How do employees in the US/Canada survive with just 10 days of holidays a year? Is this a myth and the actual holidays are more than the minimum 10 days?
Survive? Has anyone died from lack of holidays? (other than stress related deaths) \U0001f60a I'm assuming you mean the difference between the 8-10 Federal Holidays in the U.S. versus the 4-6 week holiday period that is common in Europe?Typically, only banks and federal government agencies take all of the federal holidays, so for anyone else working in private industry, it's even less than that.The offset is that most employers offer a few weeks of vacation per year depending on seniority. 2-3 weeks is about the norm. After 5-10 years with a firm they may grant you 4 weeks or more, however people rarely stay at a single firm that long anymore.It's also counterproductive for most professionals in the U.S. to tale off more than a week at a time. You don't want to send a message that the company can function just fine without you. In addition, your work just piles up, and it takes you several weeks to catch up anyway. For most professionals planning a week of vacation, they will work +60 hours the week before they leave getting everything prepared for the absence and then +60 hours when they get back catching up. And that includes time spent checking email during vacation to make sure something didn't "blow up" during vacation.So the end result is that many Americans dont even use all of their vacation time, which results in an increase in high blood pressure, heart disease, and other stress related ailments. We are literally working ourselves to death, but we have really nice cars and big houses! \U0001f60aThe way some people get around this is by scheduling vacation at the same time most of the people in the office do (around the holidays and July 4th), and use a few days to extend a weekend near a federal holiday. For example, Memorial Day and Labor Day are always on Monday, so many people will take a vacation day on the previous Friday and have a 4 day weekend.I have tried to "add" three day weekend by scheduling a Monday off to any month that doesn't already have a Federal Holiday. It's a small break, but I helps me unwind.
Do the merchant navy people get their salary during their holidays? Do they work ony for six months?
There are two ways in which merchant navy officers are paid:Contractual wages- The wages are paid only for the time served onboard. Wages are credited in the bank account generally within the first week of the month. Once the officer signs off from the ship the wages stop. The benefit of having this type of employment is that the seafarer is not obliged to join after the leaves are finished. Thus, one can plan their vacations, functions or anything else.Round the year wages- In this type of employment the wages are paid round the year. However, the seafarer has to join back once the leaves are finished. Generally it is like for every 1 month served one gets 20 days of leave. Incase the seafarer doesn’t join back after leave the wages are stopped.One thing has to be kept in mind that the contractual wages are always on the higher side than round the year wages.Coming on to the second part of the question. In India, if a person is out of the country for more than 182 days, he/she is considered to be NRI and doesn’t needs to pay the taxes. So to avoid paying tax, seafarers complete 6 months of time (183 days). It can be done in one contract or several contracts. Generally, senior officers have 3 months contract and junior officers have 6 months contract. Ratings can have contract length from 6 months to 9 months depending upon the company.
Do a lot of Americans have the week of the 4th of July off on holiday?
No. Only one day, the actual holiday. This year it fell on a Friday, so it could be made into a 3-day weekend but not a whole week. I see a few people saying they add it to the weekend to extend a holiday, but that doesn't happen every year, just when the holiday falls on a Monday, Thursday or Friday - the holiday doesn't always coincide with a weekend. And even then, folks take a long weekend, not a whole week.
Can my employer withhold accrued holiday pay because I left one day early?
My first question would be "Is it worth the hassle?" You are talking a relatively small amount.The answer is no. Under Section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996Is there an entitlement to accrued holiday pay for leave untaken on termination of employment?Yes. No matter how short the period of employment, the worker has the right to be paid for leave accrued during that time. Under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 employers should include in a written statement of employment particulars, sufficient detail to enable the precise calculation of a worker's entitlement to accrued holiday pay on termination of employment. Accrued holiday on termination need not to be rounded to the nearest half day - payment can be made for the exact amount of leave accrued. Unless a contract of employment improves the position, the provisions of the Working Time Regulations 1998 applyPage on acas.org.ukYou have a strong legal case.An employer cannot fine employees for misdemeanours (gosh--since the matchgirls strike of the 1890's)I would suggest pointing out the accrued implies a debt and the revelant law.There are other threats you could make if this didn't work, including HMRC.Interest should be payable on the amount for the time it is withheld.Various bodies will give advice and help like the CAB or Money Saving Expert: Credit Cards, Shopping, Bank Charges, Cheap Flights and moreYou have a strong case, but the hassle could be big, if the former employer insists on being recalcitrant.
How much holiday time do truck drivers get each year?
Most companies “recognize” the major holidays which include,ChristmasNew YearsMemorial Day4th of JulyLabor DayThanksgivingMost companies will tell you they'll try to get you home for these but, by-and-large, it's an empty promise. The last company I worked for was one of the largest in North America and I missed everyone of these holidays at least once. Even if you did get home, it was often for a flyby and not worth your time. You got home, if you got home, when you got home, and left out when they made you. And, you got paid nothing for your efforts.The company I work for now only has around 250 drivers. When the owner, a former driver himself, set the company up, he based it on family owned, driver oriented. What this means is, no driver has to work on the major holidays. But, as the company grew, so did its freight demands. This meant, we had freight that needed to get moved over the holidays. But, true to his word, drivers were not made to work on holidays.This also meant he relies on volunteers, of which I am one. I will request to get home for the two biggies, Christmas and New Year's but the rest are just an excuse to sit around in my underwear, scratching myself in places I should wash more often. So, why not make some extra money? The boss pays $100 holiday pay for the day, plus our regular pay.Because of my seniority, I also get three weeks of paid vacation.
Should I file as a W2 employee or 1099?
I am starting a new job that officially has me as a contractor and I will be working from their office daily. This allows the company to offer me to be a W2 or 1099. Lot of people say employers usually have no choice and the job dictates that but I don't really care because they are letting me choose to be either. After some research I know as a W2 I will pay a less for SS and medicare (6.2+1.45 = 7.65%), while the employers pays the other half. I will be protected from whatever employee laws their are but that doesn't really matter to me since I would have any real benefits anyway. As a 1099 (self-employed contractor) I know I have to pay more for the full SS and medicare (12.4 +2.9 = 15.3%) however you can deduct business expenses including a deduction for miles driven to a job assignment. Since I will drive everyday to the office (~13 miles) and back along with maybe adding more deductions such as tolls, I think I might be able to come out better as 1099. Note: I live in Florida so no income tax. Should I file as a W2 or 1099?
How many weeks of vacation per year do people working for private companies in Montreal usually get?
I worked at a private IT company in downtown Montreal, and I got 2 weeks of vacation for my first 5 years on the job. After the 5th year, it was increased to 3 weeks. They did not offer any personal/sick days. This was a very small company (less than 10 people), so when someone was on vacation, the missing contribution was felt.A couple of years later I switched employers to another private company, and they offered me 3 weeks vacation, plus 5 personal/sick days. There were about 100 people in this company.I worked at another company after that and they offered me 4 weeks vacation.So, it depends on your experience and the culture of the company. By law, you get 2 weeks minimum, but having had only 2 weeks for 5 years, I can tell you that it is not enough. Always negotiate for at least 3 weeks, especially if you have experience.If your package does not include 5 personal/sick days, try to negotiate for it. Otherwise, whenever you take a day off for whatever reason, it will be deducted from your vacation days, which sucks.In my experience, the minimum vacation you should have for a comfortable work/life balance is 3 weeks of vacation + 5 personal days.Obviously, you can negotiate for 4–6 weeks also, depending on your experience and the company culture.Hope that helps.
What are some of the worst companies to work for in India? Explain.
I am sorry to say but all companies are worst to work for in India. Exception could be Microsoft, Linkedin(now MS), expedia, Cisco, Facebook, big 4 companies and other top rated MNCs.Its better to start your own business than working like a cog in giant company. where nobody knows you from joining to retirement except the close people you worked with.Employees can’t become rich.Employers will only become rich.Labor laws is the most violated law in India. Employers will check your background whether you have been convicted in a crime in the past or not like they are Harish chandra. But, employers are the one who doesn’t care about Law, a labor law.In India, Employee bond, agreement, contract or any bondage is not valid by court but all employers do it, blatantly, openly.As per law if employer doesn’t pay your salary on time, you may drag them to court but neither nobody does nor any competitive court will take it seriously. So it is full of Hassle. Full of quibble.Being an employee, if you generate 100 Rs as a profit to company, employer will give you 8–12 rs as a salary. Notice the difference. This is the difference that makes the employer RICH.The top companies who doesn’t care about employees are:-1- TCS2- Wipro3- HCL4- Infosys5- Convergys6- IBM7- Accenture8-AricentThat may sound BS but its true.The worst of worst company is RECRUITING, OUTSOURCING, HUMAN RESOUCRCE CONSULTING FIRM or any placement agency that hires you as a third party person. example;Company X will hire you, pay you salary and provide you offer letter and relieving/experience letter.Company X will ask you to work for Company Z. Company Z will give you work on day to day basis. You will have to report to Company Z for everything except related to salary increment and promotion.Company Z will not give you and can’t give you salary hike or promotion.Company X will cut off communication with you regarding salary hike or promotion. Your life will stuck and will be on stake.