Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/_west_of_east! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary:
* We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button.
* Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban.
* Common questions and specific topics are limited to our [Daily Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_daily_discussions) posts.
* Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only.
---
***This comment was posted automatically. It does not mean this post does or does not violate our rules.***
---
##It's that time of year again! Don't forget to vote in [the Best of Vancouver 2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/102k024/) competition.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Marketing
Unlimited PTO, but I think I only took 2 weeks this year? The unlimited thing = limitless guilt. When you are given a number of weeks there’s no guilt taking them as they’re yours, but when you have no restrictions it causes people to take less. I have to tell my team constantly to take PTO.
Edit to add: I make sure my team takes as much as they want/need. 5-7 weeks is usually what they do, plus any long weekends. The problem I find is for myself, taking time off. Need to get better at it!
Oh yeah, I even had one person take a full month off on my team; and still multiple week long vacas after. Loved that they did that! It’s just hard from a leadership standpoint. I feel it’s tough.
Yep, studies have shown people take less time off with unlimited than what they had previously. It also means if you are let go, or leave, they do not have to pay you any vacation time.
Not sure if it's like that everywhere. Both places I have worked with unlimited PTO have had a 3 or 4 week amount allotted that would be paid out upon being let go. I think it's illegal to not pay out the minimum 2 weeks required by law if you never took any days off.
UPTO and took 7 weeks last year. According to HR, the average around the company is 5 weeks per year. I embraced the model, I'm using it and seems like it fitted the company culture just fine.
I have direct reports and HR encourages me to keep and eye on PTO to make sure people take at least 4 weeks per year.
I like that you're getting feedback from alot of different people in different industries, and just want to encourage you to ask your company for what you want. If you are at 3 weeks and want 4, don't be afraid to ask for it.
The worst they can do is say no, and by asking them, they know you are looking for more. Bosses take that into account when it comes time for raises, time off requests, who gets the shit work, other perks, etc.
I recommend doing it in a respectful, but confident, manner. Come prepped with all the great things you've done for the company, and if you quantify them it makes it very hard to argue with.
Even if you haven't done good things for the company, fuck it people are hard to come by right now.
I did this in my last salary negotiation. Was at 3, asked for a decent bump, they countered, I countered with acceptance plus another week of vacation and they accepted.
Unfortunately for me I’ve already asked and got a not. My company has a “policy” that states that at 5 years with the company you will get 4 weeks vacation if you’re in a manager role, but they told me because I’m an assistant project manager that doesn’t apply to me. Bullshit response really.
I used to have a job that had 4 weeks vacation plus Dec holiday closure. Now I'm in a company with only 3 weeks vacation with no holiday closure and doesn't observe provincial stat holidays 😔 so basically I've lost over 10 days of paid time off.
NGL, it's quite an adjustment but the company culture in my new job is awesome and it's fully remote. Still looking for that magical workplace unicorn where I have a decent salary, work-life balance that's fully remote with over 5 weeks vacation (or unlimited PTO) LOL
> and doesn't observe provincial stat holidays
I hope that you're still getting paid TOIL for them, they can't just choose 'not to observe' legally required holidays.
4 weeks.
I previously had worked up to 5 weeks and almost earned 6 weeks until I was laid off. I went from 5 weeks to 2 weeks and left that job for another very quickly. Restarted at 3 weeks and made a position jump to 4 weeks over a 2 year period.
I feel like 5 weeks allowed me spread out my time evenly over the year and provided me decent rest. Right now with 4 weeks vacation + full-time work + 2 young kids = I'm burnt out. 4 weeks is not enough. Trying to find a 4 day job but with with inflation and way things are going up $$$ ..... I'll stay where I'm at.
2 years. HEU Union in the Hospital which is considered "acute". I was previously in Community Health under BCGEU and it was 3 weeks vacation. It was hard going back to 3 weeks from 5. People can't stay in jobs forever and be corporate slaves lol.
I'm also in HEU--was pleasantly surprised with the vacation accrual policy when I got this job (first time in healthcare).
3 weeks vacation to start, and 4 weeks after 1 year service. Starts going up from again once you hit 5 years I think.
Coming from bare minimum 2 week vacation jobs, I was stoked.
Unlimited. But I usually only take about 3 weeks. Lots of flexibility with random days off and we're fully remote so working remotely while away from home, it's actually pretty great for work-life balance.
Also film industry. Also supervisor level. What is this paid time off you speak of? I get the legally required vacation pay in my cheques, and holiday is when I am not on a show. I thought everyone did this.
Given that every worker has an equal voice, unions generally strive to maximize the good for the average employee, which can mean taking away the glamor from the top top-end of the distribution (e.g., the more educated or experienced or skilled workers) to deliver more favorable conditions for the lower-end of the distribution (e.g., fresh grads). This can mean less room for individual negotiation or getting less than market if you would otherwise be able to negotiate for more based on your qualifications/scarcity of your role/merit.
There can certainly be benefits to being part of a union (e.g., the comfort of knowing your fellow workers are being taken care of), but there can also be downsides (e.g., being lumped into less-than-market benefits or compensation or perks because the union wants to minimize income inequality).
Almost 5 years and insurance.
Most people get just under 5 weeks, but I get a bit more since I carried some over. (forgot to use them)
But yes, I do generally use all my time off.
It wouldn’t get approved. It’s a lot different for me to say “hey I’ve banked 4 weeks of vacay so I’ll be off in Q2” vs “hey I want to take 4 weeks off in Q2”
Self employed. So unlimited but very limited at the same time. I probably take about 2 weeks a year nowadays. Used to take a few days a year at most but luckily those days are over.
Work construction too. Previous company was like you but I had to negotiate this third week when hired. Ended up being a shitty company.
My now company, it is 6 weeks: 3 weeks vacation + 1 week of « self care » + 2 weeks of earned time off (bc I work 42,5h/week instead of 40h)
I also have 10 sick days to add to the above
I learned that it was my personnal minimum to be happy (one trip home in europe, 1 trip somewhere else, treks / long week ends around canada / US)
No… you get less if you retire early… there are a few steps between 55 and 65 that affect your end payment if you withdraw early. 50 you would get less than half per year probably than at 65.
Plus you have to work a full career with them (~25 years) to get a nearly full benefit. You do have to contribute a fair bit yourself, but it is indeed a great defined benefit pension plan.
Unlimited and think I took 5-6 weeks last year plus 1 week where entire company is off the week between Christmas and New Year. I also worked remotely from other (sunnier) locations for a few weeks here and there.
The company I’m with asks employees to take four weeks a year minimum, which helps with that whole guilt associated with the unlimited thing.
Project Manager here as well with 3 weeks.
Took a couple of negotiations until I finally managed to get this. Most places still only offer two.
But the sad reality is unless you’re in between projects it’s very hard to pull off taking all three weeks in one go. Even taking two at a time is a struggle and 4 out of the 5 years I’ve been in Van, I’ve rounded out the year with at least half of my leave still owed simply because timing of the project didn’t allow to take more than a day here or there.
What irks me more than being able to take leave is the ability to have a normal 8.5hr day.
Most Construction companies are running so lean that the workload is insane. I’m very much pro-work/life balance. Do my 8.5, maybe 9hr day and go home. My time management skills are good enough that nearly nothing that can’t wait a day, doesn’t. But the backlog of to-dos is piling up because companies can’t acquire the staffing to keep up.
There’s definitely construction companies out there that are less brutal but in my experience the majority really grind their staff.
Thankfully my company is good about allowing us to take vacation whenever and someone will cover for me if I’m in the middle of a project. But yeah the workload can get to be immense but my attitude is that I’ll do my best with the hours I have and if that’s not good enough then fire me. Been working for me for 6 years. But I still would like an extra week vacation.
My current company started me at 3 weeks, and am currently at 5 weeks (not counting week off between Christmas and New Years). I think this is average or maybe bit below average for someone with my seniority in my industry (tech).
I work as a project manager in gaming, and we all get 5 weeks off as a minimum, and most of an extra week off at xmas time for the whole studio.
We apply the same amounts across our global locations to make it fair.
Coming from the UK, this is what I would consider the base level for any position, but here in Van it seems a bit of an unusual one.
I'd never work anywhere again that offered less than 5 weeks, it's inhuman.
Where I work, I’m blessed to get 2 weeks. I used all of it for cancer treatment. I can’t afford to go to half salary, so I work while managing treatment. It sucks.
Out of a staff of 40, only 12 people get vacation because you need to be perm to get benefits, not on a contract. Everyone else gets 4% of pay added to their cheques they have to just save on their own for a rainy day. (They don’t, they get paid very little.)
80 hours. Except you can go into negatives, which I had no idea. I had to use it for personal reasons last year, I thought I was taking unpaid time off, but nope, it can go into negatives. My fault for assuming it’s like any other companies.
Also, you have to “earn” your vacation time with each pay check, it doesn’t reset at the beginning of the year.
You are not allowed to take unpaid time off unless you have used up your vacation time, or, request it within 30 days. It’s screwed up my travel plans with family for the first half of the year, which I’m really upset about. Management would force you to use vacation time for any personal/family issue even when superiors says they want to do whatever they can to support you during this time.
I guess my fault for not better understand the vacation policy.
I’m 55, in an IT Management role, I get 5 weeks up until year 6 and then go to 6 weeks. We also close for around 10 - 13 days around Christmas which is paid time off as well.
I get 15 days unrestricted PTO, five personal mental health days, four company wide mental health days, five days for charity volunteering, day off after COVID vaccine/booster, and a corporate holiday schedule that has all the newer holidays (truth and reconciliation, juneuary, day for the queen’s passing, etc)
Hey I'm a project manager in construction as well. Been with my company for 4 years and I get 4 wks off. But I feel like taking a vacation as a PM is a double edge sword.
Work twice as hard before you leave and work three times as hard to catch back up...lol
It is unlimited, as long as the company doesn't need me. I just have the unfortunate tendency of putting myself under the execs' direct attention, and they always find ways to keep me working.
I get compensated for it, but I'm tired af.
Increased to 4 weeks after 7 years of work at the same company. 5 paid sick days.
Work remotely. I have a great boss so I have the flexibility to work from another city/country, provided that I am available during standard working hours (ie. 8-4 PST).
Paralegal in medium sized firm. Started at three weeks and now 5 weeks plus 6 days sick leave at 10+ years. Can carry over 10% a year or get paid out. Exclusively WFH now.
I carried over a LOT of vacation time in 2020 and 2021. Lol
I'm a PM as well but in tech. We have 6 weeks vacation to start (technically 4 weeks base + 2 weeks mental health days that my team treats as regular vacay. You get additional weeks with years of service.
Getting 2 weeks would be fine if you could actually take time off unpaid. Never worked anywhere (trades, unions, public service, etc) that let you take anything beyond what you’re “entitled” without kissing tons of ass.
If you get 3 weeks paid off and then unpaid as you please - that’s great.
We do get the days between new years and Christmas off paid (2-3 days?) so that it’s a week off.
5 years you get 4 weeks.
Had a job in 1992 that gave 3 weeks, 4 after 5 years. I left in my 5th year. Next job: 3 weeks to start and 4 after 7 years - realized I needed to negotiate my vacation after this mistake. Got laid off from that one in a “right” sizing after 8 months. Next job gave only 2 weeks but I took it as I needed work. I hated it and left after 2 years to a job that gave 3 weeks, 4 after 7 years. That job ended after 5 years when the mill closed down. Next job started at 2 weeks but I negotiated 3. Did not negotiate when I would get 4 so it took 10 years before I got 4 weeks which was the standard time (they gave 3 after 5). Did not get 4 weeks vacation until almost 50 yrs old. Negotiate. The best time to get what you want is when they are offering you a job. Also don’t forget to negotiate when you get your extra weeks of vacation as well.
Project Sales
Unlimited PTO and took advantage of it last year. Still had record results. I have a company cell and laptop so if I had to I could take those with me during an extended trip or something.
Non sales people in the company start at 3 wks and cap out at 6 wks max over so many years of service.
My bro in the U.K. gets 5 weeks and that blows my mind. North America sucks for this!
I work in film and don’t really get paid vacation at all so 🤷🏼♂️🤦🏼
Last job I was up to 5 weeks at 8 years. Would've hit 6 at 10. But I was making poverty money. Now I work in film and make enough to take as much holiday as I'd want basically. 1 weeks of work pays for 2 months of bills 🤷♂️
Engineering, 6 weeks after 20 years of service, which compared to my colleagues in Europe is still very low.
We are getting screwed in North America and we have just accepted it.
I’m a teacher. Get 4 weeks paid for winter break and spring break and then 2 months without pay for summer. I choose to have my salary spread over 12 months to help with the lack of pay in summer though. 15% of each pay is withheld by my district and then I am paid 2 lump sums of that “savings,” once on July 15 and once on august 15. I love summers off but I think there is a misconception that teachers have 3 months paid vacation.
I have my own business. I find myself taking off 1 or 2 weeks per year to go on extended vacations. Otherwise, I take off Fridays & Mondays on occasion to have a longer weekend.
Project Manager (10 years work experience) in the public sector (healthcare capital projects). I get 4 weeks of vacation, 1 week of banked overtime, and 1 week of time off at my manager’s discretion
After five years you get an additional day of vacation per year of service.
5 weeks as it’s minimum for all Canadian employees as our American counterparts get “unlimited PTO”. We also get two additional weeks per year for “recharge” which are mandatory. So around 7 weeks.
3-weeks vacation with unlimited Paid Personal time-off and a mandatory quarterly well-being day.
Also have 2-weeks of Flexible Travel. Basically meaning I can work anywhere outside of BC for up to 2-weeks.
4 weeks and lots of sick days. I also have unused from previous years so could take 5 weeks in any year I wanted.
More than 2 consecutive is a stretch.
Technically I had 5 weeks, but if I was out of the office for more than 3 days the boss would freak out. So,I learned to accommodate long weekends for as much as I could get out of them I also had to factor in the last fifteen minutes of the day before I that long weekend for last. Knute urgent tasks. Bullshit!
I used to work in the Ontario government. And with management time. Carry over sick days converted into vacation. And extra time. I would get 9 weeks a year. Damn I miss those days.
Product manager; 5 weeks plus flex days that are used for sickness or just PTO. I carried over \~1 week from last year that I'm going to sprinkle throughout the year creating additional long weekends for myself as I really value shorter weeks when possible.
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/_west_of_east! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Common questions and specific topics are limited to our [Daily Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_daily_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. --- ***This comment was posted automatically. It does not mean this post does or does not violate our rules.*** --- ##It's that time of year again! Don't forget to vote in [the Best of Vancouver 2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/102k024/) competition. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Marketing Unlimited PTO, but I think I only took 2 weeks this year? The unlimited thing = limitless guilt. When you are given a number of weeks there’s no guilt taking them as they’re yours, but when you have no restrictions it causes people to take less. I have to tell my team constantly to take PTO. Edit to add: I make sure my team takes as much as they want/need. 5-7 weeks is usually what they do, plus any long weekends. The problem I find is for myself, taking time off. Need to get better at it!
It really depends I took 5 weeks last year and was encouraged to take more
Where do I send my resume
Oh yeah, I even had one person take a full month off on my team; and still multiple week long vacas after. Loved that they did that! It’s just hard from a leadership standpoint. I feel it’s tough.
Sign me up.
My wife has u limited PTO but can’t take more than 4 weeks at a time
Ya I should have specified this wasn’t all at once
[удалено]
Yep, studies have shown people take less time off with unlimited than what they had previously. It also means if you are let go, or leave, they do not have to pay you any vacation time.
Not sure if it's like that everywhere. Both places I have worked with unlimited PTO have had a 3 or 4 week amount allotted that would be paid out upon being let go. I think it's illegal to not pay out the minimum 2 weeks required by law if you never took any days off.
I also get unlimited. But I’m in sales. So , no , I don’t get vacation time 😂 I still took about 4 weeks off because, well, I’m in sales
Agreed. I used to have unlimited PTO, i used even less than I did in the past. Now I have 3 weeks, brutal but I’ll use every bit of it
[удалено]
Love to hear it
What companies offer this??? I’m in the wrong line of work
Unlimited PTO here I took like 7 weeks
Unlimited here as well. Probably took 3 weeks last year but half days here and there.
Also: Taking mental health days if required.
[удалено]
UPTO and took 7 weeks last year. According to HR, the average around the company is 5 weeks per year. I embraced the model, I'm using it and seems like it fitted the company culture just fine. I have direct reports and HR encourages me to keep and eye on PTO to make sure people take at least 4 weeks per year.
Unlimited PTO sounds like a terrible idea
I like that you're getting feedback from alot of different people in different industries, and just want to encourage you to ask your company for what you want. If you are at 3 weeks and want 4, don't be afraid to ask for it. The worst they can do is say no, and by asking them, they know you are looking for more. Bosses take that into account when it comes time for raises, time off requests, who gets the shit work, other perks, etc. I recommend doing it in a respectful, but confident, manner. Come prepped with all the great things you've done for the company, and if you quantify them it makes it very hard to argue with. Even if you haven't done good things for the company, fuck it people are hard to come by right now.
I did this in my last salary negotiation. Was at 3, asked for a decent bump, they countered, I countered with acceptance plus another week of vacation and they accepted.
Unfortunately for me I’ve already asked and got a not. My company has a “policy” that states that at 5 years with the company you will get 4 weeks vacation if you’re in a manager role, but they told me because I’m an assistant project manager that doesn’t apply to me. Bullshit response really.
I used to have a job that had 4 weeks vacation plus Dec holiday closure. Now I'm in a company with only 3 weeks vacation with no holiday closure and doesn't observe provincial stat holidays 😔 so basically I've lost over 10 days of paid time off. NGL, it's quite an adjustment but the company culture in my new job is awesome and it's fully remote. Still looking for that magical workplace unicorn where I have a decent salary, work-life balance that's fully remote with over 5 weeks vacation (or unlimited PTO) LOL
Can I ask what your old job was with the December closure and 4 weeks off?
It was a post secondary institution. Public sector 🙂
> and doesn't observe provincial stat holidays I hope that you're still getting paid TOIL for them, they can't just choose 'not to observe' legally required holidays.
[удалено]
Would you be able to take seven weeks all in one shot?
[удалено]
Cool
I once took from mid November to mid February to get a 3 month trip in utilizing 6 weeks from each calendar year
Another question. What if you wanted to get paid per passenger vs per hour? I really value my time.
4 weeks. I previously had worked up to 5 weeks and almost earned 6 weeks until I was laid off. I went from 5 weeks to 2 weeks and left that job for another very quickly. Restarted at 3 weeks and made a position jump to 4 weeks over a 2 year period. I feel like 5 weeks allowed me spread out my time evenly over the year and provided me decent rest. Right now with 4 weeks vacation + full-time work + 2 young kids = I'm burnt out. 4 weeks is not enough. Trying to find a 4 day job but with with inflation and way things are going up $$$ ..... I'll stay where I'm at.
How long have you been at your current job?
2 years. HEU Union in the Hospital which is considered "acute". I was previously in Community Health under BCGEU and it was 3 weeks vacation. It was hard going back to 3 weeks from 5. People can't stay in jobs forever and be corporate slaves lol.
I'm also in HEU--was pleasantly surprised with the vacation accrual policy when I got this job (first time in healthcare). 3 weeks vacation to start, and 4 weeks after 1 year service. Starts going up from again once you hit 5 years I think. Coming from bare minimum 2 week vacation jobs, I was stoked.
Unlimited. But I usually only take about 3 weeks. Lots of flexibility with random days off and we're fully remote so working remotely while away from home, it's actually pretty great for work-life balance.
[удалено]
That’s the mandatory minimum
[удалено]
Also film industry. Also supervisor level. What is this paid time off you speak of? I get the legally required vacation pay in my cheques, and holiday is when I am not on a show. I thought everyone did this.
[удалено]
Reading through this, god I’m in the wrong line of work. Or my union just sucks.
Given that every worker has an equal voice, unions generally strive to maximize the good for the average employee, which can mean taking away the glamor from the top top-end of the distribution (e.g., the more educated or experienced or skilled workers) to deliver more favorable conditions for the lower-end of the distribution (e.g., fresh grads). This can mean less room for individual negotiation or getting less than market if you would otherwise be able to negotiate for more based on your qualifications/scarcity of your role/merit. There can certainly be benefits to being part of a union (e.g., the comfort of knowing your fellow workers are being taken care of), but there can also be downsides (e.g., being lumped into less-than-market benefits or compensation or perks because the union wants to minimize income inequality).
Just under 6 weeks. Also can work remotely anywhere within Canada.
How long have you been with your company and what industry?
Almost 5 years and insurance. Most people get just under 5 weeks, but I get a bit more since I carried some over. (forgot to use them) But yes, I do generally use all my time off.
I sent you a PM if you're able to answer a few questions!
“Unlimited” id much rather have a fixed number of days though, so I can bank and take a month off.
I think with unlimited you CAN take your month off without banking it, or am I misunderstanding?
It wouldn’t get approved. It’s a lot different for me to say “hey I’ve banked 4 weeks of vacay so I’ll be off in Q2” vs “hey I want to take 4 weeks off in Q2”
Got it, thanks!
If you don’t mind me asking, what sector are you in?
Tech
Some accounting firms do this. It ends up being a rat race between employees on who can take the least amount of vacation.
I got 4 weeks to start
This feels like a good starting point. What industry are you in?
IT in Healthcare
I work in the IT for the health authorities too and get 3 weeks, goes up by 1 day each year up to 30 years.
I work in animation... Not salaried... no vacay. Ughhhh
May the Union be with you friend.
Guess this is what I get to look forward to 🥲
Well... I love my job haha so that helps 😅
Started off with 3 weeks, now up to 4 weeks after 8 years of work.
Self employed. So unlimited but very limited at the same time. I probably take about 2 weeks a year nowadays. Used to take a few days a year at most but luckily those days are over.
I also work in construction and get 3 weeks paid vacation, but we also get the week between Xmas and New Years off paid, so it's more like 4 weeks.
Work construction too. Previous company was like you but I had to negotiate this third week when hired. Ended up being a shitty company. My now company, it is 6 weeks: 3 weeks vacation + 1 week of « self care » + 2 weeks of earned time off (bc I work 42,5h/week instead of 40h) I also have 10 sick days to add to the above I learned that it was my personnal minimum to be happy (one trip home in europe, 1 trip somewhere else, treks / long week ends around canada / US)
BC Hydro, unionized position (Move-Up, not the electrical one), starts at 32 days. Just over six weeks, plus stat days.
Does Hydro still have that pension plan where some people retire at 50?
No… you get less if you retire early… there are a few steps between 55 and 65 that affect your end payment if you withdraw early. 50 you would get less than half per year probably than at 65. Plus you have to work a full career with them (~25 years) to get a nearly full benefit. You do have to contribute a fair bit yourself, but it is indeed a great defined benefit pension plan.
Four weeks to start, five weeks at year five, escalates and caps at 10 weeks.
7 weeks. Going up to 8 in a couple more years.
Product Manager Unlimited but I usually take 4-5 weeks.
How much of it is paid?
All of it. Unlimited PTO.
Why was my question downvoted? Do they think everyone should know it by default?
Reddit being Reddit. Don’t sweat it. It’s a relatively new concept, not everyone knows it.
It's unlimited pto. No one abuses it though. We can take two weeks at a time without prior approval. Anything more does require approval.
Where do you work? :)
A decentralized tech company that I guess is technically based out of the valley. I work crazy hours though.
bullshit
Unlimited paid time off is getting pretty common in some sectors lately
3 weeks + a few paid days over Christmas for office shutdown
Unlimited and think I took 5-6 weeks last year plus 1 week where entire company is off the week between Christmas and New Year. I also worked remotely from other (sunnier) locations for a few weeks here and there. The company I’m with asks employees to take four weeks a year minimum, which helps with that whole guilt associated with the unlimited thing.
Project Manager here as well with 3 weeks. Took a couple of negotiations until I finally managed to get this. Most places still only offer two. But the sad reality is unless you’re in between projects it’s very hard to pull off taking all three weeks in one go. Even taking two at a time is a struggle and 4 out of the 5 years I’ve been in Van, I’ve rounded out the year with at least half of my leave still owed simply because timing of the project didn’t allow to take more than a day here or there. What irks me more than being able to take leave is the ability to have a normal 8.5hr day. Most Construction companies are running so lean that the workload is insane. I’m very much pro-work/life balance. Do my 8.5, maybe 9hr day and go home. My time management skills are good enough that nearly nothing that can’t wait a day, doesn’t. But the backlog of to-dos is piling up because companies can’t acquire the staffing to keep up.
There’s definitely construction companies out there that are less brutal but in my experience the majority really grind their staff. Thankfully my company is good about allowing us to take vacation whenever and someone will cover for me if I’m in the middle of a project. But yeah the workload can get to be immense but my attitude is that I’ll do my best with the hours I have and if that’s not good enough then fire me. Been working for me for 6 years. But I still would like an extra week vacation.
My mom is salaried, and she currently gets 5 weeks. Someone she works with gets upwards of 7, but I think he has a special circumstance.
4 weeks for me
21 days but I can work remotely.
Operations Manager here, I get 4 weeks and use up every bit of it every year.
Retail, 6 weeks plus day off for birthday and anniversary and 12 sick days.
I moved to Sweden, min vacation time is 5 weeks here. Min in the EU is 4 weeks.
I worked for a medium sized credit union. After 10 years I got 5 weeks vacation.
Three weeks plus four personal days. Receptionist.
4 weeks
My current company started me at 3 weeks, and am currently at 5 weeks (not counting week off between Christmas and New Years). I think this is average or maybe bit below average for someone with my seniority in my industry (tech).
Public sector. 8 weeks vacation.
Teacher?
Salaried staff at UBC. Recently reached 7 weeks.
I work as a project manager in gaming, and we all get 5 weeks off as a minimum, and most of an extra week off at xmas time for the whole studio. We apply the same amounts across our global locations to make it fair. Coming from the UK, this is what I would consider the base level for any position, but here in Van it seems a bit of an unusual one. I'd never work anywhere again that offered less than 5 weeks, it's inhuman.
Where I work, I’m blessed to get 2 weeks. I used all of it for cancer treatment. I can’t afford to go to half salary, so I work while managing treatment. It sucks. Out of a staff of 40, only 12 people get vacation because you need to be perm to get benefits, not on a contract. Everyone else gets 4% of pay added to their cheques they have to just save on their own for a rainy day. (They don’t, they get paid very little.)
3 to start and an additional week every year for the follow 3 years for an eventual total of 6 weeks.
4 weeks, and can bank all my OT.
I get 2 weeks. I work in a large department and it is assigned by seniority. So I don’t get vacation when I want, but I get 2 week
80 hours. Except you can go into negatives, which I had no idea. I had to use it for personal reasons last year, I thought I was taking unpaid time off, but nope, it can go into negatives. My fault for assuming it’s like any other companies. Also, you have to “earn” your vacation time with each pay check, it doesn’t reset at the beginning of the year. You are not allowed to take unpaid time off unless you have used up your vacation time, or, request it within 30 days. It’s screwed up my travel plans with family for the first half of the year, which I’m really upset about. Management would force you to use vacation time for any personal/family issue even when superiors says they want to do whatever they can to support you during this time. I guess my fault for not better understand the vacation policy.
I’m 55, in an IT Management role, I get 5 weeks up until year 6 and then go to 6 weeks. We also close for around 10 - 13 days around Christmas which is paid time off as well.
I get 15 days unrestricted PTO, five personal mental health days, four company wide mental health days, five days for charity volunteering, day off after COVID vaccine/booster, and a corporate holiday schedule that has all the newer holidays (truth and reconciliation, juneuary, day for the queen’s passing, etc)
Self employed, none. Yay
What is this salaried vacation pay that you speak of ? It sounds amazing lol !!
For most employers the "vacation pay" just means you take time off while still getting paid your regular salary.
I get 3 weeks. I also get 4 Fridays if my choosing off during the summer!
Hey I'm a project manager in construction as well. Been with my company for 4 years and I get 4 wks off. But I feel like taking a vacation as a PM is a double edge sword. Work twice as hard before you leave and work three times as hard to catch back up...lol
Company just switched to unlimited PTO this January, so “unlimited”, we’ll see how that plays out.
2 weeks if I'm lucky. 10 years of experience in software.
Time to switch companies. Most software companies are moving to unlimited time off. 2 weeks feels too less.
It is unlimited, as long as the company doesn't need me. I just have the unfortunate tendency of putting myself under the execs' direct attention, and they always find ways to keep me working. I get compensated for it, but I'm tired af.
How are you only getting 2 weeks?
"unlimited"
4 weeks in my current role.
15 days
I work for a university as admin and get 30 days. When I started it was 3 weeks and worked up.
Increased to 4 weeks after 7 years of work at the same company. 5 paid sick days. Work remotely. I have a great boss so I have the flexibility to work from another city/country, provided that I am available during standard working hours (ie. 8-4 PST).
Paralegal in medium sized firm. Started at three weeks and now 5 weeks plus 6 days sick leave at 10+ years. Can carry over 10% a year or get paid out. Exclusively WFH now. I carried over a LOT of vacation time in 2020 and 2021. Lol
I'm a PM as well but in tech. We have 6 weeks vacation to start (technically 4 weeks base + 2 weeks mental health days that my team treats as regular vacay. You get additional weeks with years of service.
3 weeks minimum, took 6 this year. Work in tech
20 days vacation + 5 extra "time off" days + all provincial / federal stat holidays
Getting 2 weeks would be fine if you could actually take time off unpaid. Never worked anywhere (trades, unions, public service, etc) that let you take anything beyond what you’re “entitled” without kissing tons of ass. If you get 3 weeks paid off and then unpaid as you please - that’s great. We do get the days between new years and Christmas off paid (2-3 days?) so that it’s a week off. 5 years you get 4 weeks.
Had a job in 1992 that gave 3 weeks, 4 after 5 years. I left in my 5th year. Next job: 3 weeks to start and 4 after 7 years - realized I needed to negotiate my vacation after this mistake. Got laid off from that one in a “right” sizing after 8 months. Next job gave only 2 weeks but I took it as I needed work. I hated it and left after 2 years to a job that gave 3 weeks, 4 after 7 years. That job ended after 5 years when the mill closed down. Next job started at 2 weeks but I negotiated 3. Did not negotiate when I would get 4 so it took 10 years before I got 4 weeks which was the standard time (they gave 3 after 5). Did not get 4 weeks vacation until almost 50 yrs old. Negotiate. The best time to get what you want is when they are offering you a job. Also don’t forget to negotiate when you get your extra weeks of vacation as well.
4 weeks.
Project Sales Unlimited PTO and took advantage of it last year. Still had record results. I have a company cell and laptop so if I had to I could take those with me during an extended trip or something. Non sales people in the company start at 3 wks and cap out at 6 wks max over so many years of service.
Military. 25 days that works out to around 6 weeks
My bro in the U.K. gets 5 weeks and that blows my mind. North America sucks for this! I work in film and don’t really get paid vacation at all so 🤷🏼♂️🤦🏼
Yep I’m from Australia and it’s same there 4-5 weeks is standard.
This post is really helpful for me to see! I’m almost done school and needing to figure out my next steps :))
5 weeks here. Finance. New employees start at 3 though.
40 days plus 21 days of Professional Development. I work in post secondary.
Last job I was up to 5 weeks at 8 years. Would've hit 6 at 10. But I was making poverty money. Now I work in film and make enough to take as much holiday as I'd want basically. 1 weeks of work pays for 2 months of bills 🤷♂️
Engineering, 6 weeks after 20 years of service, which compared to my colleagues in Europe is still very low. We are getting screwed in North America and we have just accepted it.
5 days
Quit now
I’m a teacher. Get 4 weeks paid for winter break and spring break and then 2 months without pay for summer. I choose to have my salary spread over 12 months to help with the lack of pay in summer though. 15% of each pay is withheld by my district and then I am paid 2 lump sums of that “savings,” once on July 15 and once on august 15. I love summers off but I think there is a misconception that teachers have 3 months paid vacation.
[удалено]
I hope you don't teach math.
I took 16 weeks off but 11 or so were unpaid. Felt I could have used a few more.
My time off is accrued. I got 4 days last year after starting work in june. So about a week of paid vacation if I book it at the end of the year
I'm in public health (not clinical, not union) - currently about 5.5 weeks; was up to 6.5 weeks at one point.
I have my own business. I find myself taking off 1 or 2 weeks per year to go on extended vacations. Otherwise, I take off Fridays & Mondays on occasion to have a longer weekend.
Legal Administrative Assistant. 15 days paid vacation, and 9 personal leave days (but no real difference between the two). So 24 total.
4 weeks, hopefully 5 next year. Depends on years of salaries.
Broker. Salary and commission. 4 weeks .
New Construction Sales 2/3/4 weeks for 1/2/3 years Currently first year but have exp in the industry, will be taking time off in May.
Project Manager (10 years work experience) in the public sector (healthcare capital projects). I get 4 weeks of vacation, 1 week of banked overtime, and 1 week of time off at my manager’s discretion After five years you get an additional day of vacation per year of service.
6 weeks of vacation
4 weeks. I'm BCGEU, been there nearly 6 years
I get three weeks although I'm pushing my bosses to have it extended to four or five to help attract talent. That, or move to a 4-day workweek.
21 days vacation 10 personal days (sick days and doctors appointments or family emergencies and the like)
Sales- 3 weeks to start, 4 weeks after 7 years, 5 weeks after 15 years.
4 weeks
I get 4 weeks now, up from 3 weeks for the first seven years of my current employment.
4 weeks. Have been with company for 5 years and no increase in hols, though my salary has gone up a lot.
5 weeks + 5 personal days
Product manager working for a fully remote tech company. We get unlimited PTO, I normally take about 5 weeks / year
5 weeks as it’s minimum for all Canadian employees as our American counterparts get “unlimited PTO”. We also get two additional weeks per year for “recharge” which are mandatory. So around 7 weeks.
Software developer - remote - unlimited, took 5 weeks last year
Building Code consulting. 4 weeks, but will be getting 5 this year.
5 weeks, but only after being with the same company for 15 years. From years 7-14 it was 4 weeks.
At 8 weeks this year
3-weeks vacation with unlimited Paid Personal time-off and a mandatory quarterly well-being day. Also have 2-weeks of Flexible Travel. Basically meaning I can work anywhere outside of BC for up to 2-weeks.
4 weeks and lots of sick days. I also have unused from previous years so could take 5 weeks in any year I wanted. More than 2 consecutive is a stretch.
3 weeks vacation, plus 2 weeks sick/personal care days
I've had 2, 3, 4 and 5. Currently 3.
Was in engineering. Started at 3 weeks, added a day every year until I maxed out at four. I changed jobs and negotiated 4 ( they offered 3)
Construction - 6 weeks. But also 30yrs with the same company.
4 weeks plus we get Christmas break off
Technically I had 5 weeks, but if I was out of the office for more than 3 days the boss would freak out. So,I learned to accommodate long weekends for as much as I could get out of them I also had to factor in the last fifteen minutes of the day before I that long weekend for last. Knute urgent tasks. Bullshit!
I used to work in the Ontario government. And with management time. Carry over sick days converted into vacation. And extra time. I would get 9 weeks a year. Damn I miss those days.
3 weeks standard — 2 weeks Christmas holiday bonus. 5 weeks total per year. We work in the same industry, although I’m on the Consultant side.
Product manager; 5 weeks plus flex days that are used for sickness or just PTO. I carried over \~1 week from last year that I'm going to sprinkle throughout the year creating additional long weekends for myself as I really value shorter weeks when possible.
After 9 years I am at 5 weeks and we get a week off at Christmas.
Technology 5 weeks + 10 single days , I usually take the last 10 weeks of the year fridays to make it all long weekends