I have survived my second annual thinning of the herd

[Asher]

Vacation pay is not legally mandated in the USA. Is it in Canada?

http://alis.alberta.ca/pdf/cshop/engexpemploystandards.pdf

Yes. Keep in mind that Alberta has the least strict employment laws in the country.

However, there's a fine difference between employers voluntarily offering such compensation and the State mandating it. That is what is bizarre to me.

The Canadian government says companies, pay these people for not working.

It's not bizarre. Your government has all kinds of requirements. Don't you have a minimum wage?

[KrazyHorse]

Is the bottom bucket 20%? 10%?

Bottom bucket is 25%. They don't fire all of the bottom bucket every year though.

[Egbert]

Are you equally perplexed about the concept of vacation pay?

Hell, I get 3 days off of my choosing every quarter (in addition to vacation days + personal days). I get paid fully not to work those days as well.

I 20 days every year for holidays, on full pay + 17.5% leave loading.
That is normal and expected, but not everybody gets the loading.

When Canada reachs our heights of civilisation you too can look forward to having decent holiday breaks.

[Asher]

When Canadian sandwich makers get laid off from McDonalds, how much severance pay do they get?

It depends how long they've worked there. In Alberta, not too much. I think they get 1 week's pay if they've worked between 3 and 23 months, 2 weeks between 2 years and 4 years...not sure after that. The number is higher in Ontario.

Keep in mind this is laid off. If they're fired for cause, they don't get any. To be fired for cause, you need to have documented warnings they've acknowledged, etc. For the first 3 months of employment, either side can walk away with no notice.

[KrazyHorse]

HC, it is nonexistent in the vast majority of American jobs. It's only professional white collar jobs and high level blue collar jobs that have severance pay. You'll never see a cashier, teller, nurse, manufacturing worker, deliveryman, etc. etc. get severance pay.

I also doubt that the entry-level analysts at Goldman Sachs or anything get severance pay when they get culled, either. They might though.

I have no idea what happens to entry-level people as I have never been one.

[Al B. Sure!]

It depends how long they've worked there. In Alberta, not too much. I think they get 1 week's pay if they've worked between 3 and 23 months, 2 weeks between 2 years and 4 years...not sure after that. The number is higher in Ontario.

Keep in mind this is laid off. If they're fired for cause, they don't get any. To be fired for cause, you need to have documented warnings they've acknowledged, etc.

See that's walking a tough line. What's stopping supervisors from fabricating disciplinary incidents to prevent their budgets from getting screwed by paying non-workers?

[KrazyHorse]

That's not legal here. It's probably not legal there either, unless you're in an at-will state?

I believe they owe people 2 weeks + accrued vacation. Anything else is just gravy.

[Egbert]

Look, let's take a step back...

What is pay? Pay is compensation for work, right? It's very basic. How can you not see that pay for work not done is contrary to sense?

Think of holidays as a form of compensation. The annual pay covers the holidays as well.

[Asher]

I 20 days every year for holidays, on full pay + 17.5% leave loading.
That is normal and expected, but not everybody gets the loading.

When Canada reachs our heights of civilisation you too can look forward to having decent holiday breaks.

Hmm? The 3 days off per quarter are outside of vacation. I also get 20 days (4 weeks) vacation, which will go up the more experience I get. I also get 5 "personal" days a year (which are like vacation but require no approval).

That's a total of 12 + 20 + 5 = 37 days a year.

My dad gets every other friday off and 8 weeks vacation. But he's in a position to demand that. He's also retiring in a couple months (at age 53).

[KrazyHorse]

Our herd is still growing pretty rapidly

So is ours. That doesn't stop them from culling the weak.

[Al B. Sure!]

I believe they owe people 2 weeks + accrued vacation. Anything else is just gravy.

Not in America. There is no federal law stating that employers owe anything to laid off employees... there might be some crazy state that does mandate this but at-will states definitely do not.

[Docfeelgood]

Because you're required to give the workers X weeks notice (depending how long they've worked there). Most of the time, when you fire someone you don't say "you have two more weeks of work". You just send them home. And because of the notice-requirement, at the very least you need to give them money equivalent of the notice time not provided.

Here in Texas ( the most non friendly workers state ) no explanation need be given. your fired! thats it.

[Al B. Sure!]

Yeah no explanation need be given.

Granted, if no explanation is given, you may be eligible for unemployment compensation.

[SlowwHand]

Firing isn't hard. I'll fire someone in a heart beat. Lay offs are hard. I've never seen one that didn't cut into valuable contributors, because you have to hit a number.

[Asher]

See that's walking a tough line. What's stopping supervisors from fabricating disciplinary incidents to prevent their budgets from getting screwed by paying non-workers?

The "acknowledged" part.