My boss told me I'm not allowed to take vacation or sick days...

Life is too short, take your vacation days. All of them! Keep notes (dates, details) on your boss and others saying you are not allowed to use them, document it all, keep emails and if any repercussions come from using your vacation days, take it up with the dean of your program or even the head of school. It's illegal to not allow employees to use their vacation time.

uphill run wrote:

Life is too short, take your vacation days. All of them! Keep notes (dates, details) on your boss and others saying you are not allowed to use them, document it all, keep emails and if any repercussions come from using your vacation days, take it up with the dean of your program or even the head of school. It's illegal to not allow employees to use their vacation time.

No it isn't; unless there is a specific state law regarding this somewhere employers and employees can agree to as little or as much vacation as they want, and there can (and frequently are) strings attached, e.g. that vacation must be pre-approved and scheduled at the discretion of the supervisor

If you want the job and the paycheck then follow the rules and stay. If you'd prefer something else, leave. It's not all that complicated.

simple wrote:

If you want the job and the paycheck then follow the rules and stay. If you'd prefer something else, leave. It's not all that complicated.

I disagree. Your PI is f*cked up. You are the person to fix it. You are already making low wages, so you've earned the time off. This is academia, not private industry... what the f*ck?!

let me help you with this.

i was working 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours a day for a few months. i came down with pneumonia and found myself in urgent care with an iv in one arm, pulse/ox meter on the other side, oxygen in my nose, fever of 103, taking an opioid to combat an excruciating headache, which caused extreme nausea, even while taking an anti-nausea med. while i was vomiting up the anti-nausea med, i had an epiphany "this ain't worth it". i spent a lot of time with my father in the weeks before he passed away, never once did he say to me "son, i should have worked more."

webfoot wrote:

I disagree. Your PI is f*cked up. You are the person to fix it. You are already making low wages, so you've earned the time off. This is academia, not private industry... what the f*ck?!

I agree, but that said, you need to find a new lab. If you want to make an ugly scene, find out the proper protocol from the HR folks for taking vacation and go through those channels. If a stink is created by your PI, make sure you are right and then go through proper protocols for mediation. But, like I said, my two cents is get a new job unless this is somehow critical to your career.

Wow this thread looks like a Rupp thread with the black and white, back and forth. If vacation is important to you, which it seems you should carefully weight your options. Other than the vacation is there anything you glaringly don't like about the job. What are the upsides to it? Come with dated well planned ahead and see if they will accept them.

Probably the most draining job is one where you enter the work place in an adversarial position fighting for what you think is right. Most people are exceedingly uncomfortable in this position and seldom last because of the tension.

They are basically telling you what the job entails if you disagree with the requirements then why take the job.

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I'm not sure if Europeans reading this thread would find the US's vacation/sick leave standards funny or sad. You know, the whole "if you want a day and a half off per month you're a lazy POS slacker" attitude.

Take your vacation. And don't take at face value the "advice" you're getting from other people in the lab. Ask your boss directly for the vacation. It's hard to imagine that he'd really say no when it's in your contract. If he does, THEN you'll have to consider your options. But don't get scared about something that hasn't happened yet.

As for sick days, they shouldn't be part of this discussion. If you get sick and need to stay home, you'll use a sick day. If you don't, you won't -- sick days aren't just an alternate name for vacation days, they're there in case you're really sick.

hold the phone wrote:

Take your vacation. And don't take at face value the "advice" you're getting from other people in the lab. Ask your boss directly for the vacation. It's hard to imagine that he'd really say no when it's in your contract. If he does, THEN you'll have to consider your options. But don't get scared about something that hasn't happened yet.

As for sick days, they shouldn't be part of this discussion. If you get sick and need to stay home, you'll use a sick day. If you don't, you won't -- sick days aren't just an alternate name for vacation days, they're there in case you're really sick.

The boss will probably say yes, but everyone will resent you...an you will deserve it.

Are you a minority? Play the race card and sue. Oh your caucasian...forget it.

Union?

dumb wrote:

No it isn't; unless there is a specific state law regarding this somewhere employers and employees can agree to as little or as much vacation as they want, and there can (and frequently are) strings attached, e.g. that vacation must be pre-approved and scheduled at the discretion of the supervisor

Nearly all states (even right to work states) have laws that say employers must live up to the terms of employment. When you took the job you signed some paperwork, if that paperwork said you'd get vacation then you can take it. Taking it may mean a poor performance review, may mean you don't get a promotion, etc, since there's no law that says people that take vacation must be evaluated the same way as those that don't.

Sick time is another matter since most employment agreements say sick time is just that, sick time. So if you're thinking of using those 8 hours as a "mental health day" to make a 3 day weekend you may want to reread that employment agreement since in a lot of cases lying about an illness to pad your vacation time is grounds for termination.

Now my second job out of college I worked massive hours and ended up with 3 1/2 weeks vacation banked when I left, which was about the maximum you could have banked at my seniority level. I got several raises and promotions, along with a divorce because I spent more time at work than with my spouse.

Gotta make your own choices about what's worth more to you.

I've seen how this situation can go bad both ways. I've worked with people who were denied leave (usaually because they're good at what they do, the slackers always get leave), and they just find another job. One company I worked for allowed you to sell back unused leave at the end of the year, but if you did that they adjusted your vacation accrual the next year, f***h****. If you quit does this lab pay you for any unused vacation time? Then I've worked in a shop where they had unlimited sick days. Some people (the slackers, of course) abused the system so badly the company was forced to change the policy. Luckily most of the bosses I've worked for went by the "no times a good time to be gone" rule and let their employees take vacation when they requested it.

PI wrote:

I'd start looking for a new job. It doesn't sound like you are cut out for this lab. Sounds like they are all pretty dedicated and successful. If your slacker attitude carries over to other things (and it always does), they probably hate you and talk about you behind your back anyway. Don't worry, you have plenty of company if you quit--lots of people are unsuccessful due to their lazy work habits.

I have seen the opposite.

I have seen the "dedicated" workers just get used as grunts and not get promotions.

Those looking out for themselves are more likely to get things if they are still productive.

For a place to lose a good worker and have to to train someone new just because they don't want to allow someone to take earned vacation days is stupid.

dumb wrote:

No it isn't; unless there is a specific state law regarding this somewhere employers and employees can agree to as little or as much vacation as they want, and there can (and frequently are) strings attached, e.g. that vacation must be pre-approved and scheduled at the discretion of the supervisor

This^

Get sick, then come into work and infect everyone else.

8.5/10 - very nice.