Dan725

But hypothetically then, if you could stay, and was offered a job with 2 weeks off a year - would you consider it as an alternative to going back to the UK?

danfan

Then you're not in the same boat as most of us!

I went from 6 weeks vacation a year in UK to NONE here. I've had 4 days off in the past 5 years. No wonder I get cranky.

pejpm1

Nope. I just could not imagine only having 2 weeks off. I'm not that madly in love with the country that I'd put myself through that. I dropped from 25 down to 20 when I moved over here which wasnt too bad as I'd only been on 25 days for a couple of months so hadnt really felt the benefit of it. I get 5 'sick days' off per year (I dont really understand that concept, some people seem to treat it as holiday) and 2 'personal days'..i havent taken those yet as I dont really get that idea either. If I need to go to the doctor for example they dont make me take a personal day...I dont really get the personal day concept. I'm on a local contract as well, everyone gets the same.

Most of Wall St are making 20 days standard now anyway. They want to attract the best talent and many Europeans arent willing to work for 10 or 15vacation days per year. Vacation time is an area that US employers really need to look at. I wouldnt mind betting that productivity would actually increase if firms gave people more time off. Why wouldnt you want your employees refreshed and more motivated?

pejpm1

Why?? I honestly dont understand that. Would they let you take it off unpaid?

danfan

Nah, my husband and I run our own business & I'm a tough boss

Seriously though, in our area about 5 days is about max vacation time for the first 5 years - that's if you can get a job. We give our employees a measly 5 days up to a max of 10 that they earn over 5 years & that's really good around here.
Yes, it's awful. I was riddled with guilt for the first year that we employed anyone but they see it as the norm.

Bob

nice to be able to be picky...

The place I've just been sniffing up offers 2 weeks paid holiday, plus sick leave plus paid public holiday, but then they also fully pay the medical/dental/vision insurance, so it's a trade off I could live with...admittedly with a grumble

Bob

personal time is just holiday that you don't need to book in advance to get the time off, people use it to hang around for the cable guy or what not, that kind of stuff, or if the kids are sick.

pejpm1

really? thats weird, because whenever I've had to do that I havent had to take a day out of my personal allocation..although I guess because I live pretty close to work so I've never had to take a whole day..usually just a few hours in the morning or maybe leaving a few hours early. My employer are pretty cool in that sense.

Maybe it's a New York thing because I havent found attitudes towards vacation particularly different here. Like I say, I think some employers are realising that they have to be a bit more flexible to attract talent. Say your a brilliant Harvard Grad and you're looking to work in investment banking...you could go to New York and get 10 days (only after accruing it of course, and no time off for the first 6 months) vacation OR you could go to London and get 20 to 25 days for doing the same job. I was talking to someone from HR and she was saying that a lot of the 'global' organisations are realising that they need to improve to remain competitive. Maybe thats one of the reasons London has overtake NY as the financial capital.

augigi

I used to get 6 weeks as a fulltime, shift working nurse in australia.

Here, I get I think 17 days when I first started, but you can also buy more PTO, which I did to cover when I go to Australia. The issue for me is, even when you have the time, you feel guilty taking it, because the other staff have to pick up the slack when you're off.

jjmb

don't feel guilty at all as they don't pay me for any days off.

Dan725

Unlike the bus psycho argument on the other thread !, I do actually completely agree with you on this time off thing. I personally find it the worst thing about the US - even though some of your Wall Street guys may theoretically get 4 weeks off, I doubt very much they get to take it all without being frowned upon (as per Augigi's comment) .

The job I just started recently I got 3 weeks off the bat, and then goes up to 4 after 3 years, which for here is pretty good - but still a far cry off the standard 5 in the UK.