How are your job's vacation/sick benefits?

[mezzo soprano]

What kind of vacation/sick leave does your job have, and what would you change about your employer's policies if you had the chance?

We give PTO, which is a combination of vacation/sick time. Hourly employees can use that time in 2-hour increments, and we start at 20 days a year for new employees, going up to 35 days a year after 20 years of employment.

[YellowRoseTex]

Our time off is called FTO, Flex Time Off. We accumulate the time depending on our years of service. Currently I receive 10 hours per month, which is basically 3 weeks a year. I can take it in hour increments as needed.

[Poppie]

:( I hate to say this but I have no benefits at the credit union I work at. I have been there 8 years, we are small and there is just 2 of us. I do get 3 weeks paid vacation each year. I have had two surgeries this year and I have been paid for all my time off. The board is from the old school and think that since my husband works for a major company and has benefits that I don't need any :censor: . My husband keeps bugging me to quit and go to the bigger town west of us and get another job. Who knows maybe one day I will.Carol

[Ms Big Butt]

I have built up to 4 weeks per year, plus our company gives "5 floater days" per year, which we can take when we want. We don't get President's Day, MLK or any of those odd holidays unless we choose to take a floater.

[Marian Paroo]

I have built up to 4 weeks per year, plus our company gives "5 floater days" per year, which we can take when we want. We don't get President's Day, MLK or any of those odd holidays unless we choose to take a floater.

We have 21 or 22 days a year (not sure, have to check) and that stays the same from first day to retirement. We have to use 12 a year, and can build them up to 65.

We have 24 days sick leave, and we can build them up to no limit. Any sick days have to be documented with a doctor's note (how childish!). We can take off 6 days our our sick leave for family illness.

We can take 2 "declarations" of two days in a row for undocumented sick leave, and get to chose one minor holiday from an all to short list of choices. I think if they had a longer list of choices it would lead to less aruging within a department of who is going to take off when. Most work places here have a really long list of choice days for that reason + to cover ethnic holidays that aren't national holidays.

I don't think President's Day of MLK Day are odd holidays, after all, they are federal holidays. Except for Independence Day, all national holidays here are religious ones, which is a drag, because there is no public transportation.

[Canadian Girl]

We have a pretty comprehensive benefits package, which includes Sick Leave, Vacation Leave, Family Related leave and Volunteer days.

Sick Leave and Vacation Leave are the only ones we can bank:

We get 15 days of sick leave per year. 10 of those days can be taken without a doctor's certificate. If we take only 5 in year, for example, the remaining 5 are added to your sick leave bank... but you still only have 10 days uncertified Leave.


Where Vacation leave is concerned, we start off with 3 weeks of vacation leave per year. After 5 years, we get 4 weeks a year. Eventually, we get as much as 6 weeks a year!!! We can accummulate them, but we are encouraged to use our vacation leave every year: that's to ensure we get the rest we need.

Where the other leaves are concerned, we have 2 days Volunteer days a year, to encourage us to give back to our community. We also have 5 days of Family-related leave we can use to tend to the needs of family members.

[bumblebeequeen]

I'd say mine are average: I've been there 8yrs and get 40hrs sick and 120hrs of vacation per year. Renews in January. I wish it were more!!!!!

[lokerspadokers]

We have 2 weeks vacation, 2 weeks sick, and one personal day.

[Votelady]

I have 3 weeks of vacation plus we accrue a little over one day a month in sick leave. We also get one personal day and 10 paid holidays. Because I am in management I also earn straight comp time for over time.

[cazatome]

Wow, you need to come and work in the Uk. I am a health worker, I get 33 days leave, plus if I'm sick I can get up to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay (this is because I have worked for over 10 years) We also have compassionate and other odd leave days according to the problem, carers leave for emergencies. Then we have 8 bank holidays a year, this includes Christmas, New Year etc.

Public service has it's rewards here.

[Marian Paroo]

Wow, you need to come and work in the Uk. I am a health worker, I get 33 days leave, plus if I'm sick I can get up to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay (this is because I have worked for over 10 years) We also have compassionate and other odd leave days according to the problem, carers leave for emergencies. Then we have 8 bank holidays a year, this includes Christmas, New Year etc.

Public service has it's rewards here.

We do pretty good in my neck of the woods, too.

It is illegal to fire someone because of illness or hospitalization, there is no way a boss can override a letter from a doctor saying how many days the person has to take off for illness. Period.

The only problem with our holidays, is they're mostly religious ones, so the buses don't run.

[magandab]

I work for a private non-profit. The salary isn't great (but it has gotten better) but our benefits are pretty good. We started with 16 vacation days and after five years we add one day per year to a maximum of six week. We also get just over a day of sick time accrued per month. We have all the court holidays, plus three assigned floaters that make three day weekends and a four day Thanksgiving break. We have full, excellent medical and vision plans, plus a so-so dental plan that I opted out of so I can use my husband's. We have a retirement account with a small amout of matching funds from our employer. And we have a small amount of life insurance.

[YellowRoseTex]

Wow, you need to come and work in the Uk. I am a health worker, I get 33 days leave, plus if I'm sick I can get up to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay (this is because I have worked for over 10 years) We also have compassionate and other odd leave days according to the problem, carers leave for emergencies. Then we have 8 bank holidays a year, this includes Christmas, New Year etc.

Public service has it's rewards here.

We have several divisions of our company in the UK and I have heard that they have very good benefits. Our benefits vary by country as we are an international company, the benefits are determined by the country you're working in.

[ertech05]

I think that I have great benefits where I work..
I work in the ER at a hospital in Branson and right now I am off due to a complete hysterectomy..
I knew when I took off on Jan 1-25 that I had 30 hours of paid time off and that I would put in to use it in my recovery time..
Well- yesterday I emailed my boss about having that put in my time card and he mailed back saying that HR had taken care of that and while the FMLA didnt cover my hositalization it already had my extended illness time put in payroll and get this HR is going to pay me for 70 plus hours...
I mean what a treat and suprise..
Not to mention I had missed 2 days at 1st of the year and didnt want to use my PTO for that but HR went ahead and gave me 12 hours since I had missed a shift..
I work for the greatest company....

[donnakay31]

I can accumulate 192 sick hours, not certain how many I get each pay period but it takes a while. After reaching 192, for every 2 sick hours, I get one personal hour. Every year I get 2 personal days and with me being with the company for 15 years, I now get 4 weeks vacation.

[Pipkitty]

I have been on my job for almost 25 years and I have 5 weeks vacation. I have 48 hours PTO and 3 floaters. If you don't use you PTO you lose it but it was not always that way. Early in my employment I did not use my sick time, as it was called, and it accumulated which came in handy when I had to take off six weeks for surgery. We were recently bought out by a larger Company and as such we have been downsized but thanks to seniority and the union I have been able to keep my job.

[Shutejute]

:) My job has Great Benefits! I've been there 16 yrs now and I have 26 annual leave days per year, 13 sick leave days and 10 paid holidays. We also have health insurance, life insurance and retirement with thrift plans available. I do wish we could take more than 3 sick days together w/o a doctor's excuse..but so far they haven't been real strict on that with us. I've heard that it's different in other offices. Oh..Post Offices that is...I am a Rural Mail Carrier...working for the good ole USPS. :D
Oh yeh, and we can take Leave w/o pay for things like vehicle repairs or emergencies at home..most anything as long as we have a replacement carrier available to carry the mail for us.
Shutejute

[shoppergirl]

I have 40 hrs. paid personal, 2 week paid summer break, usually week-week 1/2 paid Christmas break & major holidays paid. If you DO work any of this time on a week day you are paid double time & bank 8 hrs. towards personal. Yes this is the automotive industry, that alot out there feel is not earned; let me tell you I felt the same before I started & learned differently. Of course as with any job there are those they can & will work the system. But I believe thier days are now numbered.

[Kate]

I work for a hospital and we have excellent benefits. If I need surgery for anything, I can have it done at the hospital for free. Other than that, the deductible is only $300 if I go someplace else. I was quite excited to find all this out!

[Lee]

We have PTO time, 3 weeks until you hit the 5 year mark, I have finally made it to 4 weeks, it is sick and vacation combined, we get 10 paid holidays a year. I cannot complain since my hubby has been at his job over 20 years and only has 3 weeks vacation and 3 sick days, both have to be used in the year or he loses them, I can carry some of mine over.

[jcme]

Our benefits aren't bad..but they have been getting reduced over the last several years :(

Vacation varries depending on how long you have been with the company (After 19 years, I have 4 weeks and will get 5 next year). We don't get a set number of sick days and can also take personal time off if necessary without much questioning. The corporate holiday list is 10 days, but we follow our client's schedule so I end up with 16...however the trade off is the client also mandates 2 weeks vacation in July which we need to follow (I've been lucky and never needed to take more than 1 week in July due to project deadlines). :D

If I were to change anything, it would be for them to go back to being self insured instead of being outsourced. It is difficult to get answers for any questions and all they do is follow their cookie-cutter rules. I had surgery in the fall and was expected to be out 6 - 8 weeks. Thankfully I recovered well and didn't have to be out longer than the 6 weeks they approved...f I needed to be out longer I would have had to jump through hoops to get my LOA extended.

[donna6171]

Gee, my vacation time sounds so bad compared with some of yours. We get 80 paid hours of vacation per year and 40 sick leave hours. That sounds like a lot, but as a paramedic, I work 13 hour shifts. If we take a day of sick leave, we have to take a day of vacation to get the pay. EX: out 3 days for sickness, 13 hrs of vacation pay removed, 26 hrs for sick pay. I've been with the company for 4 years now. Since Katrina hit, they are not paying us vacation or sick. If you need off, you lose money.

[Marian Paroo]

the company for 4 years now. Since Katrina hit, they are not paying us vacation or sick. If you need off, you lose money.


How in the whatever can they get away with that?!

[Lapphundlady]

Hi catazone. I agree that UK is good for benefits. I work in local government and get 33 days annual leave plus we can build up flexi hours of a day a month is we work the hours. If I am off sick I can get 6months full pay then 6 months half pay (subject to referral to health adviser). We too get bank holidays and can have compassionate days too. I think public sector workers here get a better deal. My husband works for himself so he obviously only takes leave about three times a year.

[Marian Paroo]

Hi catazone. I agree that UK is good for benefits. I work in local government and get 33 days annual leave plus we can build up flexi hours of a day a month is we work the hours. If I am off sick I can get 6months full pay then 6 months half pay (subject to referral to health adviser). We too get bank holidays and can have compassionate days too. I think public sector workers here get a better deal. .

I'm very proud of the way it works here also.

I've never heard of anyone fired for taking a long sick leave after an op or taking care of a sick parent or child.

A lot of these rights are protected by law for people in the private sector, too.

[snobelle]

Come to Australia......our entitlements vary depending on which state we live in, but the general rule is as follows:

Sick Leave: 10 days per year which is accumulative from year to year, so you can bank what you don't take.

Carer's Leave: 5 days per year, but this does come out of your sick leave entitlement.

Bereavement Leave: 2 days per occasion on the death of immediate family (including step family)

Annual Leave: 20 days per year, which can also accumulate. We also (depending on state), get a 17.5% loading on top of our annual leave.

Long Service Leave: 2 months after 10 years continuous service, this can be taken as a pro-rata amount after 7 years.

We also have around 12 public holidays per year as well.

My job......Payroll Manager to 2,500 employees!!

Happy Holidays!!

Oh yeah, some places also have flexi time, and rostered days off, and paid parental leave!

[Ginger Coots]

Wow, amazing how different policies are from job to job, country to country. I work for a large Canadian financial insitution. After 4 years of service I know get: 3 weeks paid holidays but if I take any between May 21 and Sept 5 I only get 2 weeks. I have never been told how many sick days I get, but they are discourgaed and if you are gone 2 days or more you MUST get a Dr note (which is hard as sometimes you cant get into see the doctor for a week or more). All statutory holidays are off and paid. I receive 1 floater per year. I have long term and short term disbality, medical, dental and extended health (which I pay about 1600.00 per year for , the company pays the other half). We do have berevement leave and it is handed out on a case by case situation.

[Marian Paroo]

Oh, we also get a number of days a year for "educational purposes." We can amass a total of 90, very good if we want to take a long seminar.

[donna6171]

How in the whatever can they get away with that?!



Louisiana is an at will employment state. Since Katrina, companies all over the area are attempting to cut benefits. I would love to change jobs, but am sticking it out right now, so many people are unemployed that I'm very lucky.

[Marian Paroo]

Louisiana is an at will employment state. Since Katrina, companies all over the area are attempting to cut benefits. I would love to change jobs, but am sticking it out right now, so many people are unemployed that I'm very lucky.

What does "at will" mean.

Sorry for my ignorance, but I'm living overseas, and originally came from The Bronx, anyway.

[bluerain]

We have 3 sick days a year and 4 weeks holidays per year, we work public holidays with double time and half pay during these days. This is my first year at work andin six months of being permanent parttime work have 54 hours of holidays which i will be taking in March to see my newest grand child. :)

[palmasy2002]

I have 12 personal days and currently 3 weeks vacation (After 3 years). :) So far, all but one of my personal days have been used - our fiscal yr is Nov. 1 to Oct. 31. And only one of those personal days was for me - the rest was for things related to my son....lol....i am NOT allowed to get sick!

[Docklady]

I have been with my company for 28 plus years.I get 5 weeks vacation plus we have around 18 paid holidays a year.That includes a week off starting Dec.24th.We can take our vacation
4 hours at a time.It is really great.We dont get sick pay but who needs it with that much vacation.

[Autumn Moon]

I have been with the department for 8 years and I get 150 hrs annual leave (vacation) and 112.5 hours sick leave ( no note needed) every year and I can accumulate it.
We get 45 hours of family related leave and 7.5 hrs of personal leave per year which we cannot accumulate. AND 11 paid statutory holidays
We get a one time 7.5 hours for educational purposes
We can take 37.5 hours of marriage leave.


We also work flex schedules (150 hours per 4 weeks)

[karly99]

"At Will" means the company can "part ways" with you at any time for any reason or no reason. In other words...you have no job security at all these days...pretty much. I know I recently lost jobs...(see my post...grieving job loss)
Karly

[Marian Paroo]

"At Will" means the company can "part ways" with you at any time for any reason or no reason. In other words...you have no job security at all these days...pretty much. I know I recently lost jobs...(see my post...grieving job loss)
Karly

Karly -

First, I'm sorry you lost your recent jobs.

So "at will" means no job protection at all? Pardon my ignorance, but you mean that's actually legal? What if you had been working there for a couple of years?

Do you get any kind of compensation?

Here if you're fired, in any sector, your employer has to give one month basic pay for every year you've worked.

[YellowRoseTex]

Marian,
Most of the USA is "at will" employment, which does mean you can be terminated without cause. It doesn't matter how long you've been with a company. I worked for one company where I had to sign a form that specifically stated that I could be fired without cause.

Some companies give severance packages based on length of service, but many do not. It is not a requirement.

If you've been employed for a certain length of time, you do have the option to file for unemployment compensation thru your local state goverment office.

[GirlyGirl]

I've been with my company for 14 years and I get 28 days of PTO a year...plus the designated company days....Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, etc. The 28 days includes sick days, but, if I use sick days more than twice in a 12 month period, I am written up...so basically, I have no sick time! I work from home, so I dont really need to call in sick....I am fortunate.

[Twiz]

I get a pretty good amount of paid time off , 8 days sick and if you dont use any days in a quarter you get an extra days pay in that weeks ck ending at the quarter, I am up to 4 weeks vacation after 6 years and that is the max offered we get all major holidays paid and 2 personal days per year, no insurance but a $300 bi annually for med expenses and a great package for retirerment one that is donated by the company and one that we can contribute too and they match

[Marian Paroo]

Marian,

Some companies give severance packages based on length of service, but many do not. It is not a requirement.

If you've been employed for a certain length of time, you do have the option to file for unemployment compensation thru your local state goverment office.

That kind of unemployment compensation goes through National Insurance (Social Security) here. You worked, you paid your National Insurance payments, you get 6 months unemployment compensation. It's not related to what your employer has to give you.

[TessiNY]

I am shocked at the differences among employers--not just in different countries or positions, but even what happens here in different states. I am in NY, I get 2 weeks paid vacation per year (have been here 5 years) and the staff takes our time when the Doc takes his vacation. He normally takes about 6 weeks total a year. The staff will generally take one or two days each of the weeks that he is gone, work the rest of the week thereby spreading our vacation time over all of the weeks he goes away. :rolleyes: We do get paid federal days but only if they fall on Monday--like Veterans day last year was a Friday I think, no pay. :mad: Christmas, Sunday, no pay :mad:
I have no sick time, no personal time, no further education time or reimbursement, no uniform reimbursement, no medical / dental / health coverage. Something stinks in the great old US of A :(

[YellowRoseTex]

Tess,
Alot of times it can depend on the size of the company you work for. Sometimes smaller companies offer fewer benefits, it's not always true, but sometimes it is.

Things such as holidays and vacation are employer specific, so they can offer them or not. My MIL only gets 5 holidays per year, she doesn't get Memorial Day. And she works for a LARGE company.

For the first time in my life I work for a large corporation and I actually get fewer holidays than I did working for a mid size company.

[hypertyper]

We start with 2 weeks PTO, then on year two you can earn 3 weeks, then add one day per year. It's not much compared to some companies.