 1981 .... for the first 5 years service, we had 2 weeks vacation plus 3 EWP (excused with pay) and 2 EWN (excused with no pay).... After 5 years service, vacation was bumped to 3 weeks per year plus the 5 excused days .... and continued up in similar increments......
At that time, my friend worked for a bank, and got only 1 week paid vacation.... the bank's reasoning was that they got so many federal holidays that others didn't, that made up the difference in vacation time.....
that is my last and only experience with corporate life, so can't speak to what is the norm now.....
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I have never worked any job where the starting paid leave was more than 2 weeks. I'm fine with that.
