Mandatory vacation pay

[politicallefty]

This is one issue about the United States that has always really bothered me. The US remains as the only country in the developed world to not have paid vacation mandated by law (let alone the already absurd absence of not having mandatory sick pay). This shows the comparison among several countries:



Personally, I would support a law mandating 20 days paid vacation to all employees, not including at least five holidays as paid vacation.

[politicallefty]

On second thought, I think the law should be 20 days paid vacation and 10 paid holidays. The paid holidays should include all federal holidays minus Columbus Day and Veterans Day (and Inauguration Day when it comes up), but everyone would get two days off for Christmas and Election Day would be added as a federal holiday. Columbus Day should just be abolished and Veterans Day should be reserved for veterans (so they get an additional paid holiday for themselves).

Beyond just common decency and ensuring that people actually have lives beyond their work, I think one of the best arguments for mandating vacation pay is that it allows people to decompress and relieve stress. There are studies that strongly suggest that vacations increase worker productivity. I'm sure it may be a shock to some that a happier worker is a more productive worker.

I'm actually surprised that no states have passed laws ensuring paid vacation, although Puerto Rico does guarantee three weeks. (For that matter, I think Connecticut is the only state mandating paid sick leave. It's a separate issue altogether, but it says a lot about how we treat workers in this country.) From what I've found, the only federal proposal was from Alan Grayson in 2009, which would've guaranteed a maximum two weeks after three years on the job for larger companies. That'd be a huge improvement, but still quite lacking compared to most other developed countries.

The only recent proposal at the state level I've found was earlier this year in Washington state. That proposal would apply to all those working at least 20 hours per week. It would start from a week after the first six months and eventually work up to a maximum of three weeks after five years on the job. My only issue with proposals like those is that I'm wary of giving employers any added incentives to lay people off or reduce employee hours to just below the legal threshold. Even so, any law like that would still be a huge improvement over what we have now and at least perhaps spark a larger debate.

[politicallefty]

From what I've looked up, about 77% of US employers do provide for paid holidays and vacation time. It's those that work with lower incomes that work part-time and for small businesses that are most disadvantaged when it comes to paid vacation. Of the 77%, the average is 10 days paid vacation and six paid holidays. If that were the statutory minimum for all workers, it would make the US very similar to Canada and ahead of Japan among rich nations.

I think there are benefits of paid vacation time for the employer and society as a whole. As I already mentioned, research does support the notion that a happier worker is a more productive worker. See this article (which advocates for guaranteed paid vacation). To me, though, those are all just incidental benefits. I'm of the mindset that paid vacation/holidays should be considered a basic entitlement.

[politicallefty]

There you go again with your "entitlements". What are you, some kind of socialist? Lazy hippy.

/s

I do agree with some socialist policies, but I can't say I'd outright claim to be a socialist. If supporting four work weeks (i.e. 20 days) of paid vacation plus 10 paid randomly scattered holidays makes me a socialist, I accept that label. All workers should have certain entitlements guaranteed by the government, and that includes vacation pay and the like.

[politicallefty]

I was being sarcastic.

Sorry, lack of sleep hasn't been working well for me.

Why don't Americans use their vacation days?

27%:  "stockpiling" them for future use
24%:  difficulty in scheduling family vacations
35%:  preferred to work
17%:  chose to cash in on them (not all companies offer this, but some do)

I really find it absurd that that number of people actually chose work over paid leave. I think that option and some people that chose the other options are pretty much shunned or otherwise discouraged to take time off. My dad gets 30 days paid vacation per year and they do not roll over to the next year. Whatever he doesn't take during most of the year is tacked on to Christmas break. My mom's paid leave rolls over with added days every year. She generally falls into the first option, taking few days off and seems to be discouraged at work from doing so. Conceivably, she could take an entire year off work with pay.

[politicallefty]

Edit:  none of this should be misinterpreted.  I voted none because the question wasn't about how much we enjoy our vacation or how much we take per year--I very much enjoy vacating the premises and generally take at least a month to travel each year--but rather how much should be mandated by law.  I do not think there should be any more laws regarding anything.  Both our personal lives and our economic lives are stymied enough by state encroachment.   We need fewer rules, not more.  The contract between an employee and and an employer is just that:  it's between the employee and the employer and really should not be the concern of lawmakers, who I'm certain enjoy providing a good deal of vacation time for themselves and their families.

That is the same kind of argument against minimum wage laws and other laws that protect workers. (It sounds like you're basically arguing for the currently defunct liberty of contract.) I don't want to turn this topic into a debate over that, but the return to that philosophy would be nothing less than horrendous for the average worker, let alone those in lower-wage jobs.

[politicallefty]

If we're counting both vacation and sick days together, 20 seems very reasonable for both sides.

I've yet to take more than about 10 in a year, but it would be different if my parents and in-laws lived in other cities/states, so I'm probably a bit of a low anomaly.

Speaking for myself, I would not include sick pay among paid vacation days. An employee generally asks for paid vacation some time in advance of actually taking it. Sick leave is different, often taken on the day of or before. I think that's a different right and that employees should have maybe 5-10 days paid sick leave without question (particularly for those with a family). Anything beyond that should require a doctor's excuse (parental leave is another question altogether, with should also be paid to a certain extent).

If I may ask, what does your employer offer in terms of paid leave (both vacation and sick) and what happens if you do not use all of your allotted days?