The article's comparison of work vs college vacation/attendance policies is flawed from the start. The overlooked difference is that in college, you are paying

The article's comparison of work vs college vacation/attendance policies is flawed from the start. The overlooked difference is that in college, you are paying the school. Of course they don't care if you come to class. The fact that pre-college schooling has attendance rules is irrelevant; in that situation, pupils are minors and therefore the school is (in the USA at least) legally responsible for them during the school day (in loco parentis). With work, the company is paying you in exchange for your time. You've agreed to come to work every day, and the company pays you a salary in return. A vacation policy is a negotiable benefit for the employee, just like anything else in your compensation and benefits package. If you have a no-policy vacation policy, you are basically at the whim of your employer (some handle these non-policies well, others not), but if you have a real policy, you are entitled to take those days, just like your health care, paycheck, retirement contributions, etc.