# Scheduled for 0 hours **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873 "2005-12-16T05:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/21 "2005-12-16T23:18:27Z")
I agree with the people who stated I should have checked this out before starting there. It wasn’t something mentioned when I interviewed. I asked About vacation time they told me employees earn a week anually. I asked if there where limitations on when I could use it he said they reqire a months notice. The norm for the other employees is to not use that vaction time so they can get a paycheck for that week. I did not expect them to hand over a paycheck because I just started. I was more upset over the thanksgiving week where they ran the shop but decided not to have me come in. I talked to my manager letting him know I did need to work full time and understood these holidays where not the norm but in future instances where the shop is open I’d like to be given the oporntunity to work. He said that things slow down in febuary so he may not have me work as many hours. I questioned him on this. I told him if they can’t promise me a full time schedule I’m not intrested in sticking around. He just kinda stared at me. I told him to mail my final check and I wouldn’t be back on monday. All in all I just would have liked to have known ahead of time. In the future I will ask if the company closes for various holidays. A question I think would include a week off for christmas. In the case of my former employer I think they would have still failed to mention it. Back to the original question. In retail I know Home Depot gauranties full time employees a 40 scheduled week. When they are over hours part time employees time is cut and full time employees are given the option of taking time off and opting to work their full schedule is an acceptable answer. My brother works in NH for Target they consider allmost all thier employees part time so do not schedule them over 32 hours. If full time is meaningless why make a distinction? Why not just schedule employees however they want? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/22 "2005-12-16T23:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > If full time is meaningless why make a distinction? Why not just schedule employees however they want? Because both the feds and the states have laws that govern just how benefits can be administered. Things like overtime are regulated and the company is supposed to declare each (hourly or non-exempt) employee as either part time or full time to be covered under different governmental regulations. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/23 "2005-12-17T05:36:18Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. If you don’t have vacation time or you foolishly watsted it and aren’t needed during a scheduled shutdown, well then tough cookies to you. Yeah, _even for the union guy_. I worked for one of those companies from 1979 to 1983. I do not know their policies today but then the period from Christmas to New Year’s were _paid holidays_ for all workers, union and non-union. There was no such thing as regularly scheduled unpaid downtime (except for something furloughs due to plant closures or other extraordinary events). ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/24 "2005-12-17T08:05:20Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Oh, I’m sorry, are there legitimate, respectable employers that pull this? Name three. Adobe Systems did it almost every year I worked for them… The week spanning christmas and new year’s (or thereabouts, depending on how the weekdays fell), you were supposed to stay home and the days came out of your vacation (“PTO”, actually) balance. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/25 "2005-12-19T15:59:16Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I worked for one of those companies from 1979 to 1983. I do not know their policies today but then the period from Christmas to New Year’s were _paid holidays_ for all workers, union and non-union. There was no such thing as regularly scheduled unpaid downtime (except for something furloughs due to plant closures or other extraordinary events). Actually, those days are paid holidays for this very specific example. It’s also very, very common to have a downweek the first week in January – non-paid. And the first two weeks of July are invariably unpaid down weeks. That’s across the board, no exceptions, no backtracking fact. If you don’t have vacation during these times, it’s tough. Mostly, though, supervisors will automatically ensure that workers don’t use their vacation. Newbies are out of luck, though. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873/26 "2005-12-19T17:20:43Z")
It’s common throughout the auto industry for people lwith ess than 6 months with a company not to get paid time off. It is called a probationary period where they can release you without any reason. And forget about unemployment for the christmas break, most states I’ve worked in had what they call a one week waiting period. Which means that you need to be unemployed for two weeks before you start getting paid. Sign up anyway, because that week will count if you get laid off for anthor week before the year is up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scheduled-for-0-hours/335873.md?page=1)