American Vacation "Customs" Suck

[raydog]

When I retired as an leo I looked at law school, nursing school (RN) and teaching. I chose the lowest paid one (teaching) but one of the perks is....2 weeks @ Christmas, Spring break AND summers off!
Yesterday was my last day of the school year and I'm off for the summer. What a great sense of freedom. It reminds me of how amazing retirement will be (in about 3 more years). My teeth were to the grindstone for decades so the good news is.....your time will come for free time you younger folks! You MUST stay in shape though so you can enjoy mature living to the fullest....being just as capable as you were at 30! Raydog

 

[HRHDi]

The mention in the 1st post of the UK getting their 2 weeks break is
very true. One reason is, long a go a LOT of the more industrial area's
used to have shut down's. Known as the "factory fortnight". Normaly
end of July / start of Aug. Not so much now, but its still very planted
in the British mentality. Lot's of Brits have an annual pilgrimage to
somewhere warm, Spain/Cyprus/Greece etc. Although the dates now
vary the whole "must have my two weeks away" is still very comon.

The entire country of Italy virtually shuts down in August...except public safety and tourist things.

I'm not condoning that people start slacking. And just because I think Americans deserve more time off doesn't mean I have a bad work ethic. My boss gets minimum 40 hrs of quality work from me each week; I honestly think most people are like that. I also believe that productivity would stay the same or even improve if Ameican workers had more time off and were more relaxed.

I'm also grateful that I have a job and my family is financially secure. But, if I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd be more grateful that I could spend all the time with my family that I wanted to.

 

[Rainbow7]

In the building trade here we also get "Long service leave".
Doesnt cost the boss 1 cent

Where do you think the money comes from when you actually use your long service leave?

 

[LeDauz]

just hit one year with this company and I put in 300+ hours a month-you do the math,

this ends up 11.5hrs a day 6 days a week 52 weeks a year.

America the land of working long hours almost everyday of the week to get more money to buy more stuff you can't use/enjoy because your at work

 

[dadofthree]

work is ok but vacation is so much better! i couldn't make it without my time off to go hang with my friends!!

I WANT YOUR schedule!lease:

No; you want aces schedule

 

[dadofthree]

I plan on retiring in nine years. It's on then

 

[Tony Nitrous]

Where do you think the money comes from when you actually use your long service leave?

Well my Boss is doing very well, and the government seem happy enough
to volunteer to pay it. I guess Australia is just better managed than some.

 

[Rainbow7]

Well my Boss is doing very well, and the government seem happy enough
to volunteer to pay it.

That's not exactly how Long Service Leave works. In certain industries, LSL is funded by various levies, whereas in other industries it is paid directly by the employer. Ultimately, it is the employer who pays for it, in one way or another.

 

[peterbusa]

Europe does this too. In Rome, everyday, just after the lunch "rush", the majority of small businesses close their doors for a couple hours. It's AWESOME!


Fork & Knife: when in Rome | Yale Daily News

"There’s also pisolino, the traditional post-lunch nap, which I’ve adopted and highly recommend. In Italy, the majority of stores close from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. to allow for the time needed to eat, drink, linger and sleep. Enrico Ferro, a Morse freshman from Sardinia, misses this tradition in particular. “Sleeping after lunch is part of lunch. To fully understand the pleasure of food you have to sleep after it.â€￾ Wise words."

Yes ,i remember the germans doing that as well,i could never get used to that.It would be very hard for me to get back to work,to much down time.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

The entire country of Italy virtually shuts down in August...except public safety and tourist things.

I don't think Italy "shuts down", but August is, as I understand it, very hot and humid so many take their vacations at that time of year. Not much different than here in the states, really. We just have fewer folks with enough annual leave who can afford to actually take that vacation.

I'm not condoning that people start slacking. And just because I think Americans deserve more time off doesn't mean I have a bad work ethic. My boss gets minimum 40 hrs of quality work from me each week; I honestly think most people are like that. I also believe that productivity would stay the same or even improve if Ameican workers had more time off and were more relaxed.

Taking time to enjoy life is hardly slacking. I agree that a strong work ethic and more time off is good for not only the employee but also the employer and the economy. Research indicates that taking an hour lunch and regular breaks makes for a healthier and better dispositioned employee which makes them more productive and sharper. The same holds true for vaction time.

Like you, I have a strong work ethic but I have worked with many folks who would sleep at their desk all day if they could get away with (I've worked with two that actually HAVE slept when they thought no one was around to bust them!). So folks like that are what spoils the whole dang barrel for the rest of us.

I'm also grateful that I have a job and my family is financially secure. But, if I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd be more grateful that I could spend all the time with my family that I wanted to.

[can I get an amen?] AMEN!

 

[peterbusa]

Yes ,i remember the germans doing that as well,when i was a kid,i always went to germany during the summer and stayed with my grandma and relatives,i could never get used to that.It would be very hard for me to get back to work,to much down time.

If they get all that rest 3 1/2hrs,when do they close shop at 12 midnight?Like i said i could never get used to that.

 

[scrappy]

The US military gives me 30 days paid leave per year. Every year i might take a couple of weeks, but one of these years maybe very soon im going to burn up 90 days in 1 shot (if the Commander lets me).

 

[smedly]

I consider myself kinda lucky . Right now I accrue 8.25 per month vacation and 8hrs sick . Plus I get 96 hours a year in "comp" time which either I use or get cashed out year end . Next year I go up to 10.25 vacation a month .Sounds nice except my wife has a job with absolutely no benefits so I know how the other half lives . I don't take vacay w/o the wife so as of right now I have almost 250 hrs of vacation and 78 hrs of comp . Not to mention my sick time accrued . I don't feel right taking time off when the wife has to work .

 

[frisbee]

I'm only at 17 days a year , and go to 21 on my 4th anna . I would love to have the vacations they take in Europe . How many hrs do they work?

 

[frisbee]

when my dad was in he took 9 months off !! the military has put a stop to those kind of saving up months

The US military gives me 30 days paid leave per year. Every year i might take a couple of weeks, but one of these years maybe very soon im going to burn up 90 days in 1 shot (if the Commander lets me).

 

[Turbo-Torch]

I can't believe some are upset with "only" 5 or 10 days a year.

18 years with my company.

I have NEVER had a paid vacation. NEVER a paid holiday or sick day.

At best I take one week off a year at my expense. At times I've gone 3 years without a week off. Then there are the union dues which keep going up, currently at $400 a month.

On the plus side the pay, insurance and pension are phenomenal and at 41 I could easily retire and live happily ever after. So that would be the trade off.

Considering how many of my friends and family have no job, paid vacations don't seem like that big of a deal these days.