Would you buy extra vacation?

[Zanza]

Benefits enrollment is ongoing. WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!???

(I'm buying an extra week, I'm just curious what others think)

What is it costing?  I've seen selling back unused vacation time for cash at 50% value (which I thought was kind of silly, but when you're paid for shit anyway...) but not buying vacation.

Thread opening question: "1 more week for 1.92% of your pay"

A year has about 250 working days. Five days are 2% of that, so "paying" 1.92% of your salary for five more days off is a bargain.

[Eddie Teach]

I imagine with holidays and the vacation weeks he's already got that fraction is probably the exact portion of his time those days cover.

[derspiess]

I've been with the same company for 9.5 years.  It's the least they owe me.

Do you get into a new vacation bracket at 10 years?

I used to get 5 a year for the first two and then 6 in year three, plus you could carry over 2 weeks max from the previous year into the new one.

Yeah but I think I only get a few additional days.  Maybe not even a week.  In January I'll get a prorated increase in PTO since I will hit my 10 years in 2015 but not until May.  And they calculate it to the hundredth of an hour to be oh so extra precise.  So who knows what decimalized number I'll get to add to the 2.68 hours I've been carrying over for a couple years.

[CountDeMoney]

Thread opening question: "1 more week for 1.92% of your pay"

A year has about 250 working days. Five days are 2% of that, so "paying" 1.92% of your salary for five more days off is a bargain.

1 FTE = 2080 hours.  Somebody's 1.92% at $20/hr is substantially different than someone else's 1.92% at $28/hr.  That's why I asked what it's costing:  not to know his salary, but is he going to see diminishing returns?

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah but I think I only get a few additional days.  Maybe not even a week.  In January I'll get a prorated increase in PTO since I will hit my 10 years in 2015 but not until May.  And they calculate it to the hundredth of an hour to be oh so extra precise.  So who knows what decimalized number I'll get to add to the 2.68 hours I've been carrying over for a couple years.

At least you're doing your part for the company.

[alfred russel]

What is it costing?  I've seen selling back unused vacation time for cash at 50% value (which I thought was kind of silly, but when you're paid for shit anyway...) but not buying vacation.

Buying a week reduces your salary 1/52nd.

You can't sell it back. So if I buy it and then don't take vacation, I don't get my money back. I think this is because people were buying vacation they didn't intend to use, and then treating that as a christmas bonus. We can't carry over vacation either.

[crazy canuck]

What is it costing?  I've seen selling back unused vacation time for cash at 50% value (which I thought was kind of silly, but when you're paid for shit anyway...) but not buying vacation.

Buying a week reduces your salary 1/52nd.

You can't sell it back. So if I buy it and then don't take vacation, I don't get my money back. I think this is because people were buying vacation they didn't intend to use, and then treating that as a christmas bonus. We can't carry over vacation either.

That would be contrary to our Employment Standards legislation.  That would be considered earned vacation and if not used would be paid out at the end of the year.  And as a policy issue, why would the company care?  Because they are not going to get a windfall?

[Barrister]

AR, in your situation, with only 3 weeks holidays otherwise, and generally low expenses (other than your hobby of liking to travel) I would definitely buy the week.

For me... I get 4 weeks, plus a week of management supplement (in lieu of any overtime) - it's hard to use the time since I have to book it 8+ months in advance due to court commitments.  I probably wouldn't do it.

[Admiral Yi]

I have to book it 8+ months in advance

Yikes

[alfred russel]

That would be contrary to our Employment Standards legislation.  That would be considered earned vacation and if not used would be paid out at the end of the year.  And as a policy issue, why would the company care?  Because they are not going to get a windfall?

More legit reasons would be that it then has to be shown as a liability to the company that makes your balance sheet look worse. Also there are some processing and HR complexities that could be involved (we get unlimited sick time, and have flexible work arrangements, so sometimes the line can get blurry between what is vacation and what is not--not allowing unused vacation payouts prevents disgruntled employees from claiming they are due a windfall).

[crazy canuck]

AR, in your situation, with only 3 weeks holidays otherwise, and generally low expenses (other than your hobby of liking to travel) I would definitely buy the week.

For me... I get 4 weeks, plus a week of management supplement (in lieu of any overtime) - it's hard to use the time since I have to book it 8+ months in advance due to court commitments.  I probably wouldn't do it.

What if you have a hole in your scedule because something big settles?  Can you be spontaneous in those circumstances?

[Barrister]

I have to book it 8+ months in advance

Yikes

I just barely got my summer 2015 holidays booked in time the other day.

They're generally happy to book holidays for you - as long as it doesn't conflict with any trials scheduled.  If you do have a trial scheduled... well you can try to work out a trade on your own with a colleague, but other than that you're out of luck.

[derspiess]

At least you're doing your part for the company.

And they're further rewarding me by letting me pick something out of the 10 Year Anniversary section of the catalog!!  What should I go for-- the one person tent, tiny portable electric "grill", a previous generation video game console, or a programmable coffee maker*??




*I haven't actually seen that section yet; just speculating on the lameness

[Barrister]

AR, in your situation, with only 3 weeks holidays otherwise, and generally low expenses (other than your hobby of liking to travel) I would definitely buy the week.

For me... I get 4 weeks, plus a week of management supplement (in lieu of any overtime) - it's hard to use the time since I have to book it 8+ months in advance due to court commitments.  I probably wouldn't do it.

What if you have a hole in your scedule because something big settles?  Can you be spontaneous in those circumstances?

Yes, but you can't really book stuff last minute (in particular with Mrs B also working).  So, I had a week long trial get adjourned on Monday.  I was spontaneous and took Thursday afternoon off.  Woo.

[The Brain]

Wow. Do you occasionally mix some real coffee in with the decaf?