scrubbedexpat091

Skill level and job title matters too, I worked for a company who offered top notch benefits to all the white collar workers at head office, even non-management but the front line employees out doing the work/dealing with the customers, got bare minimum.

If I found a place giving 4 weeks vacation and letting you take the full time in one big block, I don't think I would ever leave lol.

CanadaJimmy

I've said to my wife multiple times I'll happily retire at this company. It's great being able to tell recruiters just to leave me alone, I'm not leaving a good thing!

scrubbedexpat091

My last company we got the bare minimum, and it was like pulling teeth to actually get the time off, no way anyone could get 2 weeks in a row, black outs during certain times of year, they would cave and find a week here and a week there to use it, but it was a pain, mostly due to them not being able to fully staff so anyone on vacation just made everything worse for those working lol

rivingtonpike

cheeky_monkey

I dont know what companies you work for but i get the same holidays as i did in the UK..I get 5 weeks plus stat hols on top ..plus a week shut down at Chrimbo..again its about knowing you're own worth and not just blindly accepting what is first offered.

dbd33

your, ffs

J-A-UK

Dorothy

It doesn't have to be. When I go home to Canada I let people know where I'm staying and that considering I just flew 24 (or more) hours to get there if they want to catch up then the least they can do is drive a few km.

scilly

We tried that when we went back to the UK with a 15 month old ............... come see us 'cos it's easier.

Nope ............ all of them refused point blank.

Which meant that we had to drive around the North of England visiting all the oldies who would have made our lives miserable for years to come if we had missed them out.

Then, they didn't want to know anything about us or even our daughter ....... all they wanted to do was to complain about how Britain was going to the dogs .................. because of all the immigrants who had been thrown out of Uganda by Idi Amin!

We were so lucky that we had a very adaptable toddler who fitted in with everything, fell asleep as soon as the car started or on someone's carpet.

The best trip we had was in 1995, we had only told one person that we were going back before I discovered that I had to have an operation. Then everything was up in the air until I was given permission by the surgeon to fly just 3 weeks after that operation (with certain conditions) so still in full recovery mode, taking 2 Tylenol 3s 4 times a day. We told 2 more people, and that was it. The rest of the time we drove around by ourselves, went where we wanted to go, and had a lovely time.

It really helped us to recover from what had been a very fraught 6 weeks.

scrubbedexpat091

Other then my parents, I don't go out of my way to see anyone else, my parents live in different parts of California so a fair amount of travel just to see them since they don't live in the same area, I figure if I am important enough to someone they can manage to drive a few minutes to my dads to see me (everyone I know lives within 15 mins of my dads house except my mom and sister.) but I don't have or easy ability to venture to go see everyone, and frankly if they are not willing to come to see me without me going to them, not sure they really care much to begin with.

Dorothy

We're going to the U.K. in August for our honeymoon. Only 2 people know we're going to be there and we have said we are not spending more than 2 days in the OH's hometown. I really like holidays that are stress free.
That's exactly what I think too. I do go visit my very elderly mom but everyone else can either come to where I am or not. If they can't be bothered that's their loss.

scilly

I agree.

We haven't been back to the UK since 2008, and we rarely went any more frequently than at 6 or 7 year intervals, but after my brother died in 1991 and OH's mother in 1993, we were left with only my sister-i-l that we HAD to see and OH's cousin who he was very close to, and who we would have wanted to see any way!.

I had one aged aunt, but we only saw her once or twice. Same with a cousin who I love dearly, but she wasn't worried whether we made time to go to the home town or not!

We were free to pick and choose friends to see, or to be free to visit any place we wanted.

Those last few trips were really holidays such as we've taken to many other countries, rather than duty visits.

lukesmith2

Its not like that. You would not be able to leave your job and negotiate 5 weeks plus a week at xmas so 6 weeks. Unless your Dentist or Doctor, Vet or very president or VP of a company.

Its not about blindly accepting it. I tried to negotiate at all my jobs the most I ever got was my current job 3 weeks to start.

GrandmaLynn

Yes I agree, I moved here in 1981 but it's time they moved with the times but unfortunately it seems like 2 weeks is acceptable to most Canadians as the norm.

lukesmith2

Man this holiday issue will be the end of my time in Canada unfortunately. I'm 25 years old and haven't got rid of the travel bug in me. I need to explore Europe more and Asia. I think the work life balance is just to greyed out in Canada.