Wasting $67.5 Billion Worth of Vacay Days


Updated 05/26/11 11:58 PM · Posted by · 6 comments

Americans Don't Take Off Enough PTO

Seems like we're a workaholic nation — although we're getting less PTO compared to other countries, we're also choosing to use less of them. The average worker gets about 18 days of PTO, but only took 14, according to a survey done last year by Expedia.com. Here's how much PTO the average person from other countries is getting and how the worker has been spending them: France: Received 37 PTO Read more

How-To: Ask For More Vacation Days


Updated 03/16/12 2:41 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

How to Ask For Vacation Days

Not everyone has the luxury of enjoying a flexible vacation policy at work, so you might not have as many PTO days as you want. A reader wanted feedback on how to negotiate for more vacation days, because just like asking for a raise, it can be a sensitive topic to touch on. Find out how to approach this situation with tact. Read more

Unlimited Vacay Days Are Not Just a Dream


Updated 02/01/11 1:04 PM · Posted by · 1 comment

Flexible Vacation Policies

Want to take some days off, but aren't able to because you don't have any PTO days left? If you're working at companies like Netflix, IBM, or Morningstar, you won't ever need to worry about running out, because you'll have an endless amount of vacation days. They are companies with flexible vacation policies, which gives workers the freedom of figuring out how to ration their own PTO. Giving Read more

Reader Asks: Has Anyone Ever Negotiated For More PTO?


Updated 01/27/11 8:20 PM · Posted by · 2 comments

How to Negotiate For More Vacation Days

This question comes from Savvy Confessions, a community group which features anonymous postings of career and money secrets. Weigh in with your suggestions below! I've been thinking about asking my boss for more PTO days instead of or as part of my next raise.  I'm wondering if anyone has done this before?  Did it work out?  For me, I really want to travel a lot.  Since my family lives Read more

Your Options For Taking a Medical Leave


Updated 01/18/11 9:21 AM · Posted by · 2 comments

How to Take a Medical Leave

Reports of Apple CEO Steve Jobs going on a medical leave have been splashed across all media outlets, amid tons of speculations on how that would affect the firm. You may come upon a time when you need to prioritize your health and take a leave from your job, so be sure to learn more about your options. One that you can consider is the Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires some employers Read more

How Many Days Did You Take Off in 2010?


Updated 02/01/11 11:37 AM · Posted by SavvySugar · 2 comments

Taking Days Off Work

Our Best of 2010 coverage won't be complete without a PTO question! Although many of us are worker bees, there's nothing like a day off to clear the mind and rest your soul. Although we're allotted a few days out of the year, not enough of us take advantage of them. How many days did you take off this year? How Many Days Did You Take Off in 2010? None! I showed up every day! Five Read more

Playing Hooky? These Detectives Might Change Your Mind


Updated 12/09/10 11:37 AM · Posted by · 2 comments

Playing Hooky Detectives

Thinking about going to Disneyland instead of clocking in your 9 to 5? Fuggedaboutit. You might be tracked down by a detective who specializes in sniffing out those skipping work to play, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Interestingly, private investigator Rick Raymond says that 80 to 85 percent of his suspects are almost always faking illnesses. That's a lot of guilty truants! Some examples Read more

Take Multiple Short Vacations, Not One Long One


Updated 11/15/10 10:36 AM · Posted by · 2 comments

How Should I Take PTO?

We're in the holiday season right now, which is a popular time for people to take their vacation days. A word of advice is to split your PTO into little chunks, rather than using them all in one go. The reason for doing this, according to a Netherlands study, is that the biggest factor of the happiness you get from your time off does not come from the actual vacation, but the planning of it. The Read more

From Sick Days to a Sabbatical: Why Time Off Is So Important


Updated 10/22/10 10:25 AM · Posted by · 0 comments

From Sick Days to a Sabbatical: Why Time Off Is So Important

We're thrilled to present this smart Learnvest story here on Savvy! The recession gets personal when it starts eating into our vacation time. A study performed on behalf of Westin Hotels found that 64% of employed professionals canceled vacations this year, 1/3 of them for work reasons. Similarly, a study by USA Today found that 51% of online respondents didn’t travel this summer. It’s not Read more

Do You Get Anxious on Your Days Off?


Updated 09/23/10 9:22 AM · Posted by SavvySugar · 10 comments

Vacation Days

I was talking to a bunch of people who admitted feeling some anxiety when they take some paid time off. It can be hard to transition from work mode into vacation mode when you're used to the daily grind. What about you — do you get anxious on your vacation days? Do You Get Anxious on Your Days Off? Yes No Read more