We get options on how we take our vacation depending on amount each person has. I have 4 weeks so can take all of it as a week or up to 2 of the weeks as a day at a time nor more than 3 single days in a week.

General calling in we can miss 2 days in 13 weeks get wrote up on the 3rd one. The incidents fall off after 13 weeks. So you can miss 2 days every13 weeks.

Add in with myb12 hr rotat scedual we are only scheduled 14 out of 28 days its pretty generous. But even with that we have a lot of additional fmla usage. We have a full range from over time hogs(me) to people that barely make it to work enough to keep their job

Some people like their job better than others. They probably are wondering how you can go a year with only 4 days off. Same as you wonder how they take so much time off. To me, it’s different than no call no show. I have 0 patients for that. But if they are following the rules they are no better or no worse than what you are doing…… except, if I were your boss you’d probably be in management by now.

My friend Gus was like that he was last the engineer for the T-38 Talon. He let huge amounts of vacation time expire, over his career, because he liked what he was doing and was driven to work all the time. He worked tremendous amounts of overtime for no additional compensation too. He finally retired in January. I hope he can relax and enjoy it.

For about 16 years, I worked all the time too. I did very little that couldn't be construed as work, but I got over it.

Keith

I had one ten year run with no missed time , cept vacation time and 5 holidays per year

No sick time , or personal bs time

Alot of 6 days a week in that time zone

People can't even make it a week these days without some bs excuses

When I worked for the town we had a sliding scale of vacation time depending on time, and you could accrue 2 years worth, and a set amount of sick and personal time....great thing was , at the time, you could bank your sick and personal time. I rarely took a day off, I actually lost some vacation days because I was over the 2 years...I basically used the banked time as a disability fund if ever needed.
When I retired the check for banked time was huge, lol
I was fortunate that I was like an independent worker, we worked on our own with no immediate supervisor, as long as the work got done no one complained.



In your situation, your boss needs to have a set written policy, and enforce it, They can be liberal or strict, but need to stay up on it.You may lose the laziest people, but!, the boss should be paying a good wage to keep the good ones....it's a 2 way street.

Since I wrote this thread it has gotten worse. We have a couple girls that have taken probably six weeks off this year.
If I took a week off I’d probably never wanna go back and I can’t imagine the leftover workload that would await me.

Carrying extra employees
to cover the slack,,,,

I'm sure you know by now it isn't going to change or get better. Might be time to shop around and take your skills elsewhere.

Have you inquired with the individuals about their time off or made them aware of how noticeable it is?

Sometimes people just don’t see or realize the affect it has on others.

You earn so much time if your full time, less of your part time. Earn by year as well longer you work the more per pay period you get. You have a max amout of hours you can keep year to year. Your allowed to sell 40 back to the company any more the your max you just lose. You can take off anytime up to your director, depending on staffing, who else has taken off (most seniority get first dibs if you ask off at same time). But you can ask off anytime, as long as you have enough pdo to cover at the time you ask off. Can be months in advance but if you dont have enough hours you cant ask off.

Nothing within your ability to control. You can keep worring about and the stress that involves. Or realize you are only responsible for your own actions and things you can control and let the rest fall on the boss thats responsible to deal with it. I know your at a small employer but its probably the same as the big ones. Thay dont care as long as things get done. They will push the work horse and leave the slackers alone. Eventually the work horses get wore out and broke down. They quit or retire and are replaced. Employees are just a tool to companies these days.

If your boss let's it go nothing you can do. They may have fmla and there may be nothing the boss can do but you wont know that.

If its to much for you start looking for another job and see whats available. You may find something thats better for you. But you wont know what's available until you look.

It's beyond time to let it go. Worrying about something you have no control over is nothing more than wasted energy.

Are they getting paid time off for 6 weeks, or they just doing without? If they can just do with out good for them, if you can do with out play the same game. If you have a policy with paid time off and they are not following for anyone might as play that game as well.

I worked with a girl, anytime I took off for vacation she throw a fit, mainly she didnt want to work with the other lazy folks that would be covering, but if I took a week off she take 2 as soon as I would get back. Never bothered me but always seemed to bother her. Everyone needs some time off, some take advantage, some probably should. I was always the one the should have, I would always end up losing time at the end of the year.

Do you guys have a handbook that have time off policies?? If
Not maybe suggest a handbook with different policies that could benefit the company, short staffed never benefits the company.

Oh I agree 100%. I am so close to retirement and have been taking longer periods off when I do take time that it is very hard to return. I do like my job but it is getting time.

My suggestion is the old saying " If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

I would start taking a day off here and there and when it gets to be trapping and hunting time I would take a week here and there.

Unless you need a full 40hrs every pay check and you are not getting paid time off.

Not sure what all you do for the vet but unless it is something they are not qualified to do I would expect that when I came back I start up then and not have to go back and do stuff they didn't

And ultimately you can always start looking for a new place to work.
People are always looking for good help

Thanks guys I know I sound like a broken record. And no we don’t have a protocol for time off it’s just Willy nilly.
And I am definitely going to ask for more time off. Come fall, I expect to be given my fair share of time. I took off Juneteenth because Chuckie has it off with the city. And my manager said, oh someone else already has that day off we will be short…I said what’s the difference? That same person is a part time employee and also a newer hire.

I have left jobs regularly over the years for hunting or fishing adventures. Weekends don't cut it.. bosses always laugh "now"when you coming back? After I fill the tag. Thats when. Always hired back. Paid vacation may work for some but not me. I am not waiting for retirement. By then I may be too old or crippled up to pack or hunt . Enjoy your life to the most while active . Yes it may cost in the long run but am i guaranteed that time?. By the way my 2 different employers hunt with me and take off as much now as they too understand me and realize only so much time left

I needed more of this type thinking. Started off like that asking for a lay off come October and back to work in January. That was back when I was in the trades Iron Working. Then at 26 I started working where im at now and was limited to allowed time off and the job was to good to quit. Steady money and benifits are nice, then the overtime started kicking in.


20 years later I still have not been on an elk, mule deer or pronghorn hunt I was going to get to someday when I could afford it and had more time. Im 10 years away from my early retirement plan of retiring at 56. Guess what, mu body is messing up. I didnt feel comfortable hunting from elevation or geting to far from the truck last seasion. Geting out west and covering a lot of ground and enjoying the land will be a tall order if my legs, and balance stay at their current condition. Keep puting it off tell some day and some day you may not be able to.

PF I think i tried to mention this to you over a year and a half ago. 80 hour weeks aren't sustainable if you are doing any manual labor. Money is not everything !!! Living to work will make you old FAST... Hope you get a break from your illness to enjoy things. JUST DONT waste the break by going back to long hours !!!
Good luck

Yes you and severlabothers and all were correct, the kicker is I knew there was a possibility I had MS and worked the hours in order to get finances to where the family would be ok if I get to where I cant work. Thats not saying I didnt work a ton of 64 and 72 hour weeks before that but 3 years ago it went to 88- 100 hr weeks.

Well I got everything paid off, hit retirement accounts hard and by my calculations will be ok if I have to stop working. BUT I didnt look into MS very well and lnow finding out little sleep, not eating and stress is what often triggers MS and makes symptoms worse. So mission accomplished but what was the cost?

I can tell you today its rough with my legs cramping and tingling and the right geting hot and cold the right leg give me more trouble. Operating equipment is becoming fun some days.

For 2 weeks I had not worked any overtime exceed 6 forced 4 hr out lates and i missed a few scheduled days. Last week and this wek I was feeling a bit better so did work a little overtime that may sound like a lot to some but is nothing from what im used to. After today I have days 6 off.

I have my daughters new pup to watch tomorrow it got in from Washington state yesterday. She is working and the wife is busy. Sunday is my oldest boys 16th birthday day party its a day early but more family can come on the weekend. Maybe some kayak fishing next week. Can't plan to far ahead or at least have to be flexible since I never know what kind of day its going to be.