How much paid vacation do you get?

[BadPinkTink]

reading all the replies, it seems that the system of rewarding employee loyalty to a company by increasing paid holidays forces unhappy employees to stay with companies, stifles employee skills and knowledge and restricts new skills and knowledge from coming into companies.

For example, I used to be a chef. The catering industry is a very fast moving industry, where food trends and new ideas and new technology are constantly coming into the industry. Chefs learn these new skills and knowledge and food trends by moving from restaurant to restaurant every few years over the course of their careers. This way they bring the skills and knowledge from their previous employment and learn new skills and knowledge in the new job. The employee benefits by having a large bank of experience, skills and knowledge and the company benefits by getting new skills and knowledge.

I used to change jobs every 18 to 24 months. Each time I changed jobs, by law I was still entitled to 28 days paid vacation in the new job. Some places I loved working at and stayed longer, some places I didnt enjoy and stayed a shorter time.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I maxed out at 6 weeks vacation after 25 years at my company. My 30th anniversary is sometime this coming week, I think Tuesday 10/23.

PTO policy did change a bit over the years. When I started it was use it or lose it. About 15 years ago you could bank and carry over a certain number of hours based on seniority.

In general:
After one year: two weeks vacation
After five years: three weeks
After ten years: four weeks
After fifteen years: five weeks
After 25 years: six weeks maximum

Plus holiday, sick, and personal PTO

 

[tennisfan]

In the UK I get about 8 weeks including holidays, I may work them but get the hours given back as leave. I work a rota so I could end up with more then 8 weeks off depending on where in the rota I book leave. I'm also entitled to 6 months off fully paid sick & then it drops to 6 months half pay.

 

[tvguy]

I still have no idea what you are talking about that has anything to do with paid time off. We are contracted to be there a certain number of specific days from start time to end time, regardless of whether class is in session or not.

You can agree to set work hours in a personal service or union contract. Without that, a salaried job does not have set hours. Some school districts do give teachers paid time off during the school year beyond sick days. No way for me to know your district's policy. Here is is usually the result of union negotiations.

 

[disneychrista]

Before I lost my job in January in was accruing at 5 weeks per year and had the maximum accrual of 10 weeks.

At my new/current employer I get 2 weeks, after 3 years it bumps to 5 years, at 8 years it bumps to 4 weeks, at 15 years it pumps to 5 weeks. In addition to vacation I get 56 hours (7 days) of Personal time and 15 sick days. Plus 13 paid holidays.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Thanks for explaining. I work for a very, very conservative and conventional 65 y.o. private company and I doubt they'd ever evolve to a system like that. Our policies and procedures are pretty "buttoned-down".

And I'm snickering thinking of a few of my direct-reports that are always skirting right on the edge of exploiting our relatively generous, discretionary allowance for "personal time". I'm challenged to reign them in from making their pet's vet appointments and renewing their drivers' licenses and whatnot during company time.

In my world those reasons for taking personal time are completely acceptable. The HR managers in the large firms I worked in would have had no problem at all allowing time off to do those tasks.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

With my staff (one in particular) it's always impromptu "gotta step out right now" type of issues. A couple of my favorites were "I need to run home and water my lizard" and "I need to run home - I'm not wearing the right underwear for this outfit".

Seriously though, it makes me feel like an elementary school hall monitor and I resent it. I addressed it with the person formally at a performance review and fired another staff member that had an even more significant problem with absenteeism. Things have been much better since.

Well you don’t have to be a hall monitor (nobody likes a hall monitor). Flexibility is key to keeping employees happy.

 

[Colleen27]

From day one, I get 5 personal days and 5 sick days per calendar year. Vacation time accrues based on hours worked, so working a full year this year means I get two weeks next year. For this year, I only had a day and a half because I hired on late in the year and didn't have time to accrue more.

 

[ronandannette]

Well you don’t have to be a hall monitor (nobody likes a hall monitor). Flexibility is key to keeping employees happy.

Understood, but being able to rely on staff being where you need them to be when you need them is imperative for productivity in some roles. The degree to which I am responsible for the outcomes of the department makes it my job to keep everybody on track.

Taking 2 or 3 hours out of a workday 2 or more times a week is simply not OK in our environment where others are kept waiting by one person not being present to perform their duties. Our particular jobs don't lend themselves to full flexibility. We aren't able to work from home or work outside core hours.

 

[Katy Belle]

I’m a SAHM, with college age kids.
DH has worked for the same large company for 30 years. He now gets 6 weeks of vacation. He also gets 10 paid holidays. And, he’s in a program that if he works 15 extra minutes a day, he gets a day off every month, so that’s an additional 12 vacation days. He does have to use it during the month, no holding it over. He’s salary, and has always worked at least 15 extra minutes a day, so this is a nice perk. Sick days...if you are sick, stay home. He’s only taken about 6 sick days total in 30 years. He’s healthy. I know he can bank a certain # of days....but he banked those many, many years ago. Any extras he has now will disappear. Most years he’s used all of his vacation. Things are super busy now, and he might not get to use them. That’s ok.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Understood, but being able to rely on staff being where you need them to be when you need them is imperative for productivity in some roles. The degree to which I am responsible for the outcomes of the department makes it my job to keep everybody on track.

Taking 2 or 3 hours out of a workday 2 or more times a week is simply not OK in our environment where others are kept waiting by one person not being present to perform their duties. Our particular jobs don't lend themselves to full flexibility. We aren't able to work from home or work outside core hours.

Hmm. I worked in a very fast paced government deadline environment (patents) and the upper management still understood that flexibility and contentment of the staff was the key to a success business.

Just because you don’t put a doctor’s appointment on the same level as a vet visit is on you not the employer

 

[aprilchem]

More than 8 weeks for me. If I wanted to, I could technically take 2 weeks in December, all of January, and all of June, July, and August off. The rest of the year I need to be there if I'm teaching or have a meeting, but other than that nobody else really accounts for my time as long as I'm getting my work done.

DH gets 5 weeks PTO each year but is the manager of his division so it's really hard for him to take it. With accrual he told me he currently has 10 weeks built up.

 

[ronandannette]

Hmm. I worked in a very fast paced government deadline environment (patents) and the upper management still understood that flexibility and contentment of the staff was the key to a success business.

Just because you don’t put a doctor’s appointment on the same level as a vet visit is on you not the employer

Sorry Anna, you don't know our employer or their policies, or me for that matter. Our very successful private-sector, privately-owned company has had a similar HR philosophy for near 65 years and it mostly revolves around a fair day's work for a fair day's pay. I certainly wouldn't say we have particularly progressive policies but they are reasonably accommodating. The contentment of marginally-performing staff members is not a priority nor will it likely ever be. We have some of the highest staff-retention levels and longest tenures of any company in our local market. I think we're doing just fine.

 

[AuntieMe3]

None....and it's fine. My job is not needed for our living costs so if I need to take time off, it doesn't hurt us financially.

My husband went from a company with 3 weeks off(ultimately ending up with 5 weeks after 20 years)to only 2 weeks(and doesn't seem like they add more as your time builds...fairly new company)and it stinks.

 

[monsterkitty]

Then that was negotiated in your contract by your union. Teachers in the district I live in get a 1 hour prep period 4 days a week, and 4 hours on Thursdays which are half days for students.
And wow, your students are in session until 4 pm? When my kids played soccer and Little League I had issues with coaches wanting to start practices at 3 pm. The public school district we live in is out at 2:15 pm. My kids were in private that went to 3 pm. Both start at 8 am.

Yes, we're in school until 4:05 in the middle schools. Our district does loop bussing - they pick up the high school kids, then the elementary, then middles school is last. It saves $$ each year. We've had this schedule for probably the last 20-25 years. It's been so long I can't even remember when they changed from a 3:45 end time for middle school to the current schedule. Sports just start later I guess then they do in your area.

Our plan period is during the day. Mine happens to be during period 4. I can't leave early if I get my work done because I still have classes to teach after that. ​

We don't have early release, late start, or half days in my district. Our kids need to be in school (I'm in a low income area) so we have longer hours and school year than other districts. Those who do have early release/late start/half days are not for planning purposes. Those who have these here in my state use them as professional development or as a professional learning community. None of my friends in any district in the Denver area have these days as extra prep time and they must stay until the work day is over.

Yes, there can be times they have to be there clearly, because if your class is in session, you need to be there. I'm talking about the prep and grading portions.

Our prep/grading portions are during the school day. We still have to be there.

How salaries work in education are not how they work in other professions.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

When I worked retail, you had no vacation or PTO for a year. Then after a year, you'd have five days off. Then after a couple more years, it increased.

When I started working in health care, my vacation time significantly improved. I started off with a month's worth of vacation, although you couldn't really take it all at once. Department heads could take a month at a time, but ordinary staff could only take a week - 10 days tops - at a time. The rest had to be spread out throughout the year.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

2 weeks (in addition to holidays)

 

[verleniahall]

I get two weeks automatically Jan 1 plus paid banking holidays off

 

[dosekies]

We start out with 3 weeks paid vacation, 5 sick days, 3 personal days, and 12 (I think?) paid holidays. Only the sick days can be carried over.

After 10 years we get 4 weeks vacation, and after I think its 15 or 20 years we get 5 weeks which is the max.

 

[tex1989]

I know this sounds like an very first world problem, but I would say I get too much.

So each year I get six weeks or more importantly 240 hours. Any vacation not taken in a year can roll into the next year but has to be taken in that year or lost. So everyone who I work with has over the years accumulated a full vacation allotment to roll. So I get 240 hours a year (six weeks) I roll 240 hours (six weeks) and from a company realignement I have 240 hours (six weeks) that I cannot take but will be paid for when I leave the company. I get 8 holidays a year plus a personal day (to be used for your personal recognition of a day, MLK Day, Birthday, or any random day). Then I also work a 9-80 schedule which means I am off every other Friday. It is also why I refer to hours as opposed to days because days off Monday thru Thursday cost me 9 hours, instead of 8. So time off = 30 vacation + 26 (9-80) + 8 Holidays + 1 Personal day = 65 days a year. Plus in any given year I could use that years allotment for another 30 days for a total of 95 days. Of course I would have a hard time doing my job if I took them all. Add to that 1,040 hours of leave for illness (if severe) at 100% Pay and 2,080 hours (one year) at 50% pay.

Plus we have a Paternity leave policy that will give everyone, men and women up to 2 months off at the birth of a child with pay.

I work for a very generous employer!

The pay is not bad either and I cannot even begin to say enough about both a 401 (k) and a retirement program. (Yes we get both)