I will have ten years at my job on February 2 (although I did work here for a year as a contractor so TECHNICALLY I’ve been coming here day after freakin’ day for ELEVEN years but that’s neither here nor there) and should be receiving my catalog to pick out my present from shortly. A friend of mine who received his ten year gift selection catalog two years ago has already gone through the thing and googled all the merchandise so he can tell me what the most expensive thing is so I can pick that. So I’ve got that going for me anyway.
I used to work for ROLM Corp. which had a sabbatical after 6 years. You could take 3 months at straight pay or 6 weeks with double pay. I took the latter. The beauty was that you were eligible again after another 6 years. I had a couple friends who got two before the company got sucked into IBM and Siemens. It was awesome listening to some of the fabulous trips people took. One girl and her husband took a hot air balloon ride over the champagne vinyards. Another guy did Australia and New Zealand.
I stayed home with a broken hand. Got the break 2 days after my sabbatical started and got the cast off 2 days before I went back to work. Sucked to be me.
Add in the mandatory federal holidays and that adds up to 36 workings days every year, or basically two months off every year. Then there is that 13 days of sick leave that accumulates forever until you retire, unless you use some of it, and any unused sick leaves goes toward retirement earnings as well. I wouldn’t complain.
In Oz, didn’t it used to be long service leave after seven years? And you could bank it? When I lived there, I knew folks who banked two sets of LSL, banked their regular leave just so they could take a full year off – with pay – to travel the world.
Not sure yet. I’ve got two weeks’ (normal) leave coming up in February, during which I’m going to New Zealand. So that should suffice for the moment. But a month’s break or so later in the year would be nice. Destinations? Possibly South America, Canada, or Japan/Korea.
It depends on the circumstances (individual contract; state or Commonwealth award).
In the government service it’s (typically) 13 weeks per 10 years.
In the private sector it’s (typically) 13 weeks per 15 years which is 4 and 1/3 accumulated every 5 years, pro-rated after 5 years if you leave.
I work my first job for 11 years, was retrenched, paid out 13 weeks.
I work my second job for 11 years, was retrenched, paid out 13 weeks.
I’m now in the private sector and only 3 years in, so I’ve got another 12 to go before I can actually take LSL.
A lot of places will also let you take LSL at half pay, so that would be a holiday of 6 months, plus any accumulated annual leave, plus nowadays some companies will let you buy up to an additional 4 weeks leave. So I could take 6 months, plus 4 weeks, plus 4 weeks bought leave for a total leave of 8 months. Woohoo!
Long service leave varies by state. According to my employer (who only gives you the minimum entitlement they have to based on where you’re employed), its:
NSW, Vic, Qld, WA & Tas:
Intial Qualifying period: 10 years
Intial Leave period: 8.66 weeks
Pro-rata: 5 years (if you leave or are terminated after 5 years you get it paid out in cash)
Subsequent qualifying period: 5 years
Subsequent leave period: 4.33 weeks
ACT:
Intial Qualifying period: 7 years
Intial Leave Period: 6.06 weeks
Pro-rata: 5 years
Subsequent qualifying period: 5 years
Subequent leave periot: 4.33 weeks
NT:
Intial Qualifying period: 10 years
Intial Leave Period: 13 weeks
Pro-rata: 7 years
Subsequent qualifying period: 5 years
Subequent leave periot: 6.5 weeks
SA:
Intial Qualifying period: 10 years
Intial Leave Period: 13 weeks
Pro-rata: 7 years
Subsequent qualifying period: 1 year
Subequent leave periot: 1.3 weeks
I think I’m moving to Adelaide :).
I bring up my 7 years in 2 weeks, so 3 years, 2 weeks to go! (Given I’m currently sitting on 9 weeks accrued annual leave, with no plans to take any, if I hoard it all, I could disappear for 7 months fully paid in 2011!)
You may want to look into that. Our company pays the SA long service leave because they’re an SA company, none of the foot soldiers actually live in SA (just middle and upper management types.)
I work for an American company, and they don’t choose to be generous, they pay the minimum they have to, no more. You get LSL entitlement based on where you reside. So I suppose I could reside in SA and commute to Melbourne
I haven’t read the relevent acts of parliament (although my employer helpfully provides the relevant links, so I can only assume they have it right).
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