Places I've worked previously (am independently contracting these days) had similar policies in theory but they were really more guidelines to try and keep continuity in place. If you planned in advance and had cleared it with your colleagues then a 1-month or longer break was completely do-able. I should add I'm speaking from a UK point of view.
Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
21–30 of 81 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#22This is ridiculous. What reason did they give?
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#23I work at a medium-large US company. We have a standard "soft unlimited" vacation policy where the questionable policies like this would get farmed down to the individual management level. Up to 6 weeks is no questions asked at the corporate level.
In my division many people take one calendar month off, especially those with family overseas.
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#24Current company - don't know.
Previous company - 12 weeks (approx. 4 weeks annual leave that would carry over for a year, so it was possible to take 3 years worth consecutively.)
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#25A team member is currently on a 7-week vacation. No questions asked whatsoever. This is in NL.
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#2610 days per year after 5 years of employment, maximum of 10 days at once. Great, isn't it?
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#27In my personal experience, traveling from the US to another country for a two week vacation isn't worth it. One week's worth of time is literally consumed by travel and jet lag. So the cap should impact more than just your Indian co-workers, assuming other people want to get out and see the world.
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#28If you want to increase burnout (and its inevitable resultant churn) in an organisation, capping vacation length sounds like a surefire way to achieve that.
I think its better to take 1 week off 4x per year instead of 4 weeks off once per year. Working 11 months without a single vacation would cause me to burn out.
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#29Sounds illegal in the UK. Workers are legally entitled to have 5.6 weeks (https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights).
ps. I have a tool to help workers get the longest possible vacation. Am I allowed to publish the link here?
Re: Ask HN: What is your company's maximum vacation (at one time) policy?
#30This is ridiculous. What reason did they give?
I don't agree with the policy but surely it makes it harder to manage staffing levels and re-engagement will take longer for longer absences. I'd call it mean rather than ridiculous.