Burning Vacation days? (employee, employer, work, company)

[caverunner17]

Long story short, I started working in the middle of June. I received 7 vacation days (Pro-rated) to use by the end of 2012. We are a use it or lose it company. I had a 90 day probation period before I could use them (middle of September).

Due to things being busy, I've only used 1 of the 7 days, leaving me with 6 more days to burn. Its cold here now, so camping is out of the question. I can't take the week off between Xmas and New Years because everyone else is and someone needs to be here.

I can't decide what to do. 4 day weeks the rest of the year? Take a 5 day weekend and travel somewhere (spending money though...) Sit at home? Not use them?

[chilaili]

Will you get paid for them if you don't use the days (like a bonus)? If yes, then don't take them. If not, start taking long weekends.

[caverunner17]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Will you get paid for them if you don't use the days (like a bonus)? If yes, then don't take them. If not, start taking long weekends.

No pay, otherwise I would do that. Not sure what would look better for an employee though -- 3 day weekends or a longer break

[selhars]

Whatever you do you'd better be quick about it this is almost mid November! (Is it too late or do you even WANT Thanksgiving week?)

Talk to your manager...since it seems YOU really don't have a preference....coordinate with the boss and just say I have to use these days.....don't really have a preference, so what would be more convenient or less interrupting to office productivity.....

However WHEN I do this I WOULD give the boss only the days/weeks options I wanted....don't let him/her choose the actual days.

ie. Friday's off for these month of November....OR Friday and Monday off these two weeks....Fridays off for the next six weeks....or the WED before and Mondayafter Thanksgiving (that's two days)...and then then first four Fridays in December. (Where I work a couple of people like the week BEFORE Christmas week, for holiday prep etc)

(Also if left up to our managers they'd give you a lone vaca day on a Wed....now what the heck are you supposed to do with THAT?)

mostly you need to figure out what you want...then ask for it with haste!

[Kibbiekat]

You don't have to go out of town, just take some days off. Maybe a week or a couple long weekends to get some Christmas shopping done, do some stuff around the house, or just relax.

[mitsguy2001]

Maybe if you have any colleagues who are equals who have been there a while, and you trust, ask them if management has a general preference between employees using their vacation time for several 3 day weekends or for a longer break, since you seem to have no real preference.

This is very unlikely to work, but maybe try negotiating with your boss, telling them that the workload made you unable to use your vacation time, and how you wanted to be there to help the company, and how you went above and beyond, and ask if there is any way they could let you either roll that vacation time over to next year, or get paid for it. Unlikely to work, but worth a try. Again, maybe try asking an equal colleague if that's something that has ever been done before.

I personally do not agree with the concept of use it or lose it vacation time. In my opinion, vacation time is compensation that you earned, that they should not be allowed to ever take away from you (without due process). To me, it is the equivalent of an employer asking you to hand back part of your salary if you don't spend it all. Unfortunately, the law and most employers do not agree with me.

I would normally never advocate not using vacation time that you earned. But in your case, maybe if you willingly give up some or all of that vacation time, you can later use it as a bargaining chip. If there is later a week off that you really, really want, and they give you a hard time about it, remind them that you willingly sacrificed some of your vacation time this year, because you knew things were too busy to take off.

My employer does allow us to roll vacation time over from one year to another, but it is capped at 200 hours. The employee handbook is vague as to what happens when you accrue more than 200 hours. It says that sometimes, due to workload, you may not be allowed to use your vacation time, which can cause you to go over 200 hours. It says that it is up to the company's discretion what to do if you go over 200 hours, and implies that you sometimes may be allowed to go over 200 hours or get paid for your balance above 200 hours, or just be screwed and lose any time over 200 hours. My cynical side thinks that it's a popularity contest.

[selhars]

You know the mangers where you are...Is your manager PUSHING you to take it...or did he/she just reminder you 'you know if you don't take it you lose it....and they couldn't care less either way (it's not their time)

Personally I'd earn enough brownie points otherwise, besides taking the chance on losing vacation and the manager caring about that and cutting me a break later.

I'd find a way to use the earned time to my benefit, and take it.

Also, is it written, official company policy that vacation is use or lose. OR has anyone EVER carried over at least a little of it say a week (that a manager might have said "OK I'll let you carry it over, but you've got to use it by say they end of "January."

IF ANYONE has ever been allowed to carry it over -- then clearly it CAN be done. The manager just may not want to do it for YOU. Thus you get into 'favorites.'

Also given that you're fairly new, maybe you use this year as a 'learning year' See who gets what when it comes to vacation, and keep that in mind when dealing with management next year. Also, given that you're fairly new if the manager is REALLY pushing you to take the time, do you want to make a big deal of it.

Just figure out a way to take the time...and take it.

[lifeexplorer]

Talk to your manager. There's no rule in a company that can't be bent. :-)

[Broncos Quarterback]

Take 'em even if you'll just read or clean all day. Don't leave vacation days on the table, that's for suckers.

[55degrees]

You can always take a "stay-cation" and relax at home. You should ask them if they can roll over a few of the days since you weren't allowed to take days off in the beginning and now they will expire.