Vacation hours and the minor holidays
Working parents who have paid vacation or a specific amount of time off are often forced to make decisions about how to use it.
With young kids, I feel like I’m using mine up 4 hours at a time because someone is either sick, or, there’s something going on at school and I have to be out of the office for part of the day.
I try to make sure I have enough time saved for Christmas and summer vacation, but, I’m always torn about what I call the “minor” holidays.
In our part of the country, Spring Break is a big deal, and, actually Winter Break is becoming one. I mean, we are a “breaking” kind of crowd, and, there’s an unwritten rule that you have to be able to provide an answer other than “nowhere” when someone asks where you went for break.
As the kids get older, the pressure to “go somewhere” builds. Let’s pretend for a moment we can actually afford to go somewhere (I know! But, hey it’s my imaginary scenario, OK?), do I use up vacation time for this knowing that summer is only a few weeks away? My husband is a teacher, and, he doesn’t have this problem.
Granted, I don’t have as much vacation time as some people since that balance hasn’t really ever recovered since my mother was sick and died, but, I suspect some of you have to set priorities with your vacation time, too.
What about occasions such a the Fourth of July, or another long weekend? Do you use vacation time that might be more needed later? Or, do you just “go for it”, and, worry about Christmas when it gets here.
I’ve made a couple of compromises about “minor holidays” and vacation time. Sometimes, if we go somewhere, we make it a short trip. For example, Spring Break is a week, but, we’ve gone on 3 day trips so I don’t have to use as much time, and, it has the added bonus of getting to both travel and, relax at home during the break.
Other times, my husband has taken the kids somewhere for a couple of days and I’ve stayed home. That way, the kids get to do something, but, they’re not gone a long time, and, I get some time to myself without having to miss work.
How about you? Have you had to prioritize how to use your benefit time at work?
Tags: benefit time, Holidays, vacation-timeRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Holidays
1 opinion for Vacation hours and the minor holidays
Cali Ressler
Feb 25, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Elizabeth -
It pains us to read this! You write about what so many people go through - trying to figure out how, when, and why to use their benefit time. The thing is - the work environment should be focused on the good work you’re doing, NOT how, when, or why you’re using benefit time. Don’t you agree?!
Sadly, this isn’t how the workplace is structured. Even more sad is the fact that the workplace would probably come down harder on someone that used their benefit time incorrectly vs. someone who wasn’t getting their work done.
Looking forward to seeing how others out there feel about benefit time!
Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson
Creators of the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE)
Authors of the forthcoming book “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It”
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