 
|
|
|
|
|
|
shelee
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Oct 2002
Posts: 2409
Location: IN
|
| Back to top
|
|
 Posted: 05/16/06 - 20:57 Post subject:
It really depends what you want out of life. If you plan on having a family, man, you will be working your arse off...for their future and their "right now..."
and then there's retirement....not such a rosey picture unless we start investing like now....or yesterday...and keep on investing.
I've talked to a lot of people that would love to have an alternative to the long work week, but reality is what it is.
|
|
|
|
|
shelee
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Oct 2002
Posts: 2409
Location: IN
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 05/16/06 - 21:02 Post subject:
| .jrjo wrote: | | rolling rock wrote: | hey, wait till you're 49, you'll have 6 weeks vacation and not know what to do with them  |
Several people here are in that boat 
/how the heck can you not use vacation?.. it happens though  |
The thought of the hours you're going to put in after the vacation is enough for some to say screw it. A lot of people take their work right along with them on vacation. I saw in an REI magazine a waterproof, hiking case for your laptop. I was amazed. There's no way you're going to get internet access in the middle of, let's say, Isle Royale!
|
|
|
|
|
andydp
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Sep 2003
Posts: 8122
Location: Upstate NY near Albany
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 05/16/06 - 21:05 Post subject:
Since I have about 20 years of creditable service with the USPS I get the following:
Five weeks vacation per year (Remember I work on weekends so I have to use leave if I need a weekend off)
plus
12 paid holidays. (Which I wind up working anyway)
6 hours a week of sick leave - I think I have about 4 weeks banked right now.
We do have people who work 16 hours a day/seven days a week. One fellow makes over $ 125K. Lots of others are in the $75 - $ 80 K year with not too much overtime.
I do fairly little OT about 9 - 10 hours a week and earn enough for our needs.
Before you all think I'm having an easy time, remember I work in an industrial setting moving stuff around.
BTW: ANY Federal worker is eligible to earn as much leave as I do after 15 years of service.
|
|
|
|
|
andydp
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Sep 2003
Posts: 8122
Location: Upstate NY near Albany
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 05/16/06 - 21:17 Post subject:
| sonnylax wrote: | | cherylpf wrote: | | Look at Europe, they all get 2 months off. |
Look at the umemployment rates in major European countries... Don't think we should be looking at them as a model of success. |
I suppose they could look at some of our groups and see the same thing. The 4 - 5 % US overall unemployment rate can be misleading. If I remember correctly, teenage African American men have the highest rate going with something like 75% out of work for one reason or another. I do not know of the corresponding rate for African American women of the same age.
Of course you also have to look at various geographic areas such as Applachia, upstate NY, Indian Reservations, the "Rust Belt" where these rates are high.
I don't think you can blame any one country's unemployment rates on longer vacation more than you can blame it on the area they were born in or many other factors. Besides, with so many people taking time off, don't they have a need for more workers to make up the staffing shortfalls ? (Some vestiges of my macro economics course rearing its head) That's why France (not the best of examples) instituted the 35 hour work week.
Just to make sure I'm clearly understood: I do not believe in lifetime employment, I do not think government has to provide jobs to those that do not want them. Nor should those people get government support. I agree private industry should create jobs.
|
|
|
|
|
j1miller
Puppy Love!
|
|
|
Joined: 07 Jul 2002
Posts: 15447
Location: Lost on trail.
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 05/17/06 - 08:48 Post subject:
OK, you know how I told you I was going to get the resume out?
I just got an offer for a management position. More money. 3 weeks vacation + 10 bank holidays + 6 sick days.
MUCH MUCH better.
|
|
|
|
|
SLOjim
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 15
Location: So Cal
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 05/31/06 - 22:13 Post subject:
I don't get any paid vacation but I feel I'm living the American dream.
I'm a self employeed architectural designer and I love my work (anyway 90% of it). I worked for a company for 5 years and hated being in the structure of someone else's business so I set out on my own and have been on my own for over 30 years and love it! I do put in a lot of hours, but I get to decide when and where I work. I spend 10 to 12 weeks a year at the beach with a few other week trips and a number of long weekend get-a-ways. I have the luxury of being able to take my work with me and since I'm an early riser I can usually put in 3 hours work and an hour run before my wife gets up when we're on vacation.
|
|
|
|
|
Capt Kirk
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
Posts: 120
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/01/06 - 16:40 Post subject: Military Leave
I'm Air Force (US) and we in the military get 30 days of leave a year.
BUT...We're considered a 24/7 work force. Many people in the military work shift-work, mutiple days in the field, or even deploy from home for months at a time.
If I want to take a Friday and a Monday off, I have to take 4-days of leave.
We are encouraged to take a 14-day block sometime during the year.
Interestingly, even with our current operations tempo keeping us busy, the big taboo is to end the fiscal-year with "use-or-lose" leave. I can bank up to 60-days of leave at the end of the year. So every year, I start out with 30 days "use/lose" and every August I get pressured to take my available leave. I've taken a week of leave and come into the office just to burn the leave.
Commanders get hasseled when a troop of theirs has to lose leave. It may show lack of managing the work force properly.
No real "sick-days" per se, if we're sick, we go to the clinic; the doc then decides what we need to do:go home (called "on quarters,") or "take this pill and get back to work."
|
|
|
|
|
andydp
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Sep 2003
Posts: 8122
Location: Upstate NY near Albany
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/02/06 - 09:23 Post subject: Re: Military Leave
| Capt Kirk wrote: | I'm Air Force (US) and we in the military get 30 days of leave a year.
BUT...We're considered a 24/7 work force. Many people in the military work shift-work, mutiple days in the field, or even deploy from home for months at a time.
If I want to take a Friday and a Monday off, I have to take 4-days of leave.
We are encouraged to take a 14-day block sometime during the year.
Commanders get hasseled when a troop of theirs has to lose leave. It may show lack of managing the work force properly. |
Having spent 28 years in the Army let me clue you in. Yes we're all on 24/7, yes we have things to prepare and train for. But its no excuse for mismanaging leave of subordinates.
You coming in to work while on leave is absolute and total BS. Your boss should be sending you home - period. An old first Sergeant once told me: "Lieutenant, you will become indispensible to this organization the day you can stick your finger into a cup of coffe and leave a dent". In other words: you can be replaced.
If a hard working troopie asked me for a Friday and Monday off he could take off without charging leave. BTW: why are you being charged leave for off duty days ? Believe me, we can all survive without someone for a few days.
I will bet anything you big time commander would be very interested in what is going on in your unit. I'm sorry, but this is NOT a normal way of running an outfit. Doing the mission and taking care of your people is what its all about. You can't do a mission well with burned out people.
|
|
|
|
|
Capt Kirk
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
Posts: 120
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/02/06 - 15:53 Post subject: Re: Military Leave
| andydp wrote: |
If a hard working troopie asked me for a Friday and Monday off he could take off without charging leave. BTW: why are you being charged leave for off duty days ?
|
I'm with you...
1) Use or lose...I knew I had a whole year to take leave so why did I wait 'till the last minute to use it? Yup, I'm with you...
Commander's get periodic "use/lose" leave reports so they know whose got leave to burn and will "council" the troop to take leave.
2) Friday to Monday = 4 days leave: That's the rules...
Just so the non-military folks can understand, we in the military have something called a "line of duty determination" which means, if you get hurt somewhere and were NOT on leave, you can get in trouble and the government may not pay for you medical care. Worse still, if you die doing something stupid and you were NOT on leave, you're familiy may not get paid your death benefits. (i.e.: you were not in the "line of duty" when you did you're stupid thing. "Leave" is a duty status, just like "present for duty")
- I tell my guys this: If you have the leave: take it. If you're going to be out of the area, don't risk it: Take leave. (And no, I don't charge leave for guys to go skiing on a Saturday, if its not their normal duty shift. I also don't charge leave for a guy to go skiing on Tuesday if its not his duty shift...unless he's ging for an overnighter or something...)
- I have the done the "top drawer" leave thing before: Fill out a leave slip, if you come back safe, I'll tear up the leave request. If you get hurt, I turn in the leave form and you're covered. (Yes, I'm admitting I've bent the rules for my guys...BUT)
BUT..The Air Force has a new, on-line leave system. Instead of getting a form to sign, I submit my leave on-line, and my boss (or me, if the case) gets an email to log onto the leave system and approve a leave request.
|
|
|
|
|
airehead
Oompa Loofah
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Nov 2002
Posts: 18788
Location: Between here and eternity...
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/02/06 - 15:59 Post subject: Re: Military Leave
| Capt Kirk wrote: | | andydp wrote: |
If a hard working troopie asked me for a Friday and Monday off he could take off without charging leave. BTW: why are you being charged leave for off duty days ?
|
I'm with you...
1) Use or lose...I knew I had a whole year to take leave so why did I wait 'till the last minute to use it? Yup, I'm with you...
Commander's get periodic "use/lose" leave reports so they know whose got leave to burn and will "council" the troop to take leave.
2) Friday to Monday = 4 days leave: That's the rules...
Just so the non-military folks can understand, we in the military have something called a "line of duty determination" which means, if you get hurt somewhere and were NOT on leave, you can get in trouble and the government may not pay for you medical care. Worse still, if you die doing something stupid and you were NOT on leave, you're familiy may not get paid your death benefits. (i.e.: you were not in the "line of duty" when you did you're stupid thing. "Leave" is a duty status, just like "present for duty")
- I tell my guys this: If you have the leave: take it. If you're going to be out of the area, don't risk it: Take leave. (And no, I don't charge leave for guys to go skiing on a Saturday, if its not their normal duty shift. I also don't charge leave for a guy to go skiing on Tuesday if its not his duty shift...unless he's ging for an overnighter or something...)
- I have the done the "top drawer" leave thing before: Fill out a leave slip, if you come back safe, I'll tear up the leave request. If you get hurt, I turn in the leave form and you're covered. (Yes, I'm admitting I've bent the rules for my guys...BUT)
BUT..The Air Force has a new, on-line leave system. Instead of getting a form to sign, I submit my leave on-line, and my boss (or me, if the case) gets an email to log onto the leave system and approve a leave request. |
My husband has the highest use or lose in his squadron. It hurts when you're deployed for 7+ months right after being deployed just about 20 months prior to that. And in between moving from one duty station to the next and not being allowed leave time due to the new commander's discretion. 
|
|
|
|
|
scorch99
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Oct 2003
Posts: 782
Location: On the road
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/28/06 - 16:21 Post subject:
I get 29 days of vacation and 6 paid holidays Total 35 days off a year.
I find it at times to be a little too much as I like to travel and its tough to find places I like to see that are new and refreshing sometimes.
S99
|
|
|
|
|
GaRebelRunner
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 26 Sep 2003
Posts: 1097
Location: Tucker, GA
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/28/06 - 19:58 Post subject:
| camelia bedelia wrote: | | The pressure to work 50-60 hour weeks, 52 weeks out of the year is one of the biggest thing wrong with our country, imho. It all comes down to greed. |
Not necessarily. I work those kind of hours (much closer to 60) but at my age finding another job would be difficult so I put up with the hours. I only have to survive another 14 years, although I could retire I suppose in about 5 if I really had to.
|
|
|
|
|
camelia bedelia
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 15 May 2002
Posts: 2808
Location: God's Country
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/29/06 - 09:14 Post subject:
| GaRebelRunner wrote: | | camelia bedelia wrote: | | The pressure to work 50-60 hour weeks, 52 weeks out of the year is one of the biggest thing wrong with our country, imho. It all comes down to greed. |
Not necessarily. I work those kind of hours (much closer to 60) but at my age finding another job would be difficult so I put up with the hours. I only have to survive another 14 years, although I could retire I suppose in about 5 if I really had to. |
Oh, I didn't mean greed by those doing the working, but greed by the companies that allow the kind of work environment that expects employee to work those kind of hours. They could hire more people, but that would cost them $$$.
|
|
|
|
|
Gogirlgo
Member
|
|
|
Joined: 25 Jul 2002
Posts: 4777
Location: No deal, stalker.
|
| Back to top
|
|
Posted: 06/29/06 - 09:20 Post subject:
When I worked, it was almost always in nonprofit, which is a 35-hour work week and usually the benefits are great b/w the pay isn't. But the pay was adequate.
When I get done school, I want to work not more than 50 hours a week. I believe in balance, I believe in family. I believe in a dinner that includes all family members. I'm a single mom now so when my kids are with me, there's no one to hand them off to.
I think it's almost counter-cultural to think of it this way, but my kids don't do activities that require evening practice b/c it's unmanageable and I feel it's intrusive on our time together.
I hope there's an employer out there who shares my view on this.
|
|
|
|
| |
All times are GMT - 4 Hours
|
|
|
