Job Offer-Vacation Time Question

[minniecarousel]

I agree - take the job if everything else looks good. You never know if they'll negotiate once you're there. Also, you may find that they have no "sick leave" days, yet if you're really sick, do they really dock your pay?

 

[Planogirl]

Take the job if you need the money. But I would continue to job hunt while you collect that paycheck. You don't have to list the job on your resume unless you want to.

If you're OK money-wise follow your instincts. This one just sounds spooky to me.

 

[Galahad]

It didn't sound overly unreasonable (a little stingy, yes) until you got to the full weeks only part. That part's nuts -- I think in the 12 years or so I've been out of college, I've taken a full week off maybe twice! Why they would have a policy like that is beyond me.

Is it a Bank? Banks and other financial institutions often mandate that you take at least one of your vacations each year as a full week (if you you only have one week, then you take it all at once). They do that so they can have time to audit your activities for the previous year during the time you are out.

 

[golfgal]

Is it a Bank? Banks and other financial institutions often mandate that you take at least one of your vacations each year as a full week (if you you only have one week, then you take it all at once). They do that so they can have time to audit your activities for the previous year during the time you are out.

I was just going to ask the same thing.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Is it a Bank? Banks and other financial institutions often mandate that you take at least one of your vacations each year as a full week (if you you only have one week, then you take it all at once). They do that so they can have time to audit your activities for the previous year during the time you are out.

I hadn't heard that before (then again, I have no banking experience). Interesting -- thanks for the info.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I think it's awfully stingy, and if it were me, I'd ask them about it, gently. Just tell them you'd love to take the job, but you have just one concern. Tell them you're accustomed to more vacation/personal/sick time and ask if there is any way that you can be given more. The worst they can do is say no, but they're not going to withdraw the job offer for asking nicely. I wouldn't wait until after you've accepted the offer, that'd be too late.

I did this once, with a job where the vacation time was better than you've described, but still less that I was accustomed to. Although they couldn't do anything about it from an HR standpoint, the head of the department realized that she'd have trouble hiring people who could get better benefits elsewhere, so they gave us extra days off that they tracked at the department level. Now, I'm not saying for sure you'll get something like this, but you never know unless you ask, right?

Even if you can't get any additional time, go ahead and take the job. You can keep looking for another. Good luck.

 

[golfgal]

I hadn't heard that before (then again, I have no banking experience). Interesting -- thanks for the info.

For some banking jobs, if you are high enough up, they make you take one 2 week vacation each year to make sure you aren't messing with the books.

 

[disneymom3]

Hmmm, I guess it also depends on how long you have been unemployed and what field you are in. My first thought would be to take the job but keep looking at that PTO policy definitely stinks, but they how do you manage to do interviews if you can't take any time off for the first year and then have to take a week at once. Lunchtime only lasts so long!

I would have to rely on it depending on how desperate you are for a job.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Considering my hubby's company can use his time by the hour...sounds a bit tough on that policy.

1 week at 1 year seems light--but then by 5 years you are up to my hubby's company (they start of with 2 weeks accruing by the month immediately and at 5 years get 3 weeks).

You can always negotiate. My hubby has had job offers elsewhere before and has gotten them to up from 2 weeks to 3 weeks as part of the actual offer (he still turned them down--required moving somewhere I didn't want to go). My point--anything is negotiable.