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Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Not only are our Canadian brothers and sisters used to minimal holidays compared to us workshy European types, but they often don't use all the holidays they're given. Only 41% of Albertans have used all their annual leave by the end of the year. Blimey.
From today's Vancouver Sun. Cheers, Iain B.C. workers Canada’s top vacationers BY DERRICK PENNER VANCOUVER SUN Perhaps it is because they live in a playground of mountains and beaches that British Columbians are among the most likely Canadians to use all their vacation time, according to a new study. The Ipsos-Reid poll, released Monday, found that 64 per cent of B.C. residents take all the vacation days coming to them, which makes them just as likely as Atlantic Canadians to max out their holidays, and only slightly less likely than the 69 per cent of Quebecers who leave no vacation days on the books. According to the study of 1,000 people commissioned by travel website Expedia.ca, 38 per cent of Canadians don’t take all their vacation days. Julie Riva, a Lower Mainland accounting manager, isn’t working right now, but her vacation mantra is “use it, use it, use it.� She noted that many companies don’t let employees carry over their vacation time so people take all the time owed to them rather than “give it back� to their employers. “Life’s too short, you’ve got to get that time,� she said. Student and waitress Kristine B owditch said that British Columbians’ penchant for vacations is perhaps one of the reasons why they are healthier and live longer. “It’s better for your health, romance,� she said. “Especially if you are in a relationship. You forget about and lose track of each other. [Vacations] let you catch up with each other without being exhausted all the time.� Renato Risi says B.C. residents know the value of long vacations and store up holiday days when they can. “I think the longer people do that, they are more rejuvenated and a lot happier,� said the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch employee. That answer would be no surprise to the Ipsos-Reid pollsters who found that 93 per cent of respondents thought it was important for people to use all of their vacation time to help relieve stress. Some 46 per cent said that after returning home from a vacation they generally feel “refreshed and ready to work.� Not all Canadians, however, heed the advice to kick back and relax as seriously. After Quebec (69 per cent), B.C. and the Atlantic provinces (64 per cent) Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents (57 per cent) were most likely to use their vacation time followed by Ontarians (56 per cent). Albertans proved to be the nation’s biggest workaholics with only 41 per cent of residents answering that they use all their vacation days. Quebec residents seem to enjoy their time away from work more than most. Only 28 per cent of employees in that province did not take all their holidays, according to the survey. While Canadians are choosing to spend plenty of time at work, other research suggests companies in this country are offering employees longer vacations. Many firms give their workers three weeks’ holiday time in the first year of service, according to a Mercer Human Resource Consulting study. Mercer representatives say that is a shift from only a few years ago, when many organizations stuck to the mandatory two weeks of vacation required in most provinces. “Canadian organizations are starting to offer a level of vacation that is more comparable to Europe, where it’s common to get several weeks off,� said Danielle Bushen of Mercer’s Toronto office. Organizational behaviour expert Maria Rotundo said the contrasting results may indicate Canadians are overworked. “A company may say employees can have a month off, but if someone can’t finish their work, they might have to skip vacation time,� said Rotundo, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business. Mercer’s survey of 230 private and public sector firms found many companies offer salaried employees three weeks off within their first year on the job. That was the case at 46 per cent of organizations, while another 38 per cent offer only two weeks off during the workers’ first year. About the same number of firms, 47 per cent, give managers three weeks’ vacation in the first year. The study also found a significant shift in the number of firms that allow more than a month off to long-term employees. Sixty-f ive per cent of employers now allow five weeks of holiday time to workers who have been with the company for 20 years or more  something Mercer said used to be relatively rare in the private sector. |
Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Why is it that the more I hear of Canada the more I look forward to going there?
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Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Originally Posted by indref
Why is it that the more I hear of Canada the more I look forward to going there?
»ˆˆ« I got an email from a friend in the UK saying he was having a hard time fitting all 31 days of holiday allowance in this year. B@$#@rd The same article in the globe and mail quoted 58% of albertans not taking there full allotment. Think maybe they got it the wrong way around. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...tory/National/ Iain |
Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Originally Posted by Iain Mc
Not only are our Canadian brothers and sisters used to minimal holidays compared to us workshy European types, but they often don't use all the holidays they're given. Only 41% of Albertans have used all their annual leave by the end of the year. Blimey.
From today's Vancouver Sun. Cheers, Iain I know two families where the husband does not use all his annual leave - both those men get 5 weeks holiday each year and complain about not being able to "get away". Nobody has told me that they only get ten days a year and are unable to use all of it. Its sounds like a manipulation of figures! Mrs G |
Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
This comes back to the statistics again. Now what I would like to see if this broken into categories. Of those who only had 10 days annual leave - how many didnt use them all. Of those with five weeks annual leave - how many didnt use them all. etc
I know two families where the husband does not use all his annual leave - both those men get 5 weeks holiday each year and complain about not being able to "get away". Nobody has told me that they only get ten days a year and are unable to use all of it. Its sounds like a manipulation of figures! Mrs G I have to confess for all my grumbling, a couple of years ago I only used 8 of my ten days for one reason or another! Wont happen again. Take your point though. Iain |
Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Originally Posted by iaink
I have to confess for all my grumbling, a couple of years ago I only used 8 of my ten days for one reason or another! Wont happen again. Take your point though.
Iain Where I work as well the 2 weeks is taken more as how much vacation pay you are given, so there is the option of taking extra time you just aren't being compensated for it. So while my technical limit is 2 weeks I have taken more like 2 8 or 9 day vacations which technically make it 17 or 18 days but I only have 2 weeks va cation pay, however as long as I budget for it right it doesn't really matter. ' Drew |
Re: Holidays again, interesting statistics.
Originally Posted by wizzard
I think it probably depends what your job is as well as to how you work in your vacation. I think in Canada people take a lot more weekend vacations that don't really count as vacation time per say. So they will leave early on a Friday and drive to whether they are going and stay all weekend and then come back on either the Monday or Tuesday. Especially on the long weekends. I think also the amount of vacation time can be negotiated as a job perk. A few people I work with managed to get 3 weeks vacation from day one by negotiating it when they took the job, maybe instead of pushing for more money or a company car etc.
Where I work as well the 2 weeks is taken more as how much vacation pay you are given, so there is the option of taking extra time you just aren't being compensated for it. So while my technical limit is 2 weeks I have taken more like 2 8 or 9 day vacations which technically make it 17 or 18 days but I only have 2 weeks va cation pay, however as long as I budget for it right it doesn't really matter. ' Drew Some professions like medicine seem to have more reasonable hooliday allowances in the first place, I guess they dont want a tired and stressed surgeon sawing away, or maybe they are basically self employed contractors. Dont know! The whole holiday pay scheme is a bit of an alien concept to many brits. Seems very common here though. My problem was I never could budget to take the unpaid option, and at least one employer flat out refused to sanction it as they have to find staff to fill in for you, which is not fair on everyone else. Iain |
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