bcworld

I hate long service leave. It's just an excuse to give me a weeks less annual leave every year for 10 years. I doubt I'll ever qualify. If my company makes me redundant after 6 years all the LSL I've 'accrued' disappears without trace! What a great benefit!

Would far rather have the extra days accrued as annual leave and if I fancy an extended holiday every 10 years negotiate unpaid leave with my employer.

rld1177

Is it common in Australia to have the chance to 'buy leave'? When I lived in the UK I know it was pretty typical to get say 25 days standard, and reduce it to 20 and make a bit more in the paycheck or 'buy' 5 more days off. So in short your vacation time was 4 - 6 weeks depending on if you wanted more or less holidays and didnt mind the hit to the paycheck.

bcworld

I used to be able to buy upto 7 weeks total annual leave through a flexible benefits package in the UK. Haven't come across that here but have had no problem getting unpaid leave approved - which is essentially the same thing.

commonwealth

Does anyone know why much of Europe is in an economic crisis right now?

Too many perks for workers could be a reason.

chris955

neil248

in Denmark you can get 3 years paid maternity leave and your job is still open to you at the end of those 3 years, and if you get preganant again within the 3 year period it rolls over ( a friend of mine had 3 children in 7 years and is just now going back into her original job - with the appropriate salary increases).

How the hell do small companies survive those kind of workers rights

neil248

Greece comes in at 21 so maybe Australia should follow their lead. Not!

iamthecreaturefromuranus

It was a great idea in the days when people stayed with the one company all their working lives... but it's anachronistic these days.

I went from 30 days a year holiday in the UK, to 20 here and that was a company transfer... and my LSL clock started at zero. The years I had in with the company didn't transfer.

Pollyana

They've introduced it in our department (Queensland Govt) but the rules are so complex that I don't think the take up rate is very high yet. I've reached the dizzy heights of being able to access my long service leave though, which I thought would never happen....over 7 years with the same department.

papilon

Most of those things are supported by the government so it is not actually the employer paying. Fathers can also take up to a year off paid until the child reaches 10 years. You can also take a years sabbatical after a few years. I lived there for 10 years and had friends who must have had easily 8 weeks leave a year with public holidays thrown in.


Free medical, very cheap child care, early retirement, free Uni and Schooling and hot women everywhere you go, i can see it would score very highly on the work/life scale

Downsides long dark cold winters and 50% min tax

MAR001

Sweet.!!!
Well, at least I have a beach (with few hot women though) 10min from home ..

Margaret3

yep been at Austin almost 5 years already, hanging in there for my LSL

Margaret3

[QUOTE=DeadVim;9908104]The yanks probably got Australia and Austria mixed up again.

commonwealth

Actually, Governator Arnie Swazzie was born in Kings Cross NSW.

aussietobe

maybe this is why Australia has such a robust economy, at least in comparison to most European countries?