Is Vacation Worth the Inevitable Clusterfuck Week/Weeks/Month Leading Up to Vacation, and the Week after Return?

I am really leaning towards no.

This is, of course, informed by my being an American, and therefore being provided with only two weeks of vacation per year. Which means that I can either bank that time to save for a holiday of three weeks (no more than 15 days total accrued vacation allowed, or you stop accruing any more), or I have to suffer the horror of the last minute lead up and "where the fuck is this?" follow-up from vacation.

For instance, this will be a three day weekend. I predict I will only be relaxed from approx. 10 - 2 on the second day.

Fuck. I really hate this.

For clarification, the accrual limit, while not unique, is from my employer, not American law. This arrangement, however, is entirely permissible.

i can collect as many vacation days as i want with no limit so i'm not going to take one until i can take one that lasts a year, then it will be worth it

Federal holidays when everyone and their grandmother has the day off and everywhere good to go is jam packed--as are the roads/airports--blow major wang, but weeklong vacations (along w/weekends obv) scheduled during non-peak times are what makes a work-a-day life bearable.

This is, of course, informed by my being an American, and therefore being provided with only two weeks of vacation per year.

No, this is informed by you working for the wrong company.

At my company, you start out with 3 and accrue more with seniority; I currently have just over 6 weeks of vacation banked that I could essentially walk away with as a payout if I left.

B-b-but then why can't you stay that one extra day in Minneapolis after the wedding?

yeah blam this just sounds like your job blows (sry if it actually doesn't)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/7945719/Netflix-lets-its-staff-take-as-much-holiday-as-they-want-whenever-they-want-and-it-works.html

B-b-but then why can't you stay that one extra day in Minneapolis after the wedding?

because I just came back from taking a week off and I have deadlines

i start with 10 days a year or 3.8 hours per pay period or something. it is fair to say americans get less vacation than euros in comparable jobs. also that all jobs blow

Yeah, we get worked pretty hard over here. Such is the life of a young, highly leveraged attorney - work, work, work, drink, sleep, work.

holidays aint worth it either

The office "closes" today at 3, I don't see anyone leaving. But at 3:15 I'm seeyabye.

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Holiday is *always* worth it.

Just for the sheer relief of not being in the fucking office for however long you're away.

Oh god mind starts next week and I swear I am the LAST member of my team to get my annual leave and I am so ready for it I might actually punch someone.

Do you think anyone will cover for me while I am away? No. Do you think the place will freak out and fall to pieces when they realise that I'm gone, and the only other person who knew how to do the reports resigned over the summer? Yes of course. Will this make them value me more when I come back, or just get my whole department shouted at for not providing two of me, even though we don't have enough of a budget to cover the actual people we need? Answers on a postcard, please.

maybe they'll learn how to fill out reports

No, they would actually have to learn how to operate Excel first, which oooooohhhhhh noooooo that's far too complicated for any of them to get their pretty little heads around.

Bless.

Hell, I don't complain, it keeps me in a pretty cushy job simply because they've botoxed their brains to be unable to do simple computer based tasks.

I took my first-ever 2-wk vacation this year and two weeks was totally worth it. For one week, the shitstorms before and after make the effectiveness of the vacation extremely debatable, depending on your sitch.

Most studies show that taking a week off does more for "productivity" than asking for a Friday or Monday off.

Like Dan, I accumulate hours every two weeks, so I've got about six weeks I can use whenever I want (and roll over).

I'll tell you this though: often I prefer my boss taking sick leave or a day off.

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We only had the basic American two weeks until we were bought by French overlords and they changed to starting with three! Plus you gain more with seniority, plus you can carry over up to 5 days to the next calendar year.

We don't get compensated for unused days, sadly.

i can collect as many vacation days as i want with no limit so i'm not going to take one until i can take one that lasts a year, then it will be worth it

I was up to 14 weeks in the bank before I blew three on a trip to London last month.