A Europe A2K Gathering in May 2005

Wow, that's a huge difference between American's getting 10 days and Germans getting 30 days vacation. That probably impacts German's ability to compete in the world market for it's goods and services not withstanding the increased value of the Euro.

10 days was the minimum here some time ago - back in 1920, to be precise.

I think thirty days is great, plus holidays - I would have felt less trapped by my work life all these years, had more time for my own projects....

come live to France - five weeks holidays!!!

Can't, would like to at least visit at length. As you know, Francis, I'm italy-crazed, so if I win the lottery, that's where I'll pick a place. But you europeans are all so close by. I drive three hundred miles to the nearest big city, San Francisco. Bopping around europe by train seems a delight to me.

4 weeks in Oz - but we're really good at long weekends!

(and no bites on the cricket - not even from Super G )

Just refering back to the number of holidays in differnent parts of the world. In Britain, we're guaranteed 20 days annual leave under the EEC Working Time directive. Most people get 20-25 on average. In England, we also get 8 Bank (public) holidays. The Scots get more!

I had 26 days of vacation last year. I took 10.

I have 28 days vacation this year, yet to be seen how many I can actually take.

In fact, I dont remember using up my full quota of vacations for the last 3-4 years !!

I've said it before but I think it needs saying again - G - you work too hard, man!

the prince, Does the UK have laws similar to the US where accrued vacation time cannot be lost once earned?

I can't answer for the UK - but in Germany you will loose it usually at the end of March of the next year. If the company informs the employees in time, you can also loose all your left-over vacation days on December 31. That's what my company did in 2003 and 2004. I got a special deal so I could take my left-over days now in the beginning of January because this worked better for my boss. And him being the VP of Human Resources helped there, of course.

Many companies in the US have developed policy whereby a person not reporting for work because of illness must first use "vacation" hours before sick benefit hours. * That may have changed since I left the work force in 1998.

That is definitely not legal in Germany. We do not have a certain number of 'sick days'. If you get sick, you need to see a doctor who will 'write you sick' as we call it in Germany. He gives you a piece of paper saying how long you have to stay at home. You give that to your employer. The employer has to pay sick leave for up to six weeks in a row. After that, the government pays.

It's not the government, which pays after six weeks, but the health insurance company.

Of course, you are right, Walter. After more than two weeks of vacation, my brain is only on standby ;-)

In the UK, things seem simiar to Germany - I have 25 days "annual leave". Any time not taken in the calendar year is lost, unless special explanations are given (e.g. I've had to cancel a vacation because of work).

Sick leave - no specific "days" allowed - doctor's note required to justify absence (where I work this kicks in after 3 days). Interestingly, though people often return to work while still technicaly "off sick", employers should not let them do so, as they will be uninsured, unless the doctor writes out another letter/form cancelling the sick leave.

Recent UK studies have shown that we Brits don't take as many days off as we used to, and less than other EU nations except Denmark. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4152417.stm

I think that 10 days vacation each year in the US is unacceptably low - I note that US colleagues are (IMHO) overworked and therefore are unable to concentrate on the "thinking" parts of their jobs as well as the "doing" parts. One very good reason why I'm happy to remain in Europe.

OK - off for the weekend, now.

Schoene Wochenende, wuensche ich euch!

Und ein sehr schönes Wochende auch Dir, kp!

And I absolutely agree that 10 days are not enough!

Just checked those 24 days guaranteed minimum vacation in Germany:

the law is as old as 1963. Thus, it's related to a 6-working-days-week.
When you now work only 5 days a week, you get a minimum of 20 working days of - the idea is, to guarantee four weeks holiday for everyone.



That's done quite often and more and more nowadays - but still illegal according to newest Superior and Federal Labour Court rulings.

(Only interesting for urs: link)

US at bottom of vacation days. One of the reasons our productivity is one of the highest in the industrialized world.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/937134/posts

And how are our depression rates?