[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Vacations (Was: Questions)

[Sheryll Townsend]

> Brian wrote: 
> > What's a vacation?
> > I vaguely remember something like that years ago
> > :(
> 
> >
> Carol responds:
> I heard recently (I think it was on "Sunday Morning" but it
> might have been "The Early Show") that the U.S. is the only
> developed country that doesn't require companies with more
> than 100 employees to provide at least two months of paid
> vacation per year. Britain, IIRC. requires twenty days and
> France thirty. One country (I forget which one) requires
> companies to provide fifty days of paid leave per year! And
> employees are either required or at least encouraged to take
> those vacations because they increase productivity.
> 
> I guess we Americans are workaholics. As for me, I'm
> self-employed, so any "vacations" I take are unpaid leave
> when I'm between editing projects. (Not a problem at the
> moment; my calendar is full till about August.)
> 
> Carol, who heard that a senator or representative is
> presenting a bill to Congress that would require large
> companies to give employees *one* week of paid vacation per
> year, but I can't remember his name
> 
Sheryll:

I actually found a table that shows paid time off for various countries. It's a little out of date - 2007 - but I don't imagine the statistics have changed drastically since then. 

Canada is only required to give 10 days of paid vacation time and we have an average of 10 paid public holidays per year (it will vary depending on the number of provicial holidays included with the federal holidays).

I'm a part-time employee. Technically I get no paid holidays. I do, however, get 4% of my pay as vacation pay. Some companies let you accumulate this and some pay it on every paycheque. I get mine with my pay, my husband requests his at the end of every school year. So while I don't actually get paid holidays I can take time off whenever I want for vacations. I just get smaller paycheques when I do. 

Last year I took 4 vacations. This year it's 3. Generally just a week at a time, though, so it doesn't hurt the bank account too much. :)

Sheryll