California state workers hoarding vacation days, creating $3.5-billion debt for taxpayers

[Boiler 43,434]

I am thinking back, not something I paid much attention to and I really do not remember what the rules were when I first started work.

 

I had nearly 30 days before I came here, and stated on 20. I think it was usually a line manager responsibility, I do remember a colleague who always seemed to have time to take and towards the end of the year had to take it when the weather was not nice.

 

I never asked, never knew there were places that allowed you to carry forward so much.

[Dashinka 23,244]

12 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I am thinking back, not something I paid much attention to and I really do not remember what the rules were when I first started work.

 

I had nearly 30 days before I came here, and stated on 20. I think it was usually a line manager responsibility, I do remember a colleague who always seemed to have time to take and towards the end of the year had to take it when the weather was not nice.

 

I never asked, never knew there were places that allowed you to carry forward so much.

Where I work there are a lot of folks on vacation the last few weeks of December as my company does not allow any carryover.

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

we can carry over 5 days otherwise we forfeit it 

[spookyturtle 9,465]

46 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

That is the interesting thing.  A lot of private companies do not allow vacation time accrual, but often in government jobs it is allowed.

State jobs too. 

[Dashinka 23,244]

Back when I was a supervisor of hourly employees covered under a CBA, they could not carryover days, but they did simply get two checks each year for their vacation/sick time.  Many of them would forgo using them and just make more money by working.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

1 minute ago, Bill & Katya said:

Back when I was a supervisor of hourly employees covered under a CBA, they could not carryover days, but they did simply get two checks each year for their vacation/sick time.  Many of them would forgo using them and just make more money by working.

Quite true. Hard workers wouldn’t take the time off and collect the extra pay. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

7 hours ago, spookyturtle said:

Quite true. Hard workers wouldn’t take the time off and collect the extra pay. 

 

  My wife is at her maximum accrual now. She has to take days off just so she doesn't lose them. She works 3 - 12 hour shifts a week, so she already has 4 days off a week. So she takes 3 days off just for the heck of it, so she gets 11 days off with nothing to do. Then in 6 weeks she's back up to the maximum again and has to do it all over again. So basically she could go on vacation every 6 weeks, but only because she would otherwise lose that vacation time. 

 

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

24 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  My wife is at her maximum accrual now. She has to take days off just so she doesn't lose them. She works 3 - 12 hour shifts a week, so she already has 4 days off a week. So she takes 3 days off just for the heck of it, so she gets 11 days off with nothing to do. Then in 6 weeks she's back up to the maximum again and has to do it all over again. So basically she could go on vacation every 6 weeks, but only because she would otherwise lose that vacation time. 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Where I work there are a lot of folks on vacation the last few weeks of December as my company does not allow any carryover.

Since I am a Fed we get a max of 250 hours at the end of the year, anything past that will be paid out. At the end of last year I had to take 2 weeks off or risk losing 20 some hours of annual leave. Which I ended the year with 230 hours and right now it's more than 250 of annual leave. I like saving my leave days for just in case and just because. 

 

I do plan on taking some leave this summer and at Christmas time this year though.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Outfits that have a maximum carryover are doing it for business reasons; however, it could cause their employees trouble.

 

If, e.g., you can carry over a maximum of only 80 hours from the previous year, and you have a lengthy family vacation planned early the next year or (worse) an illness that necessitates lengthy absence, you're hosed.  The accompanying situation is that everyone wants to take extended time off in December so as not to lose what can't be carried over, with the result that business is hurt or people are told that they can't take the time.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

47 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

Outfits that have a maximum carryover are doing it for business reasons; however, it could cause their employees trouble.

 

If, e.g., you can carry over a maximum of only 80 hours from the previous year, and you have a lengthy family vacation planned early the next year or (worse) an illness that necessitates lengthy absence, you're hosed.  The accompanying situation is that everyone wants to take extended time off in December so as not to lose what can't be carried over, with the result that business is hurt or people are told that they can't take the time.

 

    When we got capped at 240 hours, they added short term disability. The biggest reason people gave for hoarding vacation was for some type of illness or medical reason. It's a compromise though because short term disability is at 60% of regular pay. I always advise people to try not to use any vacation time until they have saved up a couple of weeks. Then after that save some of their vacation time to supplement the 60% if needed for illness, and use some of it for actual vacation and time off. Kind of like saving money really. 

 

  Since many people have a hard time saving any time at all, they also allow us to go to 16 hours in the hole if needed.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Sensible on the surface.  However, some places mandate that all leave be exhausted before short-term disability kicks in, which rather defeats multiple purposes.