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I always take vacation. I think I took about four weeks of it this year.
My vacation hours accumulate and after leaving my previous job, I am waiting for my check of unused vacation hours. (Sick time and personal time I lost.)
I worked at a couple of places where my work wouldn't get done at all if I wasn't there.
Taking a full week's vacation meant working a hectic 75-80+ week to tie all loose ends and get everything caught up before leaving, followed by another stressful 75-80+ work week upon returning to fix all my co-worker's screw ups and problems which came out of nowhere the week before on top of my regular duties.
It got so bad that it would take me a day or two into that week's vacation to fully unwind and relax, and then stressing out on my final day of vacation thinking of all the crap that would get thrown at me. Not to mention the phone calls I would get from the office during my vacation.
It took me a long time afterwards to get over my fear of taking too much time off from work.
I have had this exact same problem the past few years once I became a project manager.
I love taking time-off, but unless it perfectly aligns where my PTO is scheduled during a (rare) slow time, or when all the bosses or out, or the typical school break holidays its a nightmare before and afterwards.
I took a week off at the beginning of November as I hadn't had a full week off since early May. I had some long 3-4-5 day weekends but first time being able to take the whole week off.
The week leading up was super stressful trying to get in front of it. I literally spent the whole 4-hour flight out on a Saturday afternoon/evening trying to write emails, finalize "lesson plans"/action items/follow-up for the team, firing off emails to people in a vain attempt to go off the grid for a week and not retire to a firestorm. It took me until Tuesday or so to fully feel relaxed, not think about work, and finally de-stress. I had a few little panics about the crap I was going to return to the following week. I was good until I got home that Saturday night, then the Sunday before going back to work I was the stress returned and I became depressed when I eventually had to open-up the email to see the mountain of crap I was returning too.
Location: In a rural place where people can't bother me ;)
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I can't believe how many people here say they have to tie up loose ends when they get back or stress out about whats going to happen when their gone. Whatever happens at work when your not there isnt your problem, its whoever makes the problem problem....
I was always jealous of my team mates in Germany. There, they shut everything down for the month of August. Everybody took time off. Nobody got behind schedule because the project was halted.
The Germans are good at figuring these things out.
Screw those carefree, happy-go-lucky Europeans and their higher quality of life. They spend way to much time with family and lounging on Australian beaches. You must work!!! WORK!!!!!
Salaried jobs have their perks. As an hourly person, you have to punch a clock and are typically paid to perform specific functions repeatedly during a set period. As a salaried person my role changes to meet the needs of our customers. I have some basic functions that are repeated, but that is it. It never gets boring.
While there are times (like the past 3 weeks) where I had to work 12-15 hour days to meet some tight deadlines, I work a flex schedule so if i have a doctor appointment or some other errand I can take care of those and come in later. I simply have to meet 80 hours by the end of the pay period. Once I have all my hours I can choose not to come to work. This week I had all my hours by 9am yesterday and my tasks were caught up so I told my boss I wanted to take Thursday and Friday off on top of next week. It wasn't an issue at all.
Whatever. I'll have 5 wks vacay in 2017 plus a few additional personal days. I'll take every last one. People need to work for the companies that have the policies that work for them.
You think? Really? I bet no one ever thought of that or ever tried that before. This is truly indispensable, sage advice!! I bet next you'll tell a sick person that they need to get better! BTW are we supposed to be impressed by 5 weeks vacation? yawn
Screw those carefree, happy-go-lucky Europeans and their higher quality of life. They spend way to much time with family and lounging on Australian beaches. You must work!!! WORK!!!!!
When I would go to Germany for a week or two to work with my team mates, we used to meet after hours for a few beers. We had some interesting discussions.
It occurred to me, "I thought we won the war". But the reality is that they did.
If we had won, why did they get away with working only 40 hours per week, having 6 weeks of paid vacation from the start of their careers, getting a monthly stipend from the government for having a child, having government supported daycare, paid time off for a new birth, not having to save for retirement or for college tuition for their kids and having a single payer healthcare system?
Furthermore, when we got into the great recession, they were the last to be laid off and their laws demanded that the company paid them 2 years of pay for their severance.
Americans are so screwed by our corporate-captured political system.
Where I used to work I was so overloaded with work as the company grew but didn't add on any extra staff that it was impossible for me to take a vacation except for one week in the three years I worked there.
We need to let people recharge themselves by making them take at least 2-3 weeks vacation every year.
Salaried jobs have their perks. As an hourly person, you have to punch a clock and are typically paid to perform specific functions repeatedly during a set period. As a salaried person my role changes to meet the needs of our customers. I have some basic functions that are repeated, but that is it. It never gets boring.
While there are times (like the past 3 weeks) where I had to work 12-15 hour days to meet some tight deadlines, I work a flex schedule so if i have a doctor appointment or some other errand I can take care of those and come in later. I simply have to meet 80 hours by the end of the pay period. Once I have all my hours I can choose not to come to work. This week I had all my hours by 9am yesterday and my tasks were caught up so I told my boss I wanted to take Thursday and Friday off on top of next week. It wasn't an issue at all.
Those are ideal salary conditions. Not every firm is that flexible.
My last three roles have been salaried. Of these,
1) The first required PTO any time out of the office. If you were an hour late for a doctor's appointment, that required PTO. We were support staff, working from 9-6 for remote clients, and had dedicated hand offs to other global teams for the hours we weren't there. We were repeating same or similar tasks day in, day out. It was a butt in seat, inflexible, hourly type job. But it was classified as salaried.
2) The second required PTO for any time out of the office, in minimum half day increments. Need to come in thirty minutes or an hour late for an errand? You had to take the half-day. Most staff routinely worked 50-60 hour weeks. There were a few perks, free soda, we could always wear jeans to work, etc., but it was rather gimmicky. This was a staff level IT position that was on call continuously.
3) I have less PTO at my current job, but as long as I am in the office for four hours a day, I don't have to take PTO if I need to come in late, do an errand, take a long lunch, etc., as long as the manager is aware beforehand and approves. I've only had to do this a few times. However, I have a lot more autonomy here than at previous positions. Still, 40 hours is the minimum that has to be entered on the time clock.
I've worked with people in other countries where it is mandated that they stop working at 5pm and also take 2+ weeks off.
Typically, those are socialist countries with universal medical coverage and 50%+ in income tax.
Until voters understand what they are getting themselves into when they vote for politicians preaching the *exact* opposite of what they want, we'll get no where on the vacation front in this country, where the bottom line of corporations is far more important than what the people want.
There must be a country somewhere that has reasonable income taxes and ALSO great benefits for the masses.
The happiness index in switzerland is very high and the income tax tops out at 40%. It's similiar in the Netherlands so it can be done.
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But the reality is that they did. 
