…could you be happy with a job that offered that with no increase for 5 years?
I was offered that today*. The money was average and the company was small with growth potential, but I have a wife, 2 kids, and a life. Personally, I need more days than that to do what I need to do for myself and my family in a given year, and I’m not going to go into a job riding on a bald-faced lie.
Could you do it…?
*Yes, I took a job interview on Christmas Eve. I need a better job. Sue me…
It would have to have other really great perks and/or much higher pay for me to even consider it. My current job gives me 26 days a year of paid time off which will go to 31 days at 5 years.
Not by a longshot. I’d have to be offered a massive pay increase (like, in the 150% current salary area) in order to even begin considering it.
I get…mmmm…know what? I don’t even know how much time off I get – it’s either four or five weeks vacation, plus a mess of holidays, personal days and sick days off. Add into the mix the fact that I telecommute (thereby cutting back on needing things like sick days) and we get to situations like I’m in now: “You have x amount of time remaining – use it by the end of the year or lose it. And by the way, all your coworkers have already put in for all the time off the department can handle, so we won’t be approving any time off requests”.
I’d take that if it was a part-time job or I desperately needed a job. Other than that, no. Who would even offer that? They couldn’t be expecting a decent employee with that offer. Even a Wal-Mart greeter would get better than that.
No. Heck, I get 3 weeks vacation, 3 days extra vacation over the holidays, 12 paid holidays, 2 weeks of sick leave… and I’m a student.
No. Companies that are that stingy with time off are going to be stingy with promotions, raises, praise, understanding…the office culture is likely to be full of callous, petty management and passive-aggressive, pissed-off employees.
Forgot about holidays, we get (I think) 9 paid holidays on top of that. Plus paid extended sick leave if we need it.
That sounds horrible but there have been many years I took no vacation and only the occasional long weekend. Is this a stepping stone job you could dump after a year or two? I’d consider it then.
Oh, but you’ve got kids & stuff. That makes it a bit tougher.
No way. Two weeks is the absolute minimum, and really that is pushing it. In my current job, I started with 3 weeks. I’m up to 4, which is nice. You figure you are going to burn at least a week on funerals, sick kids, etc., so really even 2 weeks is not that much.
I agree with the other posters - a company that is that stingy on leave is apt to be stingy on many other things. You need vacation. period.
No holidays? Like, not even stat holidays (in Canada, federal holidays like Christmas Day, Remembrance Day, and so on)? One week of vacation?
No. I could not do that. Time to count my blessings where I’m employed.
Not a chance.
Working is just a means to an end: to have a life. Working isn’t real life. What I do outside of work is.
I need my time off.
Nope, not unless there was some substantial benefit (preferably financial) to it. I get 2 weeks plus the standard 10 stat holidays (in Ontario) per year, and that’s just fine by me. Anything less and I’d need a decent incentive to even consider it.
What Rysdad said. I went into my career knowing I would be underpaid. It’s more than compensated by the health plan and the time off.
Absolutely not. What about needing to go to the dentist? A funeral? That company is going to have many other problems if they won’t even give holidays or personal days. Also, a company offering so few benefits is going to have trouble attracting the best employees, so many of the people there are going to be there because they don’t have a choice.
What kind of job was this?
Nope. I’m in my first year with a new company, and I got 2 weeks vacation, flexible schedule, and 5 paid holidays a year.
Plus I got FOUR bonuses this year (that wasn’t an advertised perk…we just had a really good year).
At a minimum, you should have paid holidays, and potential to add to your vacation earlier than 5 years. (I know starting with two weeks isn’t as common as you’d think).
No, I wouldn’t take the job on those terms, although I might try to bargain with them (i.e., offer to take a pay cut in exchange for more time off).
Payroll Servicing.
I actually tried that, but was told that, no, (1) week was all they were allowed to offer. I told him I’d get back to him. I emailed my decline in polite terms (no sense burning bridges).
Well, I was gonna say if it’s a choice of that or facing eviction for non-payment of rent or mortgage, take it. Otherwise no.
Hence the polite response. In an open field of job opportunities, more candor would have been in order.
Wise choice.
I think Beware of the Doug and I must have worked for the same firm at some point. 
When I left them and their parsimonious attitude about everything, I took a $3K pay cut to be where I am now. With all the benefits my current employer offered (partial child care reimbursement, FSAs, deducting insurance premiums pre-tax), my take-home pay was actual higher.
(And I didn’t burn bridges, although I do think I used one of the best lines ever in my letter of resignation: “I wish you all the success you deserve.” I left on good terms and they continued to use me as a freelancer for a while after I left.)