As noted, however, vacation arrangements can vary greatly between jobs. For instance, some employers may grant all vacation days at the beginning of the year and allow the employee to use them as she pleases. Other jobs — especially part-time and “temp” jobs — may not allow for any paid vacation at all. Note also that many employers choose to grant their employees “sick days” and/or “personal days” in addition to normal paid vacation time. These usually accrue at different rates than ordinary vacation days and are intended to be used for illnesses, moving, and other situations when the obligations of the employee’s personal life interfere with his work commitment. However, it’s common practice for employees to sometimes use these days for vacation time.
Like an employee’s benefits, the length of a new hire’s probationary period can vary from company to company. For instance, some companies have probationary periods of three months, while others have probationary periods twice as long. [2] X Research source It’s also important to note that employers may place an employee on “probationary” status for disciplinary reasons. If this is the case for you, you’ll need to work with your employer to fix the problems that caused your probation to start accruing vacation time once again.
While vacation policies differ greatly between employers, on average, new hires in the U. S. earn about 14 days of paid vacation per year, while employees who have been working for more than 15 years earn about twice as much at 27 days per year.
Note that, in these situations, the cost of the time off isn’t usually paid as a lump sum. Instead, the cost is deducted in small amounts over a long period of time from the employee’s regular paychecks. [3] X Research source
If you’re a temp worker and you’re on good terms with your boss, you may want to cautiously try asking for enough work to qualify as full-time and start earning benefits. Note, however, that the prospects for temp workers can be slim in this regard — many temps have a difficult time making the transition to full-time work. [4] X Research source
Keep in mind that employers are also legally obligated to give you time off for certain types of important duties that are beyond your control. For instance, if you get a jury duty summons, most states have laws in place that require your employer to give you time off without requiring you to use your vacation days. [6] X Research source Similar protections are in place for members of the armed forces or reserves who have periodic military duties. However, these laws do not always require your employer to pay you for the time off. In addition, many employers offer several days of paid bereavement leave when a close family member dies. However, this is often not mandated by law. [7] X Research source
Vacation caps vary between employers — in many states, the law is worded to allow employers to offer as high or as low of a cap as is “reasonable. " However, many state and private agencies set minimum recommended amounts. For instance, in California, the CEA (California Employers Association) recommends a “cap” of at least 1. 5 times the annual amount of vacation accrued per year.
However, it’s worth noting that the strength of your bargaining position can vary greatly depending on your standing with your boss, the quality of your work, your current hours, the desirability of your skills, and more. In general, employees who are on good terms with their boss, who have a record of good work, and who have high-demand skills are more likely to fare well in negotiations. If you’ve decided to negotiate with your employer (or potential employer), see the section below for helpful advice on getting the level of vacation that you want.
Keep in mind, however, that when you leave a job you forfeit all of the paid vacation you’ve saved up for that job. About half of the fifty states have laws that require an employee to be paid for his unused time off when he quits or is fired. [8] X Research source If you don’t live in one of these states, strongly consider taking your vacation before you quit.
One great source of this information is the U. S. Department of Labor (specifically, its Bureau of Labor Statistics), which, among many other things, regularly publishes data on the sorts of benefits offered to employees in a variety of fields. [9] X Trustworthy Source US Bureau of Labor Statistics U. S. government agency that collects and reports labor-related information Go to source
Statistically, taking occasional vacation leave is good for most workers’ productivity. Research has found that, if every worker in the U. S. were to take just one more day of vacation each year, the U. S. economy would create an estimated $73 billion in revenue from the additional productivity. [10] X Research source
Again, science supports the idea that vacation time can help make you a better worker overall. Research has shown that vacation time is one of the most important ways to prevent “burnout” — a state of intense fatigue and dissatisfaction that leads to dramatically reduced productivity.
As a very general rule, you’ll never want to take a reduction in pay in exchange for vacation time that’s equal to or greater than the amount of money you could have made from working during your vacation. Agreeing to this is against your financial interests — in effect, it’s reducing your wages for no net benefit to you.
The problem with this strategy, unfortunately, is that it requires you to put in extra effort outside of work to get the job offer in the first place. This can be difficult, especially if you’re already working long hours. Don’t get discouraged — many business experts agree that being employed makes you more attractive to potential employers. [11] X Research source See our resume-writing and interview-prep articles for more information! It goes without saying, but you definitely don’t want to do your job-searching work on the company dime. If your employer finds out you’re looking for other work, you run a major risk of being let go.
