So now companies are going to start FORCING people to take time off

[RB TexLa]

Guess if you really need or want the money, too bad, huh?

Shrinking-vacation syndrome has gotten so bad that at least one major American company, the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, has taken to shutting down its entire national operation twice a year to ensure that people stop working — for about 10 days over Christmas, and 5 days or so around the Fourth of July.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/us/20vacation.html?ei...

[BeTheChange]

1. The HORROR!

Seriously tho...good! People need to take time off. And 99.9% of people who work for a company like PWC are absolutely retarded and fiscal idiots if they can't manage without using their vacation for money.

[Chipper Chat]

2. Bad news for us workaholics....

that hate Christmas and 4th of July.

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. Yeah, unfortunately, I work for a company

that forces its employees to take their vacations during either June or July. I hate being forced into doing that, but I guess its better than not getting one at all.

[havocmom]

4. Place my daughter is forcing time off without pay

Managers wasting time worrying about whether the new paint in the office is just right instead of attending to customer service

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. They're Being A Good Company By Doing This. Others Will Follow Suit.

There are a lot of negative health risks associate with not taking enough time from work. This not only impacts the employees health but the employers healthcare costs as well. So starting to mandate that these breaks be taken is a good trend.

[cornermouse]

6. A little publicized fact is that the Europeans with their more

lavish time off produce more per person per hour than Americans do with their workaholic 24/7 philosophy. Check it out, it's true. We're overworking and overtiring ourselves; probably shortening our lives considerably as well.

If you feel so desperate that you can't stand to take any time off to rest, be with your family, and enjoy life, you can always fill in gaps with a second job or two.

[Matariki]

7. NO!!! NOT THE COMFY CHAIR!!

i didn't particularly get the impression that this was mandatory *unpaid* vacation.

[B Calm]

8. I was sent home early Friday because business is slow. No one

is buying new cars and the co I work for sale car bumbers to the major auto companies. They don't believe in laying off people because they don't want to pay unemployment benifits. So instead they sent out a memo the other day that they'll be sending employees home because the work is slow.

[Maine-ah]

9. after 7 years at the same business

I still only get 1 week. My husband after 8 years still only gets 1 week. It's not enough time after spending half of the year working 50-60 hours a week and the other half of the year working straight 40 hours. He only gets sundays off. I at least have sat. and sun. Our only holidays are christmas, new year, and thanksgiving.

In about twelve weeks, we are going to try to live off of one income, I have no maternity leave, and basically no rights since the business employs less than 50 people.

[Catbird]

10. Vacation is an essential security measure for many jobs.

Suppose you are embezzling money from your company. Suppose you are creating fictitious customers and companies. Suppose you are pretending that students did work they didn't. Suppose you are upgrading medical problems for higher reimbursements.

What do you want to do? Cover your tracks. Make sure no one notices. Make sure no one else gets access to the books you are cooking or the records you are falsifying.

What don't you want to do? Take time off. Take a vacation. Get sick. If you're not there, someone else will be filling in for you. Unless that person is a confederate of yours, there's a good chance they will notice what is going on. And you may get caught.

Forced unpaid leave or furloughs are are a different issue because these are essentially pay cuts. But forcing people to take vacation can be justified on the grounds of both security and health. Paying people for unused vacation is a bad idea because it encourages people not to take it. Take it or lose it. It's vacation, not a bonus.

[pimpbot]

11. While thats true, and companies do actually do that...

PwC pretty much shuts down during these periods of time off. As in, everyone is taking the vacation at the same time. It seems like a nice benefit, since they can still take vacation at other points in the year. However most people are working 50-60 hr weeks and are slaves to some other corporation (pwc does consulting). Its been my experience that whenever something goes wrong, its always easier to blame the consultant than someone internal, so the work can get pretty grueling.

[Retired AF Dem]

12. Must be some Germans running that company

Just try getting anything done in Germany between Dec 15 to Jan 3.

[tsuki]

13. Get something from France in August. Not happening.

Some corporate masters think that time off is a bad thing, but I think it is changing in the US as more foreign companies take over our manufacturing base.

[Retired AF Dem]

14. I'm not complaining

When I retired from the Air Force I retired in Germany and worked for a German Company. The first year of my contract I had 21 days vacation and all of the sick time I needed as long as I had a signed paper from a doctor.

[tsuki]

32. Neither am I. I just tell my customers that they have to live with it,

and wouldn't it be nice.

As to employees showing up sick, I send them home on sick leave. Please don't bring your colds here to infect everyone else.

[fishwax]

15. I worked for a company that closed over Christmas--it was great

They were usually closed for 1.5 to 2 weeks from right before Christmas until right after new year's. Usually all but two of the days were paid holidays, and we could elect to use either sick leave or vacation leave to cover those other two days. It was nice having the time off, and getting a full week or more of vacation for the price of a couple of days.

For those who don't get paid for the time off, though, and need the money, companies closing could be a real hardship.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. And that's why vacation time should be PAID and MANDATORY. -nt

[angstlessk]

17. An accounting firm that shuts down at the END of the YEAR?

That is TRULY AMAZING! Most gear up at that time. If you got to spend money before years end or get more income THAT is the time to do it! I find that unbelievable! At least for the ??% of people who use the calendar year as their fiscal year.

[Igel]

18. Bethlehem Steel was doing this back in the '70s. n/t

[seabeyond]

19. a lot of reasons for a company to insist an employee have time off.

i would think this wouldnt be one to bitch about. i guess it brings the ole saying, can't win really is true with some people. as an employer i insist my employees have time off. what a bitch i am. and regardless they are getting the same paycheck. no i am not going to increase my overhead so they have extra pay. i am on budget. use it or lose it. i prefer employee to use it. i insist my husband (the owner) uses his too. the first four years of owning business, he has only taken one of his vacations, and one year he took none. it is not healthy or good. this year i told him, you take it or i walk

not going to walk, ...... but i am that serious

find something else to bitch about employers

[seabeyond]

20. i like this. glad you posted. jsut told hubby about it. perfect times

to take off. and like seeing companies just shut down. again, kinda selfish on my part, but if business is shut down, hubby wont be interupted on his vacation with crisis crisis crisis. also would be two periods would love to have him home

i think we will be implementing this jan 1

[elehhhhna]

25. EXCELLENT IDEA --

and I consulted in HRR staffing & retention for YEARS, so I have a clue, here!

DO IT!

[seabeyond]

26. thank you el for the reinforcement. there is always customer service

in all consideration and the idea of shutting down and not being available to customer is a strong pull to not do this. teh more companies that implement the easier it will be for companies to do. further, these two periods are generally messed up anyway because of the holidays. especially christmas time.

thank you el

[elehhhhna]

30. Consider split time off -- half staff off, half on, then reverse.

[calico1]

21. I worked doing the payroll for my last employer.

The company had started cracking down on the practice some people had of not taking any vacation time. What people would do is not use their vacation or not use most of it. This was costly to the company because the person worked, so they get paid regular pay, plus they got paid out for their unused vacation time at the end of the year.

Now, I am referring to people not using vacation and getting paid out for it and working too....not people who get sent home because business is slow and get a cut in pay as a result. If you are full time I think you should get paid your work week even it it's slow.

[newspeak]

22. and some companies have a use it or lose it policy

you can only accumulate so much vacation, and if you don't use it you wind up losing it. Some employees are in positions in the company where they hardly get vacation because of the work they're doing. My hubby must take his cell phone and PC with him every time he goes on vacation--and the past three years, the convenient time of vacation (where he actually had no meetings, schedules), upper management would pull some type of special thing that just had to get done--last time they changed the week (just happened to be the week he was going on vacation) of the annual budget. Even if some company forced me to go on vacation, after what we've experienced, it would be a breath of fresh air!!!

[calico1]

24. You are correct.

I did the payroll for hourly employees. The exempt employees can take up to one year unused vacation into the next year. If they don't use it by the second year, they lose it! And you are so right. A lot of them because of what they do are not able to use the vacation they have accumulated, never mind the week they brought over from the prior year. And when they do go on vacation, most of them are expected to check e-mails, voicemail, etc.

[seabeyond]

28. hence, shut down the business. then there wouldnt be those issues

i am liking this. hubby has to be available on vacations also. shut down business during this period and everyone get into relax mode, refresh and rearing to go when they get back

[WinkyDink]

23. As a retired teacher, I can't muster up any sympathy for this! Maybe

forced WORK, yes.

Say, the PWC employees might try lettuce-picking.....

[Initech]

27. Bad news for workaholics. Good news for us slackers!

I'm not sure what to make of this...

[Cocoa]

29. some people get no vacation at all

and they're "forced" to take holidays off and their paychecks go down.

[mtnester]

31. Where I work, vacation is mandatory...

no buying out extra time not taken. Annually.

We can carry one week from year to year, otherwise, we have to take it.

I think the idea of taking vacation, even if you do nothing but NOT go to work for a week or two or however many...is about necessary for mental health. It is for me anyway.

The ones I feel sorry for are those who get zero vacation (paid) annually.