4 ms·

In the US, taking 4 consecutive weeks off is literally unheard of, a lot of people don't even have 4 weeks to take off in a non-consecutive way. Even taking 2

In the US, taking 4 consecutive weeks off is literally unheard of, a lot of people don't even have 4 weeks to take off in a non-consecutive way. Even taking 2 weeks off consecutively, it would not be unusual to require "special" permission for. Yes, it's terrible.

gmadsen 5y ago
I don't know about that. Many people I currently work with take a month vacation to visit India.
- diordiderot 5y ago
  BLS says half of employees get 10 days off, meaning half get less...
- francisofascii 5y ago
  True, but not every year, usually. And they don't take any other vacation to save up for that trip.
- jrochkind1 5y ago
  OK, very few people I know get 4 weeks vacation at all, including myself, and of those even fewer could take it all at once without pre-negotiating that with their boss, it would be considered unusual. But we know different people! I don't know a lot of people with six figure engineering jobs. Apparently here's what the US Bureau of Labor Statistics last said about it: > One reason for this is that American companies offer fewer vacation days. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 76 percent of private industry workers (who make up 84.7 percent of all workers) receive paid vacation days. After one year of employment, these workers were granted 10 days of paid vacation, on average. > This number grows modestly as years of tenure with an employer increase. In 2017, the average worker with five years of experience at a company was given 15 days of paid vacation and the average worker with 20 years of experience was given 20 paid vacation days. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/heres-how-many-paid-vacation-days-the-typical-american-worker-gets-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/heres-how-many-paid-vacation...
  - jseban 5y ago
    Just in case it's not clear: when Swedes talk about 4 weeks of vacation, they also count the weekend that they have off anyway, so 15 days = 3 weeks and 20 days = 4 weeks
    - jrochkind1 5y ago
      yep, same here. Apparently it's typical here in USA, for those who get paid vacation at all (ie not restaurant staff and other low-wage hourly workers), to get 4 weeks after... 20 years of tenure at the same employer!
gowld 5y ago
That's not what "literally" means. Parental leave is commonly 6-12weeks, especially among the HN audience.
- simiones 5y ago
  I will note that here in Romania for example, maternal leave is commonly 6 months-1 year (legally you can request up to 2 years), and paternal leave is at least 4-6 weeks, at least for middle class jobs.
- harry8 5y ago
  You might want to update your understanding of the usage and meaning of that word. [1] It's literally incorrect. ;-) [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-lite...
jseban 5y ago
More vacation is of course better, but you also have the opposite "problem" in Sweden, if you don't want to take 4 consecutive weeks, but prefer to spread it out, it also usually has to be negotiated and will be treated as an exception and possible denied.
jseban 5y ago
Just curious, is it possible to take unpaid vacation in the US or is that also unheard of?
- ImprovedSilence 5y ago
  Usually possible, with stipulations such as, you are out of regular vacation, many mgmt approvals, and probably some kind of “risk assessment” saying the project you’re on will be fine without you… its rare and not usually part of the “culture” to do so, but ive seen it happen.
- nradov 5y ago
  It's certainly possible at some companies. There generally aren't any laws about it. Usually it's left up to managers to approve or deny.
- thrower123 5y ago
  The only time I've ever seen that first-hand was a guy who was involved in a non-profit that did disaster relief in Haiti and was gone for a month and a half.

gmadsen 5y ago

I don't know about that. Many people I currently work with take a month vacation to visit India.

diordiderot 5y ago
BLS says half of employees get 10 days off, meaning half get less...
francisofascii 5y ago
True, but not every year, usually. And they don't take any other vacation to save up for that trip.
jrochkind1 5y ago
OK, very few people I know get 4 weeks vacation at all, including myself, and of those even fewer could take it all at once without pre-negotiating that with their boss, it would be considered unusual. But we know different people! I don't know a lot of people with six figure engineering jobs. Apparently here's what the US Bureau of Labor Statistics last said about it: > One reason for this is that American companies offer fewer vacation days. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 76 percent of private industry workers (who make up 84.7 percent of all workers) receive paid vacation days. After one year of employment, these workers were granted 10 days of paid vacation, on average. > This number grows modestly as years of tenure with an employer increase. In 2017, the average worker with five years of experience at a company was given 15 days of paid vacation and the average worker with 20 years of experience was given 20 paid vacation days. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/heres-how-many-paid-vacation-days-the-typical-american-worker-gets-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/heres-how-many-paid-vacation...
- jseban 5y ago
  Just in case it's not clear: when Swedes talk about 4 weeks of vacation, they also count the weekend that they have off anyway, so 15 days = 3 weeks and 20 days = 4 weeks
  - jrochkind1 5y ago
    yep, same here. Apparently it's typical here in USA, for those who get paid vacation at all (ie not restaurant staff and other low-wage hourly workers), to get 4 weeks after... 20 years of tenure at the same employer!

gowld 5y ago

That's not what "literally" means. Parental leave is commonly 6-12weeks, especially among the HN audience.

simiones 5y ago
I will note that here in Romania for example, maternal leave is commonly 6 months-1 year (legally you can request up to 2 years), and paternal leave is at least 4-6 weeks, at least for middle class jobs.
harry8 5y ago
You might want to update your understanding of the usage and meaning of that word. [1] It's literally incorrect. ;-) [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-lite...

jseban 5y ago

More vacation is of course better, but you also have the opposite "problem" in Sweden, if you don't want to take 4 consecutive weeks, but prefer to spread it out, it also usually has to be negotiated and will be treated as an exception and possible denied.

jseban 5y ago

Just curious, is it possible to take unpaid vacation in the US or is that also unheard of?

ImprovedSilence 5y ago
Usually possible, with stipulations such as, you are out of regular vacation, many mgmt approvals, and probably some kind of “risk assessment” saying the project you’re on will be fine without you… its rare and not usually part of the “culture” to do so, but ive seen it happen.
nradov 5y ago
It's certainly possible at some companies. There generally aren't any laws about it. Usually it's left up to managers to approve or deny.
thrower123 5y ago
The only time I've ever seen that first-hand was a guy who was involved in a non-profit that did disaster relief in Haiti and was gone for a month and a half.