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With respect to the headline / first section: I feel like most office jobs are fairly accommodating about flexible time for chores these days. I work a 5-day w

With respect to the headline / first section: I feel like most office jobs are fairly accommodating about flexible time for chores these days. I work a 5-day week, but I don't think I've ever used vacation days to go to the DMV or the dentist either (~15 years as a white-collar worker in various parts of the US, multiple industries and levels).

MattGaiser 6y ago
I have never worked for an employer that didn't let you casually pop out to handle these things, provided you don't miss a previously scheduled meeting. At my current company, we are explicitly allowed to schedule work hours off for these.
- hogFeast 6y ago
  I worked at a job where I was paid an annual salary and they made me make up hours when I had to take a relative to the hospital (I also lost that job for, I suspect, this reason in part...I have learned that sick parents and sick children obtain different levels of sympathy). It does happen. It was as stereotypical as you can imagine: small business, wasted inordinate amount of time and resources doing pointless things, insane processes, run by a husband and wife who were largely intolerable (the highlight was hearing the wife tell me that she didn't let her daughter participate in sports at school either because she thought it would turn her into a homosexual or was a plot by homosexuals to groom her), one of my co-workers started the day two hours early and finished at the same time...I have no idea why, and (ofc) the people who ran the business disappeared frequently (for some reason, the husband went somewhere every Friday afternoon...it wasn't work-related, and he repeatedly brought up the fact that he was allowed to do this unprompted...no-one could work out where he went)... ...there are real places like this.
- asdff 6y ago
  If you work shift work not getting time off is typical. A lot of people can scarcely afford to take a day off without pay to go vote or stand in line at the DMV. Working people are pushed to the limit in this country.
pkaye 6y ago
Yeah that is how it is at my work. You can step out for errands assuming you work around meeting schedules.
OJFord 6y ago
What the hell do you do at the DMV? I honestly can't figure it out, but it seems like Americans are always going 'to the DMV', this side of the pond I think the equivalent (authority handling driver licencing, road tax, vehicle registration, etc.?) is the DVLA. I have and would never 'go to the DVLA', I have no idea where that would be, I assume it's just offices. It's all online and other than changing address when I moved I haven't even needed that. Whereas in normal years, for all the jokes you'd like to make about British teeth, I go to the dentist every 6/9/12 months (according to ~how short of cash he is~ his recommendation) - but going by HN comments and films et al. 'the DMV' seems an even popular day out!(?)
- Shared404 6y ago
  > 'the DMV' seems an even popular day out!(?) Definitely not. It's often said along the same lines of "I need to go to the mechanic", where it's something that you need to do, but is miserable. The DVLA does appear to fill the same role, but more efficiently. Many of the things it appears you can do online require you to go in in person (Well, pre-covid at least. I don't know about now.), even better, the DMV got caught selling data about people who had to use it. For a comparison, last time I got a license change I waited in line 10. freaking. hours. On a Saturday.
  - asdff 6y ago
    Can painfully confirm that all the clerical bullshit that takes place in person at the DMV is still taking place solely in person at the DMV in a pandemic.
  - corobo 6y ago
    Jesus! I did an address change on my license that took all of 10 minutes online!
- francisofascii 6y ago
  When you switch state residency, or have to get a title/registration for your vehicle, or get a new photo (every 4 years or so). You have to go to a place that is open from 8:30 to 4:30, get a ticket number, wait a long time for your ticket to be called, go to a teller with various paper documents: lease agreement, cable bill, title, birth certificate, etc. Also the new thing people will need is Real ID, so yet another trip where the hours are even more constrained. And sometimes your documents will be rejected for various reasons, and you have to start over.
amdelamar 6y ago
It really boils down to trust. My manager trusts I will make up lost time after my doctor's appointment, as they generally know if I've been falling behind work or not. We also give daily standup status updates so its obvious if work isn't progressing after some time. This also works in reverse. If I work on Sat/Sun for some system maintenance then my manager tells me to swap time off during the week. But in my experience, What usually happens is I work my full week anyway because something important arose and I push that "time off" to the next week until I forget I had it.

MattGaiser 6y ago

I have never worked for an employer that didn't let you casually pop out to handle these things, provided you don't miss a previously scheduled meeting. At my current company, we are explicitly allowed to schedule work hours off for these.

hogFeast 6y ago
I worked at a job where I was paid an annual salary and they made me make up hours when I had to take a relative to the hospital (I also lost that job for, I suspect, this reason in part...I have learned that sick parents and sick children obtain different levels of sympathy). It does happen. It was as stereotypical as you can imagine: small business, wasted inordinate amount of time and resources doing pointless things, insane processes, run by a husband and wife who were largely intolerable (the highlight was hearing the wife tell me that she didn't let her daughter participate in sports at school either because she thought it would turn her into a homosexual or was a plot by homosexuals to groom her), one of my co-workers started the day two hours early and finished at the same time...I have no idea why, and (ofc) the people who ran the business disappeared frequently (for some reason, the husband went somewhere every Friday afternoon...it wasn't work-related, and he repeatedly brought up the fact that he was allowed to do this unprompted...no-one could work out where he went)... ...there are real places like this.
asdff 6y ago
If you work shift work not getting time off is typical. A lot of people can scarcely afford to take a day off without pay to go vote or stand in line at the DMV. Working people are pushed to the limit in this country.

pkaye 6y ago

Yeah that is how it is at my work. You can step out for errands assuming you work around meeting schedules.

OJFord 6y ago

What the hell do you do at the DMV? I honestly can't figure it out, but it seems like Americans are always going 'to the DMV', this side of the pond I think the equivalent (authority handling driver licencing, road tax, vehicle registration, etc.?) is the DVLA. I have and would never 'go to the DVLA', I have no idea where that would be, I assume it's just offices. It's all online and other than changing address when I moved I haven't even needed that. Whereas in normal years, for all the jokes you'd like to make about British teeth, I go to the dentist every 6/9/12 months (according to ~how short of cash he is~ his recommendation) - but going by HN comments and films et al. 'the DMV' seems an even popular day out!(?)

Shared404 6y ago
> 'the DMV' seems an even popular day out!(?) Definitely not. It's often said along the same lines of "I need to go to the mechanic", where it's something that you need to do, but is miserable. The DVLA does appear to fill the same role, but more efficiently. Many of the things it appears you can do online require you to go in in person (Well, pre-covid at least. I don't know about now.), even better, the DMV got caught selling data about people who had to use it. For a comparison, last time I got a license change I waited in line 10. freaking. hours. On a Saturday.
- asdff 6y ago
  Can painfully confirm that all the clerical bullshit that takes place in person at the DMV is still taking place solely in person at the DMV in a pandemic.
- corobo 6y ago
  Jesus! I did an address change on my license that took all of 10 minutes online!
francisofascii 6y ago
When you switch state residency, or have to get a title/registration for your vehicle, or get a new photo (every 4 years or so). You have to go to a place that is open from 8:30 to 4:30, get a ticket number, wait a long time for your ticket to be called, go to a teller with various paper documents: lease agreement, cable bill, title, birth certificate, etc. Also the new thing people will need is Real ID, so yet another trip where the hours are even more constrained. And sometimes your documents will be rejected for various reasons, and you have to start over.

amdelamar 6y ago

It really boils down to trust. My manager trusts I will make up lost time after my doctor's appointment, as they generally know if I've been falling behind work or not. We also give daily standup status updates so its obvious if work isn't progressing after some time. This also works in reverse. If I work on Sat/Sun for some system maintenance then my manager tells me to swap time off during the week. But in my experience, What usually happens is I work my full week anyway because something important arose and I push that "time off" to the next week until I forget I had it.