August 20, 2012 at 7:21 am
Brandon Leach (8/20/2012)
I've fallen into this trap many times. I'd find myself logging in to check on things on days off, etc.
I do that too, but it's usually just to strip out the unimportant e-mails so I don't have to wade through 300 of them when I get back to work!
August 20, 2012 at 7:31 am
Raoul Bastendorff (8/20/2012)
Ah Steve... You have not looked at any other European countries. You may find that some are even more generous. And some companies even add more to that.
I haven't. What do you get?
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August 20, 2012 at 7:32 am
Jeff Stratford (8/20/2012)
As yet another Brit. I have in the past not taken holiday leave or virtually any holiday throughout the year due to work pressures. It can almost become an expectation that you are always on hand. Now for the past few years I ensure to take ALL of my holiday entitlement by the end of each year. The business is better for it and it's better for the soul too. Just wish sunshine could be booked at the same time as leave. 🙂
Good for you. It is better for the soul to get away.
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August 20, 2012 at 7:34 am
Doctor Who 2 (8/20/2012)
I hear you, Steve, but WOW, this is hard to do. I have almost 200 hours of vacation, but trying to get the time is difficult. We're short handed. In my case, because I work in the public sector I make, well let's say noticably less than I could doing the same thing in the private sector. Because of that I've not been able to update our family vehicle to something we could trust to get us anywhere, for several years. For several years I've done stay-cations, out of necessity. After a while, though, that doesn't become relaxing, especially for my wife, so why bother taking any time off. I only take time off now when I'm just too burned out.
I think you're missing out. Think outside the box and find ways to change the stay-cation around. Don't run the same routine as though it's a weekend.
As for not taking time off because you're busy? That's silly. I hate to say it, but if you're short handed, that means you're short handed. Not that you give up your leave.
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August 20, 2012 at 7:41 am
Doctor Who 2 (8/20/2012)
I hear you, Steve, but WOW, this is hard to do. I have almost 200 hours of vacation, but trying to get the time is difficult. We're short handed. In my case, because I work in the public sector I make, well let's say noticably less than I could doing the same thing in the private sector. Because of that I've not been able to update our family vehicle to something we could trust to get us anywhere, for several years. For several years I've done stay-cations, out of necessity. After a while, though, that doesn't become relaxing, especially for my wife, so why bother taking any time off. I only take time off now when I'm just too burned out.
The public sector is the worst - they lay on guilt trips - I work in the public sector as well, I see them all competing one against another, who can be the first in the office, who will be the last out and yep, who can give up the most leave.
It's a mugs game - they rely on you to stay within their stingy budgets :angry:
August 20, 2012 at 7:47 am
Wow. I'm actually kind of amazed at the amount of vacation time present in this thread :-P. This is only my first programming job, and I'm quite thoroughly certain the working conditions aren't the same as actual business-class jobs, but the vacation situation here is... Grim, to put it one way.
I get a grand total of four days off every year. However, my ability to actually use those days is rather limited. I've somehow managed to use two from this year so far, but I've still been expected to log in remotely and do some tasks for about an hour or so. The other two might not see any use at all this year; mind you, I'd really like to use them, and I could definitely use some time to recharge right about now, but I'm just not allowed to use them. I'm the only IT/programmer role at this business, and as such, if I take time off and a problem happens, the business is more or less toast until I get back. The owner doesn't want to take that risk, so I'm essentially chained to my desk.
I could go on about how I'm even called on to check into things on weekends and so forth, even if it's midnight on a Saturday and there's not really a problem, just the owner's paranoia kicking in, but that's best kept reserved :-). Still, I'm thoroughly stunned by the amount of vacation some others in this thread get... Someone mentioned something along the lines of 6 weeks' worth of vacation! That would take me 7.5 years to build up :Wow:
- 😀
August 20, 2012 at 7:57 am
As an American. Our culture was born of the idea "the more you work, the more you accomplish, the more you achieve, the more you make." It's a great idea and one that allows you to do as much as you can for your family, yourself, or favorite charity. However, it is easy to neglect your own mental health. It is important to exercise personal responsibility and take your time off (organize it schedule it well ahead as Raoul mentioned).
It also helps when you have a manager that encourages you to find time to take off and won't try to make you feel guilty about doing so….That reminds me, I better go, gotta plan my time off before I loose it!
August 20, 2012 at 8:09 am
paul.knibbs (8/20/2012)
Brandon Leach (8/20/2012)
I've fallen into this trap many times. I'd find myself logging in to check on things on days off, etc.I do that too, but it's usually just to strip out the unimportant e-mails so I don't have to wade through 300 of them when I get back to work!
Thats part of it for me as well.
There are a few other factors though. I'm the only DBA for a company that employs 450 people. As a company we provide health insurance options for those with very low income. So issues with our infrastructure can actually impact our members. So there is also a sense of pride on my part, and on my coworkers parts as well.
By the way vaca time in healthcare is awesome. We work on an earned time system here. After two weeks you already have 9.5 hours of vacation.
August 20, 2012 at 9:26 am
george.clarke (8/20/2012)
My jaundiced look at life tells me that if you are failing to take leave because of work pressures or you are working excessive hours it probably means that you are either inefficient - or more likely you are doing some one else's job as well as your own!
I tried to tell a guy that once and he didn't understand what I was saying. I told him "we are only giving you 40 hours worth of work" and told him to stop working 12 hour days, nobody was impressed by it. I tried to explain that's why you need to take your time off and your lunches and so on... and this guy... he had a disabled wife and two kids at home. I can understand maybe work was his vacation from that, but I think his wife would have liked to have him home more often.
Here's the reason I don't take my vacation though... I'm paranoid I'm going to have some health care problem and won't be able to work for a while. Since we have no national health care system, my need for money in that situation will be even greater than it is when I'm working, so not being paid for the time I have to take off would ruin me. Many Americans feel this way - we're saving our vacation to use as sick time.
When the Brits trotted out the NHS as something they were really proud of, in the Olympic opening ceremonies, that was a message to America, I think. If we don't get our health care straightened out, vacation time will be the least of our problems.
August 20, 2012 at 9:31 am
Take every minute of your time allowed. Be with your family. Be with yourself. Be with your friends. Just BE!
You will get no extra points or attaboys for not taking your time off. Think of it as a business rule in code. If you break the rule you break the code. No programmer wants that.
August 20, 2012 at 10:01 am
Vacation?
Vacation and lunches are weakness and should be avoided. 😛
Okay, okay, just kidding. I completely agree. I guess I learned that the hard way and much later in Life than I should have. After my son was born a few years ago, I made a conscious effort to spend as much time as I could with him and that meant putting in a normal work week. Never been happier or more successful.
August 20, 2012 at 10:06 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (8/20/2012)
Raoul Bastendorff (8/20/2012)
Ah Steve... You have not looked at any other European countries. You may find that some are even more generous. And some companies even add more to that.I haven't. What do you get?
In Luxembourg I have by law 25 days of paid holidays, plus 5 that my employer adds to it. To that I add the compensation days (If a legal holiday falls on a weekend I get, by law, a workday as compensation to be taken within 90 days). This of course, has nothing to do with sick leave which is separate (and paid). This also means that if I fall sick during a holiday I have to send a medical certificate to my employer and, again by law, the holiday days covered by the certificate get converted into paid sick leave. I do not lose the holiday days then. It is considered by justice that the holiday days are for relaxing and being sick is not relaxing.
So as said in a previous post, I plan my holidays well in advance and usually take the same periods every year. They are then as follows: 2 weeks (8 days holiday + 2 legal) at Easter, 1 week (4 days + 1 legal) in June, 3 weeks (14 days + 1 legal) in October/November, makes 26 days. The rest goes in long weekends.
I compensate on overtime, which on average makes also an additional day/month.
The government is currently working on a law to introduce a time saving account which will allow us to save some days of holiday or overtime into that account over years and then take an extended paid leave later (you can save as long as you stay with the same employer, then maybe retire earlier or take a sabbatical on full pay). The employer has to take an insurance for this so that it is not lost should the company go bankrupt.
August 20, 2012 at 10:19 am
It took me many years, many lost vacation days, and heart surgery before I learned that the company was not going to go anywhere while I was out on vacation.
August 20, 2012 at 12:31 pm
skron (8/20/2012)
It took me many years, many lost vacation days, and heart surgery before I learned that the company was not going to go anywhere while I was out on vacation.
And they will never thank you for all you have done. On the contrary, they will complain that you have been away that long for your heart problem.
August 20, 2012 at 12:38 pm
I actually ended up going back to work early after heart surgery because HR would not stop calling me to tell me that I did not have short term disability and I needed to go back to work.
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