The Frustrations of Unpaid Holiday Leave

Usually, when your boss tells you that the office is going to be closed for a couple extra days during the holidays, you get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Once said boss informs you that those days will be unpaid and you will need to use what little vacation time you have available to compensate for it, assuming you get paid vacation at all, the warm fuzzy feeling morphs into a sharp pain in both your upper back and lower wallet.

With the recession in full force, U.S. companies have been cutting jobs at an alarming rate this year. Estimates put the number of jobs lost, as of the end of November, at 1.2 million already, with more expected. Investors.com reports: "Friday's government job report is expected to show that employers slashed 300,000 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate rising 0.3 percentage point to 6.8%, the highest in more than a decade."

I am experiencing this at this very moment, facing 4 unpaid days with only 5 hours of vacation time to spare, with little in the bank due to lost wages as I attempt to juggle both college classes and a full work load. Many other Americans who are not fortunate enough to have any vacation time will really be feeling the crunch by the beginning of the new year.

As reported on Investor.com, when companies look to cut costs by cutting hours around the holidays, if the move is not effective enough it usually leads to more permanent cuts: "Forced vacations are often a prelude to permanent layoffs and will likely deal another blow to consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of economic activity. That's bad news for retailers, which rely on holiday sales for a big chunk of annual revenue."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has also proposed a 17-month plan in which California businesses enforce a once-a-month unpaid furlough for all workers. Thanks Arnold. Another great decision in your truly magnificent political career. I wish I never bought Cliffhanger, jerk.

As I see it, temporary cuts in wages -- like closing down for a day or two -- really isn't going to solve anything major. If your business is struggling, you'd be better suited to make fundamental changes in the structuring of the business. Taking money out of the pockets of working Americans is the exact opposite of stimulating the economy. I'm sure the company I work for could afford staying open for two more days more than I can afford losing half a week's pay.