To think 2 weeks is an unusually long summer holiday?

[PrettyLittleCryer]

How long do you take off on holiday if you go away over summer - particularly if you work full time?

I think half a month is a long time to expect to just walk out of a job and them to carry on without you.

But is that what most people take?

I'm in the US; DH and I always take two weeks at a time and have done for more than 20 years.

Yup, except in the US, where holiday entitlement is ridiculously short even for people in relatively senior positions.

I took five weeks off once as I wanted to go to Australia. It was no big deal. Surprised you’re in the UK as two consecutive weeks is totally normal.

except in the US, where holiday entitlement is ridiculously short even for people in relatively senior positions.

This is an incorrect generalization. Lots of people in the US take two weeks at a time, even more junior people. It can depend on the sector, but I've been doing it for most of my working life.

And lots of senior people have more than two weeks; more and more sectors are even offering paid sabbaticals after so many years of service.

OMG! Two weeks off, I would die for it!!! Our staff have 5 weeks leave a year, on top of the Christmas and New Year break. We manage snatching a long weekend, 3 days off every now and again, plus the bank holidays. We employ 11 staff, but if my calculation is right we are financially responsible for 29, our employees and their family members. When someone wants two weeks off, sick leave or a day for hospital appointments, they are sick or their children are sick it means that another staff member has to step up to the plate, usually my husband and me. We have done long hours, kept the business going throughout Covid whilst our staff were furloughed. We are a small business trying to deliver quality service and looking after our staff,....... BUT please GOD can I just have a week off! OMG two weeks would be heaven.

I have had 2x 3 weeks holiday in the last 5 years. Not sure what is old fashioned about it, both long haul road trips
Normally have 2 weeks off at end of august but changing now the dc have grown up
Normally 7 days is too short for me , need 10 days minimum to really relax

Huh? Completely normal.

Too exhausting to do long haul for only a week!

I am based in the UK but my colleagues are all over Europe and it seems like us British are the only ones not to take all our annual leave in one block, the rest of Europe piss off for 4 weeks during the summer, it seems odd to me!

2 weeks is standard for me, anything less isn’t enough to really relax IMO

One year I took10 weeks off with the blessing of my employer. Every other year I took 2 weeks off in September. And why not...

I take 2 weeks off and go to Spain for 2 weeks :) it’s standard

I’m off for three weeks this summer. I’m sure life will go on without me somehow. Can’t wait.

Two weeks is completely standard. Twice we've been to America and DH has had 3 weeks. (I am self-emplyoed).

In the city I grew up in all the factories historically used to close for the first two weeks of July, it was called the July fortnight and half the city was on holiday. So in the UK certainly having 2 weeks off is an entirely normal reasonable (and routinely paid) holiday. When you take it is supposed to be negotiated with your employer to be a mutually convenient time though - so you wouldn't necessarily take 2 weeks with no notice or warning.

2 weeks is completely standard. If the company can't survive without any given member of staff for a fortnight then that's a problem with the company. Better handover processes need to be in place. What happens if someone goes off sick.

I think it's a dangerous game though to consider yourself indispensable at work and can lead to burnout. You're not indispensable. That's not how the company sees you.

Did you say half a month to make it sound longer? I get 8 weeks annual leave. Not only do I take half a month in summer, I also take half a month at Christmas. Company still seems to function fine without me.

2 weeks is perfectly reasonable. I would like to have 3 or 4 weeks holiday but my workplace doesn't allow it.

2 weeks is completely normal. When I worked in a bank it was mandatory as any discrepancies would show up in that time.

I would never willingly take more than a week at a time off work. The work piles up while away and by the time I've caught up after a week off I'm about ready for another break! Seriously though, with only four and half weeks available I don't want to blow nearly half in one go. I prefer to have a few long weekends spaced out through the year.

Why is it a fraud prevention - I’m intrigued?

Surely the fraud thing has been explained 187 times now...

This has been answered about 5 times already on this thread

If you have kids in their school years, I think two weeks is on the short side, though appreciate many people don't have freedom to take holiday whenever they want it. If no kids on a 6 week break then I would take less time then and more at other points in the year. Mainly because places are less crowded and less expensive. But I definitely want a two week holiday from work at least once a year. Less than two weeks doesn't get you the same feeling of relaxation IMO.

@YellsiBabs

As several posts above have explained, Europeans taking 3 or even 4 weeks holiday at a time are not using up all of their allowance in one go.

In many northern European countries, the norm is six weeks, or even seven weeks holiday a year, plus many public holidays and "bridge" days (e.g. when a public holiday falls on a Thursday, offices remain closed for the Friday as well).

In addition, working hours are only 35 hours a week, 7.00-15.00 or 8.00-16.00 and on Fridays many offices and factories close at 12.00 or 13.00.

Work-life balance is hugely important. Overtime is frowned on except in exceptional circumstances. People work to live not live to work.

Two weeks at some point in the year is mandatory in many industries, as people have said it’s used as a compliance tool to ensure maximum opportunity for any irregularities to come to light.