Do you get paid vacaction?

[danefan]

We don't have a vacation or sick day policy. You are expected to do your work when you have it. When you are slow, take some time. Good in theory, but it makes taking day difficult and you also don't accrue any time to get paid out when you leave.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22794.html

Rep. Alan Grayson was standing in the middle of Disney World when it hit him: What Americans really need is a week of paid vacation .

So on Thursday, the Florida Democrat will introduce the Paid Vacation Act — legislation that would be the first to make paid vacation time a requirement under federal law.

The bill would require companies with more than 100 employees to offer a week of paid vacation for both full-time and part-time employees after they’ve put in a year on the job. Three years after the effective date of the law, those same companies would be required to provide two weeks of paid vacation, and companies with 50 or more employees would have to provide one week.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

won't matter in my line of work...

campaigns are exempt from almost all employment law... we exist in a legal gray area

[AZGrizFan]

won't matter in my line of work...

campaigns are exempt from almost all law... we exist in a legal gray area

FIFY.

BTW: I get 5 weeks paid each year.

[danefan]

won't matter in my line of work...

campaigns are exempt from almost all law... we exist in a legal gray area

FIFY.

BTW: I get 5 weeks paid each year.

I'd kill for that. I took 4 days off last year (not counting 11 firm holidays).

[AZGrizFan]

FIFY.

BTW: I get 5 weeks paid each year.

I'd kill for that. I took 4 days off last year (not counting 11 firm holidays).

Let me clarify: That's 5 weeks paid, IN ADDITION TO 11 banking industry holidays.

Edit: Another clarification: much like the POTUS, as CEO I'm never REALLY on vacation, as I've got my laptop and cellphone whereever I go, and usually am in contact with the office over various matters at LEAST once a day. Much to the chagrin of the Griz Goddess, I might add....

[bobbythekidd]

FIFY.

BTW: I get 5 weeks paid each year.

I'd kill for that. I took 4 days off last year (not counting 11 firm holidays).

BS. You had weekends off.

[ASUG8]

I get 3 weeks - I had 4 at my last job.

last week on vacation we met some 25 yr old Brits and talked about work. She gets 5 weeks + 11 bank holidays, begin work at 9, morning and afternoon breaks, hour lunch, and quit at 4PM. Not too bad.

[danefan]

I'd kill for that. I took 4 days off last year (not counting 11 firm holidays).

BS. You had weekends off.

I got about 3/4 of them off as I generally work a few hours at home each Sunday evening.

Paying my dues I guess.

[Ibanez]

We accrue 2 weeks a year, once you work for 2 years, you accrue more, then at the 5 year, 10 year and 20 year mark you accrue more and more.

[bandl]

I'm up to 6 weeks right now, and we are allowed to accrue hours from years past (unlike some companies that make you use your vacation days by the end of the year, otherwise you lose 'em). And since I very rarely get sick, I take about 8 weeks vacation a year. Not including holidays.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

One huge negative about changing jobs is that you often end up losing vacation time. I had four weeks with my last employer up in Delaware, had three weeks with my first employer here in St. Pete and now I'm down to two weeks with my current employer.

[UNI88]

One huge negative about changing jobs is that you often end up losing vacation time. I had four weeks with my last employer up in Delaware, had three weeks with my first employer here in St. Pete and now I'm down to two weeks with my current employer.

Vacation is usually negotiable. Always ask for vacation based on total years of experience not years of service with that particular company. Also, if times are tough and they can't give you a raise, ask for an extra week of vacation instead. It's usually easier for smaller companies to make these variations to the rules but it never hurts to ask.

[AZGrizFan]

One huge negative about changing jobs is that you often end up losing vacation time. I had four weeks with my last employer up in Delaware, had three weeks with my first employer here in St. Pete and now I'm down to two weeks with my current employer.

Need to be negotiating from a position of power. Most employers use weeks of vacation like incentives, especially during the salary negotiation process...

[Appaholic]

One huge negative about changing jobs is that you often end up losing vacation time. I had four weeks with my last employer up in Delaware, had three weeks with my first employer here in St. Pete and now I'm down to two weeks with my current employer.

Need to be negotiating from a position of power. Most employers use weeks of vacation like incentives, especially during the salary negotiation process...

2 official weeks, one unofficial week and as many hours/days off as needed for errands as long as job is getting done...like AZ, on call as needed with cell and laptop...

[SunCoastBlueHen]

Need to be negotiating from a position of power. Most employers use weeks of vacation like incentives, especially during the salary negotiation process...

I actually did negotiate an extra week of vacation with my last employer (hence the three weeks instead of the standard two), but I was unemployed when I took my current job and didn't feel like I was in any kind of stong negotiating position.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

this is fascinating...

if one of my employees tried to negotiate "vacation" once i stopped laughing i'd look up... if they were serious we'd talk about the word "fired" and what it means.

i've had conversations with staffers in the past about this thing you guys have called "weekends"... because they also don't exist on a campaign... if the sun comes up... you're working.

[HI54UNI]

4 weeks vacation plus 10 holidays. Technically I'm always on call with the Blackberry but with this job it's very rare compared to my old job.

[Cap'n Cat]

Re: changing jobs, The Cap'ns done that a few times and, you know, the key is to negotiate it up front. Don't be timid. I've known people who have asked for lower pay and more vacation because it's that important to them. The two weeks thing blows dick, though.

In my industry, food manufacturing, I've found companies to be rather generous, especially if you are in the upper levels of management. Good Plant Managers and Operations Managers are extremely hard to find and expensive to replace, so you will get the primo bennies, often without asking.

That's what happened to me here. I was dead set on getting four weeks, which I had been carrying around since my General Mills days ending in '99. I almost fainted when I got seven paid weeks the first year, six the next (this year) and five for every year up to 15, at which I would go to six again! Plus all the legal holidays and no written sick day policy - an honor system, more than anything for managers. And, like all the managers in my company, we're on call 24/7/365, but I'm rarely, rarely called.

Bankers aren't the only big wigs getting fat on the corporate tit.

[dbackjon]

I am up to about 32 days a year, including holidays. It rolls over from year to year

[Franks Tanks]

I have 25 days a year with no carryover.

People were accruing too much time off so they stopped the carryover a few years back.

The 25 is vacation and sick days together and no distinction is really made unless you need medical leave for a serious illness.

[UNI88]

this is fascinating...

if one of my employees tried to negotiate "vacation" once i stopped laughing i'd look up... if they were serious we'd talk about the word "fired" and what it means.

i've had conversations with staffers in the past about this thing you guys have called "weekends"... because they also don't exist on a campaign... if the sun comes up... you're working.

People who get involved in working on campaigns know (or should know) what they're getting into. I would imagine that you don't work at that pace 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, year after year. Campaigns would seem to follow a pattern where things are hectic when first getting started, slightly more relaxed before the primary race heats up, crazy during the heat of the primary race, time to blow off a little steam following a primary victory, and then completely insane as the general election campaign heats up. And when the campaign is over you get the opportunity to decompress before taking that cushy job working on the winning candidate's staff, sucking on the gubermint's teet and getting meals, gifts and other perks for providing access to the official.

[griz37]

I get 120 hours, in December it will go up to 160 hours, I usually only take 6 hours for each day I am gone that stretches it out even longer. Also get 6 paid holidays & weekends off.

[wkuhillhound]

In all of my call center jobs we get paid vacation. We even accrued vacation pay when you are on vacation. Technically, you are being paid for the vacation and that accrues to your total. That was absolutely sweet! The longer you are with the company the bigger your vacation hours and the higher your base vacation pay is. That was sweet also! With my temp job none of those things apply.

[UNI88]

Need to be negotiating from a position of power. Most employers use weeks of vacation like incentives, especially during the salary negotiation process...

I actually did negotiate an extra week of vacation with my last employer (hence the three weeks instead of the standard two), but I was unemployed when I took my current job and didn't feel like I was in any kind of stong negotiating position.

You can always ask for an extra week of vacation at your next annual review (or whatever you call it). If you go in with a "what the heck" mindset, you won't get upset if they say no and you never no until you ask. If times are tough and they're giving small or no raises you can ask for an extra week instead. Or if you really want the extra week you can offer to skip a normal raise in exchange for the extra week. This can be a win/win for a manager. They keep you happy and can turn around and distribute your 3+% raise among 2-3 other employees making them happier without going over his/her compensation budget.

[Col Hogan]

I get 15 personal days a year (they did away with sick time and vacation time, lumped them together and shave a few off and call it personal time...)

I can carry them forward until I have a total of 160 hours...then they pay it down to 160...

I have 11 hours on the books right now, but I'm taking a week next month and some time in September to go to Flagstaff for the Lumberjack Challenge...