would you buy an extra week of vacation?

[ControlD]

Don't you guys get the company calendar, pick your time off, buy plane tickets way ahead of time, and enjoy 2-4 weeks off?

Mentally I can't work without knowing that I have a big vacation and a couple other smaller ones lined up.

I haven't taken more than a week off at one time in 19 years. You take more than a week off the next two weeks back are going to be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just trying to catch up.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Yet millions of Americans somehow do it.

 

[brianmanahan]

I haven't taken more than a week off at one time in 19 years. You take more than a week off the next two weeks back are going to be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just trying to catch up.

Lol, sounds like my old job. At my new one, you give enough advanced notice and they plan for you to be gone for most/all of that sprint, so there's not a huge backlog when you get back.

 

[brianmanahan]

Not to scare you, but the only time I've heard of a company doing that is when they need to cut costs. RIFs might be incoming, and they might consider the people who take advantage of the additional vacation as the prime targets ofr layoffs.

Eh, if that happens I guess I'll just find something else. Got enough saved for a few years of unemployment, and I could find something before that.

Actually sometimes I have wished that would happen just so I could take a 2 or 3 month road trip.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I haven't taken more than a week off at one time in 19 years. You take more than a week off the next two weeks back are going to be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just trying to catch up.

Repeat after me:

Work backing up while I'm on vacation isn't my problem, it is the company's problem.

The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be.

 

[highland145]

Repeat after me:

Work backing up while I'm on vacation isn't my problem, it is the company's problem.

Not if you're the one that has to catch it up. Then it's a pita.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Eh, if that happens I guess I'll just find something else. Got enough saved for a few years of unemployment, and I could find something before that.

Actually sometimes I have wished that would happen just so I could take a 2 or 3 month road trip.

Well given those facts I would absolutely take the extra vacation. Life is too short.

Everytime I have switched jobs I have taken at least a month off before starting the new gig. To travel, do work on the house, or just sit on my butt enjoying the lack of responsibility. 🙂

The major complaint I have against private law practice is that it is extremely hard to take any meaningful amount of vacation. If I manage to take two weeks off a year it is a major accomplishment. I've actually been trying very hard to take more time off as I get older.

 

[ControlD]

Repeat after me:

Work backing up while I'm on vacation isn't my problem, it is the company's problem.

The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be.

lol, I guess after 20+ years I'm probably not going to learn that lesson. It may be the company's problem, but I will still be dealing with it no matter what. It's more a statement of how hard it is to hire and keep competent engineers these days than anything else.

I'm not that upset about it. I have a good job and I choose to stay here. Nobody is forcing it on me.

Still, getting an extra week or two a year (even unpaid) would be pretty nice. I could manage to find a way to take it. 🙂

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I haven't taken more than a week off at one time in 19 years. You take more than a week off the next two weeks back are going to be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just trying to catch up.

What do you do? And if you are that busy I would say that you or the company you work for could hire another employee to support you.

 

[Linux23]

i think it should be mandatory that every american should have 6-weeks of vacation time alloted each year. mandatory. 4-weeks paid. 2-weeks optional unpaid.

problem solved.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Not if you're the one that has to catch it up. Then it's a pita.

I have been, and I won't stress and work 12 hour days to catch up because of management's incompetence.

 

[ControlD]

What do you do? And if you are that busy I would say that you or the company you work for could hire another employee to support you.

I'm a senior electrical engineer / project leader working for a machine tooling and automation company.

The past few years have been especially busy with the auto industry ramping back up. A good number of the companies in this sector didn't make it when times got slow, so now it's pretty much all you can eat for the survivors.

We try to hire engineers all the time. It's hard to find them to start with (nobody is graduating in EE anymore) and the ones we do get usually don't make it past a year before they quit or get fired.

 

[KeithTalent]

No. I can barely use the 5 weeks I get now.

KT

 

[Red Storm]

I get 4 weeks vacation right now, and I probably would "buy" another week if I could. That's five, one week vacations in a year. Yes please.

 

[highland145]

I have been, and I won't stress and work 12 hour days to catch up because of management's incompetence.

My industry can be fairly shitty in that respect at the branch level. They're not overstaffed for 9 or 10 months of the year to cover a couple months of vacation for branch staff. When I supervised, I covered it but that's not the norm. There's a certain amount of work/goals that needs to be done every month. Fall behind and it's a bitch to catch up.

"What have you done for me today" is the mentality of a lot of companies so there's a lot of pressure to produce. I've seen people with 10 years in get the boot because of a few months poor performance. Most people can't say fuck it and change to another industry at will. They need a job so they endure...

The last guy I worked for was decent so I haven't had to put up with the typical BS since the late 80's. Currently self employed with part time help. Not enough work(look at my post count) to justify a full time person. If that day comes, I will take more time. So far, averaging 6 days/yr off over the last 9 years. The upside is that I'm not stressed out either.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I'm a senior electrical engineer / project leader working for a machine tooling and automation company.

The past few years have been especially busy with the auto industry ramping back up. A good number of the companies in this sector didn't make it when times got slow, so now it's pretty much all you can eat for the survivors.

We try to hire engineers all the time. It's hard to find them to start with (nobody is graduating in EE anymore) and the ones we do get usually don't make it past a year before they quit or get fired.

I know the feeling. Patent firms are desperate for EE's. Only we need EE's that can write too. Very, very hard to find. It is to the point where my firm often asks to take on EE cases, to which I always say "thank you no." Might as well ask me to write an application in Japanese (My background is in chemistry/materials science).

Still - the work will be there when you get back, and I'm sure your firm will find a way to get on without you for a week or two a year.

 

[ControlD]

I know the feeling. Patent firms are desperate for EE's. Only we need EE's that can write too. Very, very hard to find. It is too the point where my firm has asked me to start taking on EE cases, to which I always say "thank you no." Might as well ask me to write an application in Japanese (My background is in chemistry/materials science).

Still - the work will be there when you get back, and I'm sure your firm will find a way to get on without you for a week or two a year.

Damn dude .. I should come work for you. I actually wanted to be an English major lol.

(Not really looking, but that's interesting. I actually used to date a girl that did a PhD in EE and then moved to patent law).

 

[Homerboy]

Entirely depends on your situation in life.

Sadly, I need the money and can't afford to not get paid for a week. I more than realize how important time-off is, and treasure every minute I get. But sadly, vacation time would suck if I didn't have a roof over my head or food in my wife and children's stomachs.

If I had "extra" money, then I would CERTAINLY buy time off. No question at all. Time is priceless.

 

[purbeast0]

i can already take unpaid vacation where i work, but i've never had to do that. i already get 27 days of PTO and we can go negative 40 hours if need be, so i doubt i'll ever have to go unpaid.

 

[purbeast0]

i think it should be mandatory that every american should have 6-weeks of vacation time alloted each year. mandatory. 4-weeks paid. 2-weeks optional unpaid.

problem solved.

a lot of americans take pride in working 40+ hour work weeks. they think that it is some badge of honor to say they work 60 or 80 hour weeks. me personally, i call that stupid as shit and i will never work more than 40 hours a week, except maybe under very special circumstances, and only if i'm compensated for it. i've been a developer for over 10 years now and i have worked more than 40 hours exactly 2 times, and it was for my last company that i was with for 9 months. having to work more than 40 hours is a sign of a poorly run company, and they were, which is why i got out. at least i was paid for the 2 saturdays i had to work.

now if you have your own business, then working more than 40 hours a week i have no problem with and i'd do it too if i ran my own business. but the people who come on here and "brag" about working 60 hours and only getting paid 40 hours, saying they have no time for vacation, like it's a badge of honor? those people are just idiots.

 

[sze5003]

I get 22 PTO days and I've been at the company a bit over 3 years. But out of those days that also includes sick days, those are not separate.

We can purchase an extra week but it comes out of your pay and if you don't use them you can get reimbursed for them.

I took two weeks off this summer and I still have 7 days left to use plus 5 days that carry over which I must use before March.

Sadly there is too much work for me to just take off since I'm working on something new. So looks like this year I loose 7 days becusse anything I take off before January comes out of those 5 carry over days.

 

[clamum]

a lot of americans take pride in working 40+ hour work weeks. they think that it is some badge of honor to say they work 60 or 80 hour weeks. me personally, i call that stupid as shit and i will never work more than 40 hours a week, except maybe under very special circumstances, and only if i'm compensated for it. i've been a developer for over 10 years now and i have worked more than 40 hours exactly 2 times, and it was for my last company that i was with for 9 months. having to work more than 40 hours is a sign of a poorly run company, and they were, which is why i got out. at least i was paid for the 2 saturdays i had to work.

now if you have your own business, then working more than 40 hours a week i have no problem with and i'd do it too if i ran my own business. but the people who come on here and "brag" about working 60 hours and only getting paid 40 hours, saying they have no time for vacation, like it's a badge of honor? those people are just idiots.

Some people really seem to derive their self worth from how much they work. That's a concept that I just don't get but to each their own I guess.

 

[sze5003]

Some people really seem to derive their self worth from how much they work. That's a concept that I just don't get but to each their own I guess.

There has been plenty of times I had to work more than 40hrs a week. Also a developer and many of my friends who do the same thing have agreed with me. There are times when I'm on call or an elevation goes wrong and I'm stuck there for a long time. I don't get paid for it only contractors can ask for over time.

But they do give bonuses once in the summer and every year end however small they may be. At one point ill leave but I want to get more experience before I do so.

 

[purbeast0]

There has been plenty of times I had to work more than 40hrs a week. Also a developer and many of my friends who do the same thing have agreed with me. There are times when I'm on call or an elevation goes wrong and I'm stuck there for a long time. I don't get paid for it only contractors can ask for over time.

But they do give bonuses once in the summer and every year end however small they may be. At one point ill leave but I want to get more experience before I do so.

then your company is poorly ran. if you constantly have people working more than 40 hours a week, the company is poorly ran and possibly understaffed. that is just a simple fact whether you can accept it or not.

i'm a developer and have been for a decade, and as mentioned, worked more than 40 hours a week twice and got paid for it. i'm not friends with many people who are developers outside of the companies i've worked for, but no one i've ever worked with has worked more than 40 hours a week either other than when we all did it at that crappy company, which i don't even know if anyone i worked with at that place still works there.

every interview i've ever done after my first job, when the interviewer asks me if i have any questions for them, i have asked what the typical work week length is. i've had places say 45-50 is typical, and right then and there i knew i was done with that company.

 

[ControlD]

Some people really seem to derive their self worth from how much they work. That's a concept that I just don't get but to each their own I guess.

I don't equate my self worth to how many hours I work, but I do take pride in my work which I suppose is part of my self worth. I work the hours that are required to get the job done to a level I can be satisfied with. If that means putting in some 60+ hour weeks that's what I do. When I can get by working straight 42 hour weeks, I do that as well.

I do know people that work 50+ every week no matter what their current work load is like. That is something I don't understand at all.