Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off • Hacker News Board

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#91

Post by isgb » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 2:18 PM UTC

strictnein wrote: post #66

isgb wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn’t use the number of sick days as some form of “national health metric” since there’s probably a bunch of factors that influence it as much (if not more) than actual sickness, like for example: how many sick days are you actually allowed to take, how much do you get paid on sick days, what’s the culture around taking sick days? If you want to measure general health, you could go for example for life expectanc…

If we avoid work when we're sick so that we don't get other people sick, wouldn't that result in a healthier population? I guess I'm confused as to why it wouldn't result in that? Life expectancy in the US is lower because we're all overweight. Infant mortality isn't a standardized metric, so it really shouldn't be used to compare health systems, even though people try to do so all of the time. A lot of infant mortal…

- If I know my employer only gives me 5 days, I'll go to work with a cold and save them for if/when I really need them.

- If I don't get paid my full salary when I'm sick and I need the money, I'll go to work sick and infect others. I can't afford to not make it someone else's problem.

- If there's a strong culture of "people aren't really sick, they're just lazy" or an implicit "people that take too much time off are less likely to be promoted", I'll go in sick.

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#92

Post by gyanchawdhary » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 4:57 PM UTC

ErroneousBosh wrote: post #32

dmitrygr wrote: post #5

The country that does not, invented more or less every modern technology (transistors, ICs, wifi, microwaves, cellular). Mayhaps there is something to it.

You didn't invent microwaves. Well, your lot invented the klystron. Know what a klystron is? No? Well there you are. But I bet you know what the cavity magnetron - invented in Scotland - is. You probably used one today already. Cellular phones were invented in the UK and Finland. The US didn't even have them until the first couple of generations were obsolete here. Transistors were invented in Germany, although they…

You are wrong

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#93

Post by ramijames » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 12:34 PM UTC

strictnein wrote: post #7

ramijames wrote: post #2

What is going on in the US is nothing short of shameful.

https://www.bls.gov/charts/employee-benefits/paid-leave-sick... Could be better for sure, but a graph showing the US as having 0 days of paid days off because the federal government doesn't mandate anything is misleading at best. Average US worker after 1 year of employment earns 7 sick days and 11 vacation days. And likely has some state and federal holidays off as well, and could very well qualify for state require…

"Earning sick leave" is some dystopian bullshit. If you are sick, don't go into work. You don't need to earn it.

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#94

Post by sebazzz » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC

InsideOutSanta wrote: post #85

strictnein wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuinely curious now: If you have a cold or a cough, or maybe a slight fever, do you have to talk to a doctor to get a day or two off of work?

It depends on the country and company, but usually there are some days you can take off without evidence, and when you need more, you need a doctor's note.

In the Netherlands: This exactly, generally after a few days you get a call by the "company doctor" (it is not from the company, but the literal translation) with an invite to discuss your health issues.

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#95

Post by encrypted_bird » Fri, Aug 07, 2026, 1:28 AM UTC

qurren wrote: post #46

dayyan wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

The more innovative companies in the US tend to have generous vacation policies. I think what the article is really about the rest of the country. In Europe, even service industry people get 4-6 weeks off per year. In the US service industry that is unheard of.

I work in the US service industry (retail), and until recently I didn't have sick time at all. The only reason I do now is because I'm a part of a union (very rare for retail workers) and they argued for sick time. And it's accrued sick time at that.

(This is all me agreeing with you, btw.)

Re: Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off

#96

Post by encrypted_bird » Fri, Aug 07, 2026, 1:31 AM UTC

WorldMaker wrote: post #22

cinntaile wrote: post #6

Why does it say 0 for the US? You have Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July and more? Are they unpaid days off?

Depends on the company . The US maintains no requirements, federal holidays are a suggestion , not a mandate. A few states inside the US upgrade federal holidays to state holidays to required paid time off. Most don't. In the US paid holidays are a corporate "tradition" more than a regulated common good. Even US federal employee holidays vary between agencies and branches of government.

Exactly. I work in retail and we have ONE guaranteed day off each year: Christmas Day. (And a lot of retail employees don't have even this!) And until recently, I never got holiday pay either.