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How marketable is a 19 year old who looks 16? High school diploma, some college, but not much. No certificates. Should the young adults of the nation be technically screwed out of benefits because they're young and inexperienced?
Every company I've worked for, that gave benefits, gave them to a new employee. Regardless of age. If you were hired, you got 1 week a year, graduating to 2 weeks a year and so on. Didn't make any difference if you hired on as a cable builder, or an Engineer. Benefits were benefits.
NewToCA,
Many of my co-workers are interested in "climbing the ladder." Many have goals of wanting to become principals or other administrators. Also many are jealous of, unfortunately, our boss' favorites and are trying to get into that group. This info. comes straight from the horses mouths. I don't fault them for high career aspirations, I just wonder about the time spent away from their own kids. I know one who's son tried to commit suicide towards the end of last school year, and she still chose to work summer school, which goes from 9-2. His father and sibling lives in another state. We have the option of getting paid in the summer, but maybe she wanted more income. She said she wanted to start getting her house ready to sell when he graduated so she could move into a condo by herself! I know I seem judgemental, but I just don't get it. I admit we don't get enough planning time, but coming in at 7ish and staying till 6 everday when we can leave before 4 is a bit much. Many also admit to taking work home.
This is interesting, it puts another perspective on the original posting, which supposed that the reduced USA vacation time was something imposed by businesses. Your posting brings up the issue of free will creating the sense of obligation.
I wonder if this problem exist in the European countries too?
How marketable is a 19 year old who looks 16? High school diploma, some college, but not much. No certificates. Should the young adults of the nation be technically screwed out of benefits because they're young and inexperienced?
Yep. It's not a matter of being "screwed", but having to pay one's dues. One doesn't just leave school and expect a CEO's salary.
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I just happen to be lucky enough for a decent job (with a possible promotion soon) to jump in my lap. Not everyone has that luck. I got 4 weeks of vacation after I completed 6 months in the company. It's nice, btw.
Good for you!!
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But there are jobs that require strenuous, non-family friendly hours, that don't provide appropriate benefits for the hard-working employees. I don't care if you work at a shipyard, flip burgers, bottle Pepsi, or work in a multi-national company. If you are a full-time employee, you should get at least some sick hours.
You're probably right. But, the government shouldn't mandate it. These are called benefits that companies use to attract good workers. If one is a good worker, shows initiative, gets an education, looks and acts respectable, conforming to the American culture, one will be able to get a decent job with decent benefits.
Thanks for the reply, but you didn't answer my question.
You're probably right. But, the government shouldn't mandate it. These are called benefits that companies use to attract good workers. If one is a good worker, shows initiative, gets an education, looks and acts respectable, conforming to the American culture, one will be able to get a decent job with decent benefits.
The idea that if you're good little worker, you'll be successful... is a myth. There are many jobs where 40 'good' workers might show up to apply for a single job. When an employer has the choice of which one to hire, they don't need to offer any benefits.
Also, although getting an education will increase your chances of finding better employment, but it is in no way a guarantee. I witnessed many layoffs where people with Master's degrees in computer science were laid off, in favor of off-shoring jobs to India. The workers in India who took those jobs also had Master's degrees. They weren't any better or worse than their American counterparts. Both Indian and American workers had worked hard, had initiative, were educated, and were respectable. The only difference was that the Indians were taking salaries of $10k/year and the Americans were asking for $70k-$80k. In that case, it doesn't matter how many good qualities the American employees had, they could not possibly compete with someone living in another country where the cost of living makes it possible for someone to live on a much lower salary.
What level of education or 'good behavior' or hoop-jumping could you possibly do to be able to compete with that? And if this is what an engineer or business professional is up against, what must it be like for someone who works at a Walmart , a nail salon, a restaurant, a customer call center job, or an office-cleaning service...
And I'm not trying to jump on the outshoring bandwagon, I'm just using this to show that the supreme value for a business is the bottom line--and that these other values are all well and 'nice' but not as important as the bottom line. And it's the nature of a business that it must focus on the bottom line. So, let's not treat a business as though it has the rights of a 'human being. ' As a very excellent film, The Corporation, points out... If there was a human being that had the values of a business (i.e., only acting for its own preservation and profit, without the need to consider people or society), that human would be a sociopath.
For this reason, we can't approach the free enterprise system as though it is a system of checks and balances. It's not. And if it were not for some people complaining about 5-year-olds working in sweatshops, adults working 16-hours shifts... we might still be stuck in conditions similar to the Industrial Revolution. And if it were not for people later complaining about chemicals being dumped in streams and foods, and their kids getting sick... we'd all be very messed up right now. I think our free enterprise system works well in many ways... and I've certainly benefited from it. But I think that the idea that if it's good for business, it must be good for everyone... should be reexamined. American culture needs to get a little bit more weight added to the 'life' side of the 'the work/life balance.'
I really can't remember. I think you had to be an employee for 3 years to be able to start accumulating that many days because you only got one week vacation for the 1st year you were there and 2 weeks for the 2nd year.
But if an employee had 5 days vacation time in Jan. and didn't use any, he would have 15-20 by December.
It does vary with companies, of course.
It may have to do with the history of slavery. The man makes it so tough to be able to afford a break time to recoup what we have lost by working so many hours.
The average American worker gets about 16 days paid vacation per year.
In modern European countries the workers start at 3 weeks per year and average 37 days paid vacation per year. The Japanese average 25 days off per year. Why can't Americans have more time off?
Of the industrial nations, Americans work the most hours for the least amount of benefits.
If you had 37 days vacation per year, would you know what to do with it? Or would you feel bored and eagerly await a return to your job?
Bored? What are you, American or something? LOL. Bored because i'm not at work? NEVER. The happiest days of my life are when i'm not at work, such as times when i've been unemployed. I miss the money, of course, but never wishing to go back to work out of "want" but rather, out of "need." Work just gets in the way of doing the things that i'd rather be doing.
Bored? What are you, American or something? LOL. Bored because i'm not at work? NEVER. The happiest days of my life are when i'm not at work, such as times when i've been unemployed. I miss the money, of course, but never wishing to go back to work out of "want" but rather, out of "need." Work just gets in the way of doing the things that i'd rather be doing.
Great post! I go to a job only because of the money earned which is required to pay bills. because I always have something to do I never get bored when not at a job. But I have met people who actually are happy to get back to their jobs after several days off. I have no sympathy for that mentality.
Life is for living, not to spend on a job!
Great post! I go to a job only because of the money earned which is required to pay bills. because I always have something to do I never get bored when not at a job. But I have met people who actually are happy to get back to their jobs after several days off. I have no sympathy for that mentality.
Life is for living, not to spend on a job!
Some people actually LIKE their jobs, which could be considered the equivalent to a hobby. I doubt that they need your sympathy because they can look forward to getting up every morning knowing they don't dread going to work, maiking this substantial part of their lives much more enjoyable.
Some people actually LIKE their jobs, which could be considered the equivalent to a hobby. I doubt that they need your sympathy because they can look forward to getting up every morning knowing they don't dread going to work, maiking this substantial part of their lives much more enjoyable.
True, that is so for some people--and those people are very fortunate if they can translate their hobbies into their work. But for the vast majority of jobs (accounting, finance, engineering, retail, restaurants, etc.), there's a reason people get paid for it. Most hobbies can't translate into a 'liveable' salary. Even for jobs that touch on hobbies like working on cars or programming... the hobby part is in the designing and working on of your own car, not just fixing a stream of countless broken ones that come in day after day... it's designing your own applications and building them the way you want, not spending hours fixing a bug in some generic accounting program.
I'm in that boat myself. I can't wait until retirement when I can work on things that I enjoy (without regard to salary). I don't understand people who are worried that they won't have anything to do in their retirement. I have a huge list... many of which involve working with non-profit organizations and on projects that can hopefully leave a more positive impact on the world.
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I'd be on vacation, of course!
