h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I can remember when I was working in the oil construction business that we had to work most holidays, with double pay being the inesntive!
This caused the "hard liners" mostly union men, who would argue the point that are fore-fathers had to fight in order for us to be able to have these holidays. They said it was management buying them back from us. You could never really take your holidays when you wanted as such, as it was case on management keeping the site open by allowing half of the workers to be off at one time. So if you wanted to book anything abroad for example, it had to be within that time scale. So basically we were being "told" when you could have our holidays.

The same applied when I was in the Royal Navy, we had to actually "Request Seasonal Leave as Promulgated" This was what we had to write onto our "request forms" for leave. Some times, due to the ships movements, you never got leave as such, so it stored up until you were back in the U.K. then you took all leave that was due to you.

Like wise, when I was in the ambulance service, holidays were just as hard to plan. In fact you had to wait your turn in the queue to be allowed to to take your holidays during the best weather, or to fit in with school holidays. My children were grown up, so I used to swap my holidays with some one who wanted to take their kids abroad for example.
This meant that I would get my sumer holidays in "November"

In fact, Ive never been in a job during my working life, where I could take my holidays when I actually wanted to. So its as well that I have never been what you would call a "holiday person" you know the type, the ones who spend a lot of money and plan their holidays months in advance.
Now, well now I suppose you could say that I am on permanent holiday, as due to an accident some six years ago, I am now disabled and not fit for work. So by all means take your holidays, as the union men were always telling us, your fore fathers fought for your right to have a holiday, so enjoy!

Smudger,

Incidentally, I think the attitude that holidays aren't compulsory is spreading to all areas of work now . My fiance and I work in the automotive industry, and he's working at a production plant as an engineer there. At the end of 2003 he was working 60-70 hour weeks, and kept requesting holiday, and it got turned down as he was needed at work. We must have a workforce in the several thousands, but obviously it's us at the bottom who do the work that matter. Anyway, the upshot was that he ended up with over 2 weeks of holiday left at the end of the year, which added to the compulsory leave over Christmas, gave him a total of 4 weeks off.

Because he'd been working so many hours for 3 months, all that happened was in the first 2 weeks of his "holiday" he slept and ate. Seriously. I have never known anyone sleep so much and eat so much without doing much else in between. It was almost like he had the flu; he wasn't a well chap. The remaining 2 weeks I was back at work, so he just tinkered around the house and bemoaned losing 2 weeks to feeling ill.

The moral of the story? Companies need to recognise that holidays are needed for morale and the physical well being of their workforce. Bank holidays are all well and good, but people actually need to be allowed to have the time off by the companies they work for. A bit of goodwill on the company's part with respect to holidays and time off can foster more goodwill from the employees than a bit of extra money can ever do.

Unfortunately, I don't think this message will ever sink in to business as it's percieved as costing them money, and money rules all.

Not really the point of this thread, but I feel that's my . Sorry for the rant!

>> Unfortunately, I don't think this message will ever sink in to business as it's percieved as costing them money, and money rules all. <<

That's not strictly true. In a number of businesses I've worked in, it was compulsory to take a minimum of a 2 week break each year, sometimes this was even specified as "must be taken between April & October". I have been in one workplace where management practically had to force an employee to take holiday. It all depends on how enlightened the management are.

RF

>>In a number of businesses I've worked in, it was compulsory to take a minimum of a 2 week break each year<<
That sort of business sounds like one where you'd want to work, as at least they have some consideration for employees. It's good to know they exist!

In the automotive sector in which I work, that sort of attitude is sadly missing. I've heard and witnessed countless horror stories from a number of employers here about having to work holidays, bank holidays, weekends, day and night shifts concurrently...

I suppose I need to change jobs and industry!

I think you will spend a long time looking for a company that cares that much for their employees

I used to be what you call a "Company Man" loyal, hard working, but after being made redundant a few times, my opinions changed

For example, I can recall being interviewd by a personell officer (who was about 20 tears old?) about my complaining for being forced to work overtime without pay?? This was in the 90s, and this young lady, tried to justify herself by saying, "your lucky to have a job at all"

So I asked her "what time do you go home every night? 5pm, she repilied.

I said, "well if thats good enough for you, then I will finish at 5pm also"


I did so every night after that! In the end that company chenged their policy on "staff" (as opposed to the hourly paid employees) working hours! As all the staff followed my lead.
I packed the job in soon after that, and went to work for a better firm
Smudger,

>>I said, "well if thats good enough for you, then I will finish at 5pm also"<<

I like it - and that's a policy I've adopted. Here we're supposed to have Friday afternoons off, but meetings keep being scheduled during them. So I have block booked the time as out of the office, and if anyone asks, I have plans. They might involve me eating my lunch, but they're plans nonetheless . So far I haven't had any real opposition, but my fiance has (he works at the manufacturing site, and they tend to be a bit more demanding, poor lambs that they are <sarcastic mode&gt

Looking for a job elsewhere in this industry is difficult as all the other companies around here work for us, so it'd be all the same s**t, just at a different place. So any move would have to be a complete career change - and we're looking, believe me!

I don't mind whether the company cares or not, I just want one that respects the fact that you need to have a home life as well .

The only place that has such a care for all its workers seems to be Japan!!! I know its wierd, but I saw a doccy on TV about working life in Japan, and its so far apart from how we get treated here in Europe

I was so surprised when I saw it on TV, I only wish I had taped it now
Smudger,