Paid Vacations, Sickdays quick poll

sickandtired · June 2005

Hello,
I was just curious how much paid time off is given to full time employees working for other employers.
I have been with my employer 20 years in July and I only receive 80 hours(10days) paid vacation, and 40 hours (5days) paid sick time. Doctors appointments for me and my children also have to be squeezed into that time.
Thanks for your input.

Rural HR · June 2005

We give only 2 sick days (16 hours) per year regardless of tenure. However, they can be used in 1/2 hour increments which helps when it's a doctor/dentist appointment and doesn't take the whole day. The other paid time is:

2 personal days per year

2 weeks vacation after one year
3 weeks vacation after five years
4 weeks vacation after ten years.

M.

Parabeagle · June 2005

In our company, a 20-year ee receives 160 hrs vacation per year (use it or lose it arrangement). We do not have sick leave, but all employees accrue PTO at the rate of 2.167 hours per pay period, up to a maximum of 96 hours. This time is intended to be used for sick leave, or any other reason of the ee's choosing. We also give ee's up to 2 hours per month gratis for doctor or other professional appointments that is not charged to their available leave.

awilliams · June 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-30-05 AT 03:04PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Beagle- that's an interesting benefit I haven't heard of before. Could you give me an estimate of the percentage of employees who use that time on a monthly basis? Do you have any employees who seem to take advantage of it? It sounds like a very nice way to handle work/life issues.

Anne Williams
Senior Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC

Parabeagle · June 2005

Anne, I would guesstimate that maybe 50 percent of our employees take advantage of it. The time must be requested in advance (for example, dr.'s appt., property closing, etc. - something that can be predicted and planned for) and approved by the employee's supervisor, who is responsible for reporting the time used to Payroll (payroll dept. manages our leave banks). If the ee exceeds two hours in a month, the overage is deducted from one of their available leaves (either PTO or vacation). What I think is interesting is that the privilege does not seem to be abused. Those who don't need it don't take it.

awilliams · June 2005

Thanks for the additional information. It sounds like a really great program.

Anne Williams
Senior Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC

Whatever · June 2005

Hate to be cynical, but since this is your first post and you seem to be venting about your pto, are you really in HR?

sickandtired · June 2005

So because I asked this as my first question I am not a HR Manager? Wow, you have some issues. What would have been the appropriate first question to ask? I did not know there was a certain order I needed to follow.

Thanks to all of you that did post an actual answer to my post, instead of a rude comment.

ray a · June 2005

Sickandtired, I have to admit I thought the same as Whatever as I read your initial post. She wasn't being rude, just posing a valid question. It is unusual for HR professionals to vent on the forum about their employers, though it does happen sometimes. No rules about first posts, but you have come across as an employee looking for validation in support against your employer, not as someone in the HR field.

mushroomHR · June 2005

I concur. When I read your post I took it to be from a disgruntled employee and not someone in HR, especially with your Forum name. Had you been taking a poll as to how much PTO other employers give and left it at that I would have thought differently. Welcome to the Forum though.

Whatever · June 2005

Sickandtired-For the answer to your question, I suggest that you go to "Benefits" and then the topic "Vacation/sickleave/pto/holiday" Not only will you get your answer but it will give you a different approach to asking the same question.

pork1 · June 2005

Well "sick and tired" welcome to the forum and our world of work.

A 20 year employee would get 48 hours of sick time each year on November 1. The day before that award date the employee would be paid out for any sick time not used last year.

A 20 year employee would be entitled to 3 weeks leave every year on the ee's annivarsary date. Each multi-vacation-week employee is allowed with application to sell back one week per year at the current rate of pay per hour, the other two weeks are to be used for rest and recreation. But if the ee is a really dedicated employee, she/he can appeal to his/her boss for the sale of an additional week of vacation. If that does not get the ee up for the vacation, then the week before his/her anniversary date we will payout any unused vacation time.

Sorry your company does not love their employees as much, as we do. But then, who wants to shovel HOG manure every day for a life in our "world of work". Our ees are special and dedicated people and we do what is necessary to keep these wonderful ees happy and ready to do it again tomorrow. We have gone in for a 4th week for 20 year employees and there are a few but not in our state just yet. I do not believe the owners will be ready to go there, but we keep trying.

PORK

Tammy Binford · June 2005

For anyone who's wondering, sickandtired is indeed a subscriber, just like anyone else who posts here.

Tammy Binford
Editor, M. Lee Smith Publishers

ray a · June 2005

Then I apologize for my cynicism.

We give:

3 personal days per year.

10 days vacation, years 1 to 3, then incrementally up to 15 days after 5 years and 20 days after 15 years.

Can purchase additional vacation, either 5 or 8 days per year.

Hunter1 · June 2005

Could be that she's 'sickandtired' of employees. I get that way many times. I've spent a good deal of my career trying to figure out a way to run a business without employees. Not successful yet.
We're public sector and get great benefits: after 20 years, 5 weeks of vacation, and all full time employees get 12 days of sick leave/yr, most with a maximum accumulation of 120 days (use it or lose it after that). In 24 years, I have yet to use my first hour of sick leave, and have yet to use all of my vacation in any given year, but, then, I'm crazy.

I've been very fortunate.

HRinNH · June 2005

Welcome to the Forum, sickandtired. It helps to have a good sense of humor to hang around in here. :-)

We just started providing sick time to our plant employees at 1/2 day (4 hrs) per month.

They earn vacation at 1.54 days per month (80 hrs per year) to start. 120 hrs beginning of 9th year and and 160 hrs after 15th year and 240 hrs after 30 years.

Have a great holiday!

Cheryl C.

dchr9203 · June 2005

3 weeks PTO 1-5 yr
4 weeks PT 5-10 yr
5 weeks PT 15+ yr

JF12 · June 2005

1-4 Yrs 3 weeks
5-9 Yrs 4 weeks
10+ 5 weeks

KathyHR · June 2005

Welcome to the Forum. I'm somewhat of a newbie too. BTW, we're a public employer.

Clerical
0-4 years: 2 weeks (1st year is pro-rated)
5-10 years: 3 weeks
11-19 years: 4 weeks
20+ years: 1 additional day for each additional year up to 5 weeks for all eligible employees

Professionals & supervisors (including HR) start with 4 weeks & follow the 20+ above. Up to one-half of vacation can be carried over to the next year up to a maximum of 6 weeks.

We all accrue 10 hours sick per month (15 days/year) up to 720 hours. But we have no STD or LTD. Personally I think 15 days per year are extremely excessive, so I've been considering switching to PTO.

We also get 2 personal days per year. No carry-over.

All time can be used in 15 minute increments. Sounds bad but it is very easy to administer.

Dutch2 · June 2005

Vacation:
2 weeks after 1 year
3 weeks after 7 years
4 weeks after 15 years

Sick time: ee's accumulate 1 day every month and can save up to a total 30 days. STD kicks in on day 31 and LTD on 181.

LivindonSouth · June 2005

I didn't see anything wrong with the question or the screen name. We all still have the authority to choose our own screen names, do we not? The ones I get sideways with are the 'lawyer-types' who pretend not to be in that profession. Those are the ones who blow my skirt up (it's OK, I'm on vacation). What's the difference in 'sickandtired' and 'whatever' or 'aluminum boy' or 'spread too thin' or 'LivindonSouth'? I don't think a screen name has to meet any sort of muster in order to signal a serious question. I sort of enjoyed the slides about the framers. I prefer those shots to watching piglets being pulled.

DeidreFR5 · July 2005

personal - 2 days
sick - 6 days
vacation - 1to4 yrs = 2 weeks
5to9 = 3 weeks
10to19 = 4 weeks
20+ = 5 weeks

Officers start at 3 weeks; VPs at 4 weeks.

lorrie · July 2005

I hope seeing my vacation time will help you appreciate what you have.

1 year - 5 days vacation
2 years - 10 days vacation
10 years - 11 days vacation
then 1 more day every 5 years until you hit 30 years, and THEN you get 15 days (3 weeks.)

(And yes, we DO have a few 30-year employees!)

No specific sick time. Hourly employees get a 'sick' check worth 40 hours at the end of the year. Management are not docked for sick time, but attendance is firmly enforced.

dchr9203 · July 2005

Makes me appreciate what I have! Wow! Definately not enought time off.

atrimble · July 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-06-05 AT 01:38PM (CST)[/font][br][br]0-5 yrs: 10 days or 80 hours accrual/yr, Max Accrual: 20 days or 160 hours
5-10 yrs: 12.5 days or 100 hours accrual/yr, Max Accrual: 25 days or 200 hours
10-15 yrs: 15 days or 120 hours accrual/yr, Max Accrual: 30 days or 240 hours
15+ yrs: 20 days or 160 hours accrual/yr, Max Accrual: 40 days or 320 hours

All employees accrue 6 hours sick leave per month, regardless of length of service, for a maximum accrual of 960 hours (I know! - don't take me to task for the post-FMLA implications)

Sick leave is for EE absence only, unless they invoke FMLA protection for a family member's illness/injury. EEs can also request "Emergency" designation of leave that normally only qualifies as Annual (family funeral, family illness, house fire, etc.), and have that PTO deducted from sick leave accruals (up to 80 hours in a rolling 12-month period). (Annual is payable upon termination - sick leave isn't...)

Anyone have trouble with employees banking their leave as an additional retirement vessel? I have several long term employees who have accrued the max and take time off only to burn additional accrual before losing it, but won't take any extra time off because they plan on getting that additional check when they retire (payment for unused accrued annual leave).

Paid Vacations, Sickdays quick poll

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