Most Americans would like to have more vacation time, but the way the economy and jobs are set up here its just not possible. We lose a ton of money to taxes between federal and state, but see none of the benefits of those taxes the way most European countries do. So we never get paid vacations and we have to work more days to keep paying for our health insurance. Its a terribly broken system.
The American vs. Europe view on vacations and time off is flabbergasting
- Thread starter Trojita
- Start date
- Status
entremet
Member
American expatriates types jokingly call the standard two week typical American vacation time off--too weak.
Technosteve
Banned
I get four weeks one week personal three vacation. But we are usally so busy its hard to take time off with out falling behind. When we aren't busy layoffs. 
Liberty4all
Banned
Maternity and Paternity benefits in Canada work like this:
15 weeks maternity leave and 35 weeks parental leave. Parental leave can be split between parents however they want.
Benefits scale based on salary and cap out at $501 per week based on a 47,400 a year income (less if you salary is less than 47k annually). That $501 a week is also taxed so most people get about $400 a week take home.
as mentioned some companies top up these benefits. I would argue though that most do not unless you are in a unionized public sector job (my wife is a nurse too).
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml
dr3upmushroom
Banned
Its the facade of "work ethic" I'ce been in places where people are proud of their hardwork and dedication to a corporation at the expense of their health and family life yet seemed to live unfufilled, I see a lot of working class people with injuries that pretty much stop them from ever working again becuase they only ever did manual labor (I know that it's personal responsiblity and all but still).
You Are Viewtiful
Member
I'd rather have less vacations than retire at 67/69 D:
America here.
Had great benefits (compared to others here in the states) when I first started my current job. Got an automatic 25 days off a year. It was a use it or lose it policy from year to year but January 1st, you automatically got refreshed to the 25 again. Then we got bought out by another company and now our time off has become the more garbage like system of having to earn your PTO based on the number of hours you work (currently, I get a pitiful 3.5 hours of PTO per paycheck which usually consists of 72 hours).
Had great benefits (compared to others here in the states) when I first started my current job. Got an automatic 25 days off a year. It was a use it or lose it policy from year to year but January 1st, you automatically got refreshed to the 25 again. Then we got bought out by another company and now our time off has become the more garbage like system of having to earn your PTO based on the number of hours you work (currently, I get a pitiful 3.5 hours of PTO per paycheck which usually consists of 72 hours).
0 days paid vacation, 0 days paid sick leave, 0 paid holidays, no health insurance offered, and no raise in over 5 years. I used to get 34 cents a mile for travel between worksites, but the corporate parasites decided to take that away last month. I'll be taking my first week off since 2005 to get oral surgery in September. Three cheers for the red, white, and blue.
Liberty4all
Banned
The younger generation starting with Millenials in Canada and the States will continue to demand more ... I still get disgusted looks from boomers when I take a sick day but I just don't give a shit and neither does anyone else in my generational cohort (Gen X).
superdeluxe
Member
I get 29 days + 12 paid holidays. Not to bad for America it seems
captmorgan
Banned
When I worked in field service, managers loved people taking long vacations. It gave them a chance to unofficially interview and try out new people. If one of the contractors covering for you was faster, smarter and better than you. They got your job and you were fired.
People were terrified to take even a half day off
People were terrified to take even a half day off
dr3upmushroom
Banned
Baby boomers for the most part experienced a better economy then us. The only gen that has the right to bitch about others is the "greatest" gen.
Liberty4all
Banned
My wife does that sometimes. But she works 12 hour days ... Typically she has 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. Judicious use of vacation days gives her lots of weeks off.
her sick day benefits are insanely good. 23 sick "incidents" a year. Call in sick 2 days in a row? Only counts as one sick incident. Dem government sector union benefits are so good ... Funded by taxpayers though :/. Full pension starting around 55 assuming she stays in the same hospital her full career (25 years or more).
its no wonder folks in the private sector get pissed off.
You Are Viewtiful
Member
Nursing is super hard work. 12 hours of actual labour rather than 12 hours of browsing GAF and looking busy
If I was sick I'd rather be treated by a well rested nurse than a half dead or sick one. >_>American here, I get
-12 holidays (7 or 8 of which are from Christmas Eve to January 2nd)
-120 PTO hours, a little under 14 days with the 9/80 schedule
That office shutdown in December is fantastic but I wish we had more time off. I used 20% of my PTO when I had this weird bug/food poisoning and I've been hesitant to take a week off in case something comes up. I think I'm going to try and tough it out until the new year so I can roll over 40 hours. That way I can take a trip to Europe next summer and see if I wanna move there!
-12 holidays (7 or 8 of which are from Christmas Eve to January 2nd)
-120 PTO hours, a little under 14 days with the 9/80 schedule
That office shutdown in December is fantastic but I wish we had more time off. I used 20% of my PTO when I had this weird bug/food poisoning and I've been hesitant to take a week off in case something comes up. I think I'm going to try and tough it out until the new year so I can roll over 40 hours. That way I can take a trip to Europe next summer and see if I wanna move there!
Liberty4all
Banned
Nursing is super hard work. 12 hours of actual labour rather than 12 hours of browsing GAF and looking busy
oh I know its hard my wife reminds me all the time
. With that said there are plenty of hard jobs out there that don't get the massively generous benefits they do. Its the same for most government jobs ... In Ontario at least public sector employees are payed way higher than private sector for similar work.My vacation time is based on how many hours I work. The more hours I put in, the more I accrue to a max of 180 hours. At which point I can cash them in en masse for extra paychecks if I want. Best system I have ever seen, motivates people to put in the overtime to gain those extra days for when they need them.
NekoFever
Member
I read an article earlier this year from a nurse about the last regrets of her dying patients. She said every man and most women said they hadn't wasted as much of their life working. And this was Europeans who have a decent amount of paid time off.
But hey, at least Americans can feel good about how hard they work for someone else's benefit.
But hey, at least Americans can feel good about how hard they work for someone else's benefit.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
What? That´s not right at all. In Denmark women get 9 month paid leave, and men get 6 month paid leave FOR EVERY CHILD THEY BIRTH.
I only got 15 days after working for the company for 5 years...
It's hella expensive to take vacations from Vancouver, though.
SpoonyBard
Banned
In Finland we get 5 weeks per year. Usually people take a month off in summer and a week off during christmas or spring holiday. But this year I used all 5 weeks + 3 weeks parental leave. After that I started missing work...
Cymbal Head
Banned
I get ~28 days of vacation/personal/sick time per year, but I get holidays off as well, which means Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, a couple days for Thanksgiving, a week or so for Christmas, New Year's day, and Good Friday.
This is in the USA, so I guess I've got it pretty good in terms of time off.
Edit: my salary is lowish even within my relatively low-paying field, so I consider my time off a reasonable compensation for that.
This is in the USA, so I guess I've got it pretty good in terms of time off.
Edit: my salary is lowish even within my relatively low-paying field, so I consider my time off a reasonable compensation for that.
HocusPocus
Member
The German company I work for in America?
Marty Chinn
Member
Both my wife and I got paid family leave that was not paid by either of our employers. We got 60% of our pay. Maternity leave is 30 days before the due date and I think 3 or 4 months after. Paternity leave is 6 weeks I think.
No. Ilive in the US, not Canada.
Worth bearing in mind that national holidays (of which we have one on Monday, as it happens!) are included as part of those 28 days; your numbers might count them as extra instead.
I'm making the three-day weekend into a five-day weekend with judicious application of flexitime.
jufonuk
not tag worthy
Because of my job (working in tv news) I have to 24/7 shift based job, I on paper get something like 26 days off a year, with off days from my shift I can spread that out to have (if done wisely)two weeks off in the summer a few five off days here and there through out the year.
But in the summer and Xmas time it is a first come first served kinda deal.
But in the summer and Xmas time it is a first come first served kinda deal.
entremet
Member
Yeah. I'd imagine the same for small business owners. I was talking to a dry clean owner once and he told me he never took a day off in 20 years--7 days a week.
ClassyPenguin
Banned
No vacation time and sick day limits plus our terrible healthcare system is only adding to chronic diseases such as heart failure plus it puts and incredible amount of stress.
Bulbo Urethral Baggins
Banned
Wow. That wouldn't work in the US. We are much more fertile. My dad would have gotten 6 1/2 years paid vacation over a 18 year span. Is that what Europe calls productive? And with that incentive who's telling how many siblings I'd have instead. I can't even remember their names as it is.
StealthGoblin
Banned
Officially I only work 195 days a year. Approx £30,000 (~$46719) but unofficially I work about 250 days. My official holiday is 65 days a year (not including weekends). My partner and I will both be taking maternity/paternity leave when we have our first child.
The only downside is that my official holidays are the most expensive times of the year, so I tend to do a lot of UK/European city breaks during the weeks off earlier than the July/August rush.
The only downside is that my official holidays are the most expensive times of the year, so I tend to do a lot of UK/European city breaks during the weeks off earlier than the July/August rush.
You work hard all your life, break your back for your corporate whip....loving employers without paid-vacation, and you can be a CEO one day too.
5 days vacation. 5 days sick leave here.
Seems extremely productive to me. Happy, well compensated, and well rested workers will be much more productive overall.
Well, that can result in you losing your job. Also I remember trying to get a job at a grocery store, after taxes and union dues I would get paid something like 5.50 an hour.
milanbaros
Member?
It's not what is calls productive in output of goods but as a society, yes, it does. People are not just another form of capital to be exploited until they are fully depreciated. A company has a responsibility to provide a living for those that work for them. Having children and caring for them is probably the most vital activity a human can do for the sustainability of a healthy society. If private businesses are forced to support that then that is what it takes.
If it weren't for regulation businesses would treat people like another machine. Why would that be your goal as a society?
Liberty4all
Banned
my bad!
but that's not standard in the US is it? I'm assuming those type of benefits fluctuates from state to state, company to company.
Liberty4all
Banned
why wouldn't it work? It works in Canada ... We get 50 paid weeks (35 of which can be split between husband and wife) per child. Keep in mind that having and raising a child is something you are giving back to society and its future social and economic well being. Many governments recognize this and this is the reason those societies gives back financially to new parents.
US has no real standard ot state to state law. For the most part, the company can dictate whatever they want. Hell, technically, they can't fire a woman who is pregnant or just gave birth without a good reason but there are plenty of companies that see that the due date is coming up and "find" a good reason.
Liberty4all
Banned
wow I never realized how tough it is in the States for new parents. I would imagine many just have to push back when they are going to have a child ... Or give up period... My wife and I have pushed it back even knowing we get these benefits ... I'm not sure we could ever afford it if the safety net wasn't in place.
edit: and in Canada firing a pregnant woman is an almost guaranteed lawsuit.
milanbaros
Member?
Firing a pregnant woman in the UK is just asking for trouble. Even if a company has a legitimate reason it would avoid this because a lawyer would be all over them. Some people say that it actually hurts women's chances because a company fears being unable to fire someone. Not sure how much evidence that has though.
Bulbo Urethral Baggins
Banned
You guys are poisoning my mind with your socialist views.
Because they're told they're better off without them by the small number of very rich people who'd lose out if they had them.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked