We Can't Catch a Break: 14 Depressing Facts About Americans and Vacation

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/we-cant-catch-break-14-depressing-facts-about-americans-and-vacation




A recent survey of 1,000 people by the travel marketing firm Skift revealed the following depressing statistics.

1. More than half of Americans haven't taken a single day of vacation so far this year.

2. Another 18 percent have taken fewer than five vacation days.

3. The rest is split between those who took fewer than 5, and those who took between 5-10 vacation days this year.

4. More than a quarter of American workers don't get any vacation days off.

5. The lower the income of Americans, the fewer vacation days they have taken this year.

[B Calm]

1. A lot of hourly workers sell back their vacation to their cheap labor employer.

[Earth_First]

2. ...and I bet that's not even available to half

'Use 'em or lose 'em' -if that's even an option.

[B Calm]

3. That's true too. Also some of them fear losing their jobs if they

take time off.

[Lars39]

6. Big thing now is for employers to combine sick days

with vacation days and make them all available at the first of the year.
No sell backs or cash-ins if you quit or retire,wether you're wage or salary serf.
It is wage/salary theft, imo.

[mwooldri]

8. Wise employees who are about to quit use them before doing so.

Especially when they are combined as such.

I agree that this is the "in thing" to do and for some people it makes sense. However when the amount of time they give stinks, the combined sick/vacation time stinks worse.

Apparently the medical field is even stinkier when it comes to vacation time. I just might be working for a great company and been there long enough when I can have four weeks paid vacation with an option to buy a fifth - and still accrue sick time.

[Lars39]

9. I personally know of one hospital

that demands a 4 week notice if the employee wants to be considered for rehire at some time in the future. The employee cannot take vacation time during those last 4 weeks either.

[littlewolf]

16. we have PTO (paid time off) at my job.

have never had trouble when I put in for time off
and the couple of times I was sick never had anything
said to me.

[Lars39]

22. Do they allow your PTO to roll over to next year?

If not, it's wage theft...you've earned that time.

[littlewolf]

23. nope - use it or lose it .... would be nice if they did allow it ... but no

only in extreme cases: you have tried to take PTO and something came up.
they will let you carry it over. I was allowed to carry 12 hours once
because I was unable to take that day off in Dec. (we work 12 hour shifts)

[SoCalNative]

26. In California

"use it or lose it" regarding vacation time earned is illegal. More states need to embrace that.

[littlewolf]

33. when I worked for the state of NC our Vacation time rolled over into sick time.

I now work for a private contractor ... nothing like that here.

[Sherman A1]

13. I some cases it's the only way

for those employees to get a little extra pay. Cash in a week or two of vacation (that you are really afraid to use because of potential consequences or guilt trip by the boss) and at least you get something out of the bad deal.

[Half-Century Man]

4. In my professional life I have taken 2 vacations.

The first was my honeymoon, the second was 8 years later. Any and all other vacation days were taken for health reasons. I worked an average week of 48 hours for most of my life.
.

[freshwest]

34. Same here. Only had about two weeks of real vacation in my life. The rest was to cover up sick time,

which my company did not allow, even for minute day without being rated badly for a year at a time. They pushed us until we broke down with a major illness. And there wasn't any funeral or other days unless the person died was in your own household. We had a lot of insurance benefits and needed it from the stress of the job. I'm glad people have jobs that give vacations, sick days, etc. I never had one.

[marions ghost]

5. What is this "vacation"?

That's something that happens in other countries....

We have never had real vacations--a couple of days here and there. People in other countries have a real solid block of time off. Paid.

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. Thy didn't ask us...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

10. well, 1,2 and 3 are because i take the last 6 weeks of the year off... n/t

[Vinca]

11. As travel conditions have worsened, I've lost my desire to take a traditional vacation.

I'm self-employed, though . . . big difference if you make your own hours.

[Dirty Socialist]

12. How about driving somewhere?

You can't go as far, but it saves the hassle of going to an airport.

[Vinca]

24. Day trips sometimes. I'm not big on hotels and restaurants either.

I think I've watched too many Gordon Ramsay shows. LOL.

[hfojvt]

30. but taking a "vacation day"

doesn't mean you have to go anywhere.

However, being self-employed also means you generally do not get a PAID day off.

[Triana]

14. I've had no vacation this year. Trying to take one soon.

But critical projects being planned the week I was to be out. I can either: work half of my "vacation" or cancel it. No f*cks given from the entities planning the work of course. If I have to cancel, maybe they can refund my $600 on airline tickets and tell my 86-year-old Mom that the last time I saw her may be the last time I see her. (as IF that would be considered by anyone)

Assholes.

[Dont call me Shirley]

15. Many employers give no benefits, or have had to cut benefits because of the recession.

No paid vacation, paid holidays, paid sick days, health insurance.

Imagine that. These need to be mandatory. Employers need to be made to pay to operate, no matter the size of their business. Europe has been doing this for decades, it's time for American employers to take responsibility for the workers they employ, either pay a living wage or provide benefits.

[alarimer]

17. I wonder how difficult it would be to get a job in Europe?

I don't really care where. Just someplace where I can work but not kill myself over it?

The US really sucks. I can't think of anything good about living here. "Freedom"? Yeah, freedom to die of stress from your three jobs, none of whom would give you enough hours to make one full-time job. So you go to sleep in your car and never wake up. America, fuck yeah!

I have it better than most. I'm allowed to take vacation. I have a real pension, even. Or I think I will when I retire. That remains to be seen. But still, American work culture in general sucks. From the lack of a living wage to the lack of benefits for a whole lot of workers.

We need unions AND mandatory benefits (including vacation) for all workers. None of this combining sick leave and vacation in some stingy "leave" package. It's not enough and one bout of the flu means you can never take any more time off.

[stevenleser]

19. The type of job you would get as a non-EU citizen would likely not be much better than the jobs here

unfortunately.

[SoCalNative]

27. Not true

If you work for a company that has offices overseas, it's may not be that difficult to transfer to one of those offices from the US.
I'm doing it the first of the year with my company, transferring to our Amsterdam office. I got a generous salary increase, more paid time off than I have here, complete relocation paid for and assistance in doing so. Also, the work week is 37.5 hours, not 40 (or more), and since the public transportation system is so much better there, won't have the stress of the daily driving commute.

[stevenleser]

31. That's different. I'm talking about taking a flight over and taking a job there, not xferring.

Generally you are limited to the hospitality professions and the pay is not high.

[Dirty Socialist]

18. Three instances of sickness from me in a yar

And I'm fired! No paid sick days, either.
Two weeks of vacation per year.

[hedgehog]

20. My husand has been workinga long term project in Germany -

the Americans can't believe how many days the Germans have off, and the Germans can't get over how many days the Americans work!

Not to mention - the German work week is shorter, and those hours are enforced.

[hifiguy]

29. But, but, everyone knows that Germany

is a socialist hellhole where people have no freedumbs. Right?

[Ace Rothstein]

21. I'll give kudos to my employer here.

Everyone gets 5 personal days and anywhere from 10-20 vacation days per year, depending on length of employment. Every manager I've had has been adamant that I use all my time as well. Heading to South America the last half of next month!

[fizzgig]

25. i take every minute of my pto every year

it's a bullshit situation, though. i have to hit a certain number of hours a week to keep my benefits and some weeks there simply isn't enough work for me to hit those hours, so i have to use my pto to round up. on top of that, there is no separate sick time and it's use it or lose it.

but i'm lucky in that i don't have to fear an repercussions for using my pto. there are days i text my boss two hours before i'm supposed to come in to tell him i need a mental health day and that's never been an issue.

[hifiguy]

28. The average working person in this country has fewer

usable rights than most medieval peons.

Back to work, assholes, and be glad we pay you anything at all. The beatings and salary cuts will continue until morale improves.

The French knew how to deal with an abusive aristocracy. "Guillotine" ring any bells out there?

[FLPanhandle]

32. Even worse is how we take vacations

A day here and a day there. No real time away from work. Even then, people check their work emails on their phones on their "day off"


Europeans often are gone from work for 2 weeks at a time and fully recharge.

[whistler162]

35. What is the demographics of this "survey"

When was the "survey" conducted. How many where in new jobs of less than 1 year? What is the age range of those surveyed?

I find most surveys, 99.99999%, to be self serving idiotiocs.

[Live and Learn]

36. My spouse gets no paid vacation days and no sick days.

No health care either, but works for a contractor at a city job (for over 20 years).

We are able to take vacations together only at the risk of my spouse being given less hours in retribution for the time off.

I really fear for the future generations of America.