Office vacation policy

[mrsstats]

In our office at the start of the new year, you get your vacation time. We work in a small office with 5 employees. The average vacation is 4 weeks for each person. One person has already taken more than 1/2 of her vacation (or will have by 1st week in March) The owner of the business is not happy with that and wants to have a discussion with the employee when she gets back.

Since we have no rules about taking your vacation upfront, she really has done nothing wrong.

I am just trying to see how other small business handle something like this.

 

[sunshine girl]

I used to work in a small office. We got 2 weeks of vacation plus a week at christmas. You could take your 2 weeks whenever you wanted, as long as it was on your calendar a month or so in advance, so it wasn't like you were taking off suddenly. Even if something big came up and we were extra busy, if someone had planned a vacation, they got their vacation.

 

[Minnie]

If the vacation was approved prior to the employee taking the time off what is the issue

When I worked in a small office there were certain times we were not allowed to take vacation. Otherwise senority picked and vacation was approved.

I don't miss small office politics.... the owner speaking to other employees about an issue - not good

 

[Mickeyistheman]

I too work in a small office but we can't take off until late April and we are not allowed to take any vacation in July ( new policy ) because the second week we have 2 events that are important and most should attend. However one event, you have to be invited to. I just started working for this company and I am not eligable however I still cannot take off ANYtime in July.

Silly rules but with the way the economy is going, the employers feel they can put this over your head and its wrong. This is part of the problem with US jobs. THey see your vacation as you don't care about your job and I feel it is just the opposite. You work hard to gain vacation time.

As for the OP, if it was pre approved then there should not be any issue.

 

[Piecey]

The company I worked for previously would have been happy about it! They preferred to get the liability out of the way ASAP.

My managers were constantly trying to get me to use vacation time for my prenatal appointments. HR policy said they had to work around them, though, so I didn't use any vacation time... just scheduled them early and worked the closing shift.

I gave notice while on maternity leave and shortly after I got a check for my unused vacation and sick leave... showed me why they prefer employees use it vs. a situation like mine. They paid out more than they would have if I'd take a week of vacation as an active employee...

 

[chloelovesdisney]

If they don't you to take the vacation at the beginning of the year, they should give it to you some at a time. I understand what the issue may be, and that is we have also had employees take their alloted vacation time for the year early on, knowing they planned to resign. I know a couple of people that took off all of January and then quit. Allowable by the rules, but not really right either.

 

[aprilgail2]

] I know a couple of people that took off all of January and then quit. Allowable by the rules, but not really right either.

That is perfectly acceptable where I work- you earn your vacation time passed on the previous year- so it you work the whole year off 2009 you earned you 5 weeks vacation--if you want to retire, quit or whatever you would do it after you took your vacation since that is time you earned by working the previous year. Most people when they retire don't retire until mid year so they earn their vacation for the next year prior to retiring and my company will pay you for the 5 weks from that year (if you don't take vacation the year you retire) plus the 5 weeks you have earned for the next year so you get the 10 weeks extra pay when you retire.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Silly rules but with the way the economy is going, the employers feel they can put this over your head and its wrong. This is part of the problem with US jobs. THey see your vacation as you don't care about your job and I feel it is just the opposite. You work hard to gain vacation time.

Right on both counts. We have a lot of employers doing bad things to their employees up here because of the economy. If you want to keep your job, you just suck it up and keep hoping the economy will improve so you can go somewhere else where it's hopefully better. No one will unionize because there's enough unemployment that if a company wants to fire all their employees who want to unionize and hire hungry people who will do the job without complaining, they can easily do so.

The US has always had a backward attitude about the health and well-being of their employees. In other countries, vacations are three weeks a year minimum. A rested and happy employee is a more productive employee. Here, if we get one week off we're supposed to be grateful that our employer is "paying us to do nothing". But, then again, what can you expect from a country that condoned slavery for so long?

 

[eliza61]

Right on both counts. We have a lot of employers doing bad things to their employees up here because of the economy. If you want to keep your job, you just suck it up and keep hoping the economy will improve so you can go somewhere else where it's hopefully better. No one will unionize because there's enough unemployment that if a company wants to fire all their employees who want to unionize and hire hungry people who will do the job without complaining, they can easily do so.

The US has always had a backward attitude about the health and well-being of their employees. In other countries, vacations are three weeks a year minimum. A rested and happy employee is a more productive employee. Here, if we get one week off we're supposed to be grateful that our employer is "paying us to do nothing". But, then again, what can you expect from a country that condoned slavery for so long?

We do have a very backward attitude. I work for a large company (so it's a little easier becasue there are state and federal regulations) and they pulled the "your lucky to have a job" card one too many times. Now what we have is a large number of "grunts", the people who are actually doing the work basically doing as little as possible. Productivity is slowed to a halt, people are taking sick leave like its candy (we get 30 paid sick days a year).
the attitude is "the company is going to screw me, so I'll screw them in return".

I have 5 weeks vacation. Luckily I have a very strong union so I am free to take it whenever I wish as long as I give 3 days notice.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I get about 5 weeks a year, and we accrue an equal amount per month. We can take all of our vacation at one (I would feel odd for me to do) or you can spread it out over the year. You can have a positive or negative balance as long as you're not on a "warning" which most of our employees are not (5,000 + in the US - 1,000 in my office).

 

[golfgal]

If your employer doesn't want you taking that much vacation time at the beginning of the year then he shouldn't grant all of the vacation time right away. Do you work for a company where it is very busy this time of the year, like a CPA firm? If not, what is the issue?

 

[golfgal]

Right on both counts. We have a lot of employers doing bad things to their employees up here because of the economy. If you want to keep your job, you just suck it up and keep hoping the economy will improve so you can go somewhere else where it's hopefully better. No one will unionize because there's enough unemployment that if a company wants to fire all their employees who want to unionize and hire hungry people who will do the job without complaining, they can easily do so.

The US has always had a backward attitude about the health and well-being of their employees. In other countries, vacations are three weeks a year minimum. A rested and happy employee is a more productive employee. Here, if we get one week off we're supposed to be grateful that our employer is "paying us to do nothing". But, then again, what can you expect from a country that condoned slavery for so long?

Oh Please, one has NOTHING to do with the other, on top of which, there are many, many, many countries in the world that have a lot worse track record with slavery then the US.

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Oh Please, one has NOTHING to do with the other, on top of which, there are many, many, many countries in the world that have a lot worse track record with slavery then the US.

However, Carlyroach does have a valid point. Just look at how many people are sick from stress because of work. I have 3 sick days a year, I am not allowed overtime...however if someone walks in at 5 to 6 (when I am supposed to clock out) I still have to wait and stay with that customer but clock out. That isn't fair and for my experience (been in the business for the past 15 years) I am very underpaid. Its pretty close to slave labor if you ask me. I don't have a Union and I am an "At Will" employee. It stinks.

I also feel that even though the economy being so bad this type of situation with vacation time has been ongoing in this country for a very long time. Right now its just really bad because of the economy. I work for a Vacation Company so I know. Most people are afraid to take too many days off from work. Even people who still make good money. More people do the well if they are going to screw me over then I am going to screw the company over and that is why many companies are not earning to their full potential.

 

[lovesmurfs]

So in 2 months, the coworker has taken 2 weeks of vacation? I'm not seeing the big deal, unless you're in the tax business. If that's the case, then your employee manual should cover no vacation during that period.

We're all grownups and can decide how to use our vacation time as we need to. If it's approved, I really don't see the issue. Your coworker can fill in for the office when everyone else is off during the summer and for the holidays!

If your employer is concerned about your coworker taking too much vacation, they should address it directly with the employee and not with the others in the office, no matter how small the office is.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

In our office at the start of the new year, you get your vacation time. We work in a small office with 5 employees. The average vacation is 4 weeks for each person. One person has already taken more than 1/2 of her vacation (or will have by 1st week in March) The owner of the business is not happy with that and wants to have a discussion with the employee when she gets back.

Since we have no rules about taking your vacation upfront, she really has done nothing wrong.

I am just trying to see how other small business handle something like this.

Is it possible he feels that she has not earned her vacation yet? Seems like he should have a policy in place if this kind of thing is going to make him unhappy.

Where I worked, you got at least two weeks or more based on years employed. Depending on your department, you could take it any time except possibly year end. The vacation request list went around according to seniority, only one person could be gone at the same time. I had left the company for about 6 months and when I came back, they reinstated me. I was in a different department, but still had seniority above all the rest. I don't think people were happy when I put down Christmas week as my vacation. But I did get pregnant and quit before that even came into being.

 

[bettymae1121]

Well...I don't work for a small company (about 350 people) but the policy is that it's up to the division directors how vacation time is worked out within their division. My division is 3 people, including the director (my boss). So when it comes to vacation time, I may as well be working for a company of 3!

All three of us have been with the company for over 10 years, so we all have the max vacation time, just under 5 weeks. Basicly, whoever asks for the time off first gets it, though since we all get along we'll usually ask one another first before taking up the "good" days around holidays and long weekends. Over the years, we've all taken heavy amounts of vacation time over a short period of time for various reasons. My boss doesn't care when we take it, it's our time and we have it coming to us. The only restriction is we cannot take more than a day or two at a time in the three months leading up to our company's major annual convention, we are just too busy to be short handed for more than that.

 

[PatsMom]

I work for a small company. In the first year, you have no vacation time. At the end of the year, you are given 15 days and then begin accruing bi-weekly at the rate of 15 days per year. During the first you, they will allow a negative vacation balance if your work performance is satisfactory. They will also allow a negative balance under some conditions.

After your fifth year, you begin accruing at a rate of 20 days per year. After 10 years it is 25 days per year. We do not have separate sick time - we use our earned time. We are all exempt employees so we do not have to use our vacation time to cover short absences such as doctor's appointments.

We can have up to two years of accrued vacation time, then we begin losing it. For example, if I get to 50 days accrued, I stop earning time until I use some of the accrued time.

We don't have restrictions on when we can take our time. We are a small enough office that we just work out job coverage among ourselves and pretty much self-schedule and then let the two owners of the business know via e-mail.

 

[suzannen]

Even though we were always on a monthly vacation accrual system, they never enforced it until one employee used the entire year's worth by April and then quit. They ended up making her repay the vacation days she had not earned and started "policing" our vacation policy a lot closer. Now, our supervisor and President have to approve our vacation in writing and if you want to take any more days than you have actually accrued, you have to sign a document stating that you understand you are borrowing against days, etc....All of this because one person chose to be dishonest.

 

[adkkev]

I have 3 sick days a year, I am not allowed overtime...however if someone walks in at 5 to 6 (when I am supposed to clock out) I still have to wait and stay with that customer but clock out.

Isn't this illegal? Didn't WalMart get in hot water over this sort of thing?

 

[Carly_Roach]

I have 3 sick days a year, I am not allowed overtime...however if someone walks in at 5 to 6 (when I am supposed to clock out) I still have to wait and stay with that customer but clock out.

Isn't this illegal? Didn't WalMart get in hot water over this sort of thing?

Yes, it's illegal. But it's still being done all over the place. Even by Walmart. Risk Management experts have confirmed that it's cheaper to pay small slap-on-the-wrist fines years from now IF you get caught than it is to pay overtime that accrues each week.

So if you want to keep your job, you have to do what the boss tells you and clock out even when you're still working.