Leaving on leave

In which I briefly reflect on paid vacation.

(Posted 2015-08-02 00:00:00 +0000)

Next week and the following week I will be on leave, again. I don’t think I’ve ever taken four weeks of vacation in one calendar year before. (The feds call it “leave”, at least in my cabinet-level department. Possibly because we use the same payroll processor as the military.)

I complain about my job from time to time, but I know how lucky I am. I get three weeks of leave a year, and can save up six weeks before having to use it (actually more than that, since I don’t have to get the saved total under 240 hours until the end of the calendar year).

And yet entry-level positions in Germany get four weeks of leave. And they’re the third-largest economy in the world, so it’s hard to argue that it’s hurting their economy.

Not sure what I’m saying, just thinking out loud (or in print). Mostly just bored.