The Anti-Vacation Day

Current song: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" ~Led Zeppelin (An old favorite that never gets tiring.)

So, here I sit, all broken-hearted...at my office. In the middle of the snowstorm of the century. I've been thinking about the workforce and the non implementation of snow days. And I've been thinking hard. *ouch*

As kids, snow days were what we all looked forward to. Nothing was better than being told by a parent (or guardian--must remain PC) to go back to bed because school was canceled. Which, of course, meant that you would not, by any means, be going back to bed. It meant, instead, that you would run to the nearest window, make sure there was enough snow on the ground, and start planning your snow-day activities.

I remember having several pairs of those awful snowsuits between my brother and I. The puffy kind with the suspender straps that you would put on over your thermals and under your oversized snow coat. The kind that came in lime-green or neon-orange. The kind you didn't want your friends to see you in...unless it was a snow day and they were wearing theirs too. My parents would spend close to an hour helping us to get into our snow suits, bundle up with gloves and hats and scarves, and reminding us to "be careful" and to play, but "not for too long. You'll get sick!" Then the snow day would officially commence.

Ahh, the pleasures of being a child. The joy in getting all of your clothes soaking wet and having someone else peel them off for you to be put into the dryer. The excitement of hearing "school's canceled" and playing video games in your pajamas all morning. And the older you get, the more resentful toward snow you become.

Today, in the midst of this relentless blizzard, I sit at my desk in my office. Today, an office that is usually filled with at least 120 people contains maybe 20. I, of course, am one of the lucky (stupid?) few who decided to show up. My reasoning? Vacation preservation.

This, to me, is a sad state of affairs. That people, myself included, are not only willing, but desperate to risk their safety in order to preserve the few sick/personal/vacation days they are allotted a year. That we are determined to get to work, and stay there, in order to get our fair pay in the worst of weather conditions.

"Dear Corporate America,

Thank you for encouraging us all to risk our lives on a regular basis.

Sincerely,
Marissa (and the rest of the nation)"

"So why," someone might ask me, "would you go to work, even when you have vacation days to use? Why go to work just to complain about going to work when you can take the day off and still get paid?" Why? Principle. Well, principle and (I repeat) vacation preservation.

As far as I'm concerned, vacation and personal days are just that. Days to be used for either vacations or personal reason. Snow is neither a vacation nor a personal matter for me. This is New Jersey. Snow happens. And I would like to retain the few days I have a year for something that I want to do, not have to do.

My company allots days as follows: An employee receives ONE personal/sick day (they do not distinguish between the two) for every two months they work. For example, an employee will receive ONE personal day after working January and February, ONE for working March and April, and so on. Six personal days, total, a year. And they do not roll over to the following year, so they'd better be used up by New Years! I, unfortunately, was sick not too long ago, and I had to use my ONE Jan/Feb day. Therefore, I am officially out of personal days until March. So, that's that. Boo, hiss.

I do, however, still have vacation days. In fact, I have 10. My company gave me two weeks vacation time for 2010. Sounds fair, right? Ehh. Maybe, maybe not. I worked here for six months before being given any time off.

Short story: I started at this company at the beginning of July. I had no vacation time at all for 2009, and between July and December I acquired three personal days, one of which had to be used for Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, which we do not get off for. (This company, by the way, is owned and operated by orthodox Jews. Most of the employees are Jewish, myself included. Most normal companies give off for Yom Kippur, regardless. As you can see, this is not a normal company to work for.) So, between July and December I had two personal days to use at my discretion. One was used to be sick (not so much fun) and the other I saved in order to take off on New Years Eve. Big thrill.

So, to answer the much earlier asked question that I addressed to myself, I work during horrible weather so that I can use the very few days I am allotted for myself. For a vacation. Not for a snow day.

I vote that companies be run more like school districts. If the weather is terrible and the safety of the employee is risked by coming into work, a company should be closed for the day. Or have a "delayed opening." Or close early. Whichever. Why should schools close when companies don't? Many people in the workforce have children in school and are even more set back when school is canceled but work is not. They are either forced to use a personal day (if they have any), forced to take a pay dock, forced to pay a babysitter, or--gasp!--forced to leave their children home alone. I don't have children, but when I do, I suspect I'll be even more irritated by this snow situation.

Make work more like school. I'm just sayin'...it would be nice. And fair. And nice.

Completely unrelated side note: bananas do NOT keep well. I threw out an entire bushel (and peck) or bananas last night, for they had become banana puree in skins. It was revolting.

Another completely unrelated side note: Valentine's Day is coming up! I have plans--good ones!--but can't write them out until after they've happened. My boyfriends supposedly reads my blog. We shall see...

Current song: "I Can't Dance" ~Genesis. (I'm much more of a Peter Gabriel fan myself, but I give Phil Collins props for this song. It's catchy as hell.)