How common is vacation without the vacation? Is it even supposed to happen?

I think it is much more common in the USA than in the U.K., even though we get more annual leave. We get 28 days by law (thank you EU) and more if your employer is generous. I do know that agency/temp workers can get paid holidays but I believe that permanent workers have to take their leave or lose it. They wouldn’t get paid for it.

But both nations should look to the French and Dutch. Happy people, productive economies, lower working weeks

It is probably more common today than ever in the history of the US. I say this because today we have a crapload of bills I know my parents did not have…hell even I did not have just a mere 15 years ago.

Cell phones, Data plans, cable, WiFi, 2 plus cars in the family and $10,000 deductibles for health insurance are just a few of this added financial burden we all carry today. There are growing number of people who are unplugging and eschewing the modern electronic addiction that has consumed the American paycheck and then some. It’s all about choices…your choices. Because of all these added expenses to the modern American life…..Staycations are here to stay.

I’ve only worked one place that had paid vacation, and that was local government. People would save it up all year then cash it in in October (the start of the new fiscal year) for 50% of the time in cash. They jokingly called it the Christmas bonus.

Yes, I’ve heard more and more in the USA of people not being able to take their vacation time either because of pressures on the job or financial issues. And there are many people in low paying or hourly jobs who don’t get paid vacation or sick time. A rising tide does not lift all boats equally.

Americans not taking their earned vacation time is so common that it is recognized by the CDC as a public health problem. Many outfits I worked for would compensate a portion of the vacation time I earn with money, but insisted I not show up to work for the rest. The VA insisted I take all the time off allotted to me. Sometimes I would relax at home, sometimes I would arrange to work at a local ER. Both my wife and I weren’t big on vacations and, in hindsight, I think that was a huge mistake. Workaholics don’t really get more quality work done, they just appear to.

A newish trend in some of the tech start ups is to say you have unlimited vacation time at your own discretion. The unspoken contract is as long as you get your work done – and they pile on the work. I can only think that this adds to stress.

On the other hand, one of my sons, who works at a big tech company, is being allowed three months parental leave. He took three weeks off when the baby was born and will take two months off when his wife goes back to work. Humane.

@Stinley As a Dutch person: we have about 2 weeks (can’t recall the precise number off the top of my head) off by law, and often employers add a few extra (I think I’ve got 5 in total). When you don’t take off, you do get paid for it, but it’s heavily taxed so there’s little monetary incentive to do so.

There might also be a difference in this regard between the lawful days off and the ones added by your employer, but I’m not 100% sure about that.

I worked for the Phone Company.
If you failed to use vacation time for over a year, you would receive a cash payment instead.
In 2000, I had 4 weeks vacation time allotted, but by 2002 I hadn’t used 3 weeks of the 2000 time off, so they paid me 3 weeks pay, which came in handy, but I would rather have taken the time off.

Who in the U.S. really gets a vacation anymore? Even if someone does use his/her personal time and plan trips and holidays, the person’s expected to be accessible by cellphone and email.

I’ve known people who were actually scolded, and likely had their careers with an employer jeopardized, because they didn’t perform tasks while on vacation. After all, what’s a heavenly beach for except opening a laptop, finding one’s latest assignments, and working all day?

This is an extremely unhealthy trend. Time off is for vacating one’s normal routine – hence the word “vacation” – to get rest, have fun, and balance life.

We have a system here for vacation. Everyone gets 3 weeks paid vacation, but it’s not always time, especially with my job, because I’m on-call. A small percentage of my pay is put away for me and in June it is paid out in my monthly pay. I can do what ever I want with that money, but for two to three weeks, the kindergardens are closed in July during the time called ‘Felles Feire’ (common holiday). So, I usually have ‘staycations’ with my kid and we spend the vacation money to enjoy ourselves going out for sushi and movies. (Those are treats for a single mom, even here in Norway). The vacation pay is called ‘Feire Penge’ But an English speaking friend misheard this once and asked ‘Why is everyone talking about this ‘Fairy Penguin’... so now, we call it the Fairy Penguin. If any money is left over, I might invest in some repairs or upgrades for the house. In December, we only pay half tax, so our December pay there is a little built in bonus for us, too. I bought a dehumidifier and a new microwave.
I would travel a bit more, but my kid’s dad hasn’t cooperated with me so I can get him a passport and both parents much be present. I can even get on a domestic flight with him and now they changed the rules so I can’t even travel to Sweden without my own passport. Stupid border rules now because…. refugees.

We have crazy time off. Mandatory days things have to close. Easter and Christmas are big ones with usually a whole week off and all the big Christian holidays, even Pentacost and Ascension. It isn’t just schools and post offices that close. It is pretty much everything. Retailers aren’t allowed to open on Sundays here unless they meet certain special criteria, so malls and shopping centres are closed on Sundays.

I have worked for a number of companies in the UK and they all gave at least 4 weeks paid holidays plus 8 days public holidays eg Christmas etc. I had five weeks paid holidays with the last company I worked for plus the 8 public holidays. I had the option of buying additional holidays but they didn’t offer money in lieu of holidays.

I can hardly imagine working all year without a holiday. Work was never my whole life, I wanted time to spend with my family.

Most people I know who don’t use all of their vacation, don’t use it because it’s difficult to be away from work. Totally sucks. Some jobs you can carry over the time to the next year, some jobs it’s use or lose. Some jobs pay you out your vacation when you leave, some don’t.