Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons

Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid

Message

Vendaval -> Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/26/2009 3:50:31 PM)
Many of the gover. services and private businesses here are using mandatory time off without pay as a cost saving measure. Employees are frustrated that the work load becomes more bogged down while they loose money but on the other hand at least they are not laid off. Are you seeing mandatory furloughs in your areas? Do you think this is a positive or negative way to save on payroll? "Unpaid furloughs a trend for U.S. white-collar jobs" Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:53am EST By Andrea Hopkins "CINCINNATI (Reuters) - U.S. newspapers have done it. California police have too. Governments in California, New Jersey and Ohio say it will save the budget. Forcing workers to take unpaid time off is a new version of the American layoff. The involuntary furlough, once a staple of boom-and-bust blue-collar industries like mining or automaking, is making its way into white-collar workplaces across the United States as employers try to cut costs quickly amid a deepening recession. With some 2.5 million jobs lost in the past six months, few furloughed workers are complaining about the unpaid time off." http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE51O1ZD20090225?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

aravain -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/26/2009 3:55:22 PM)
At least they're not losing jobs. I mean, technically, I'm going to have an unpaid furlough every year. Truth be told, I don't think that PAID time off is practical or should be given unless the worker is on disability. I don't understand the rationale behind paid vacation. Never have. 'Course, I don't really like vacations, so that may be why [:'(]

LadyPact -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/26/2009 4:27:03 PM)
I'm doing more time off without pay. The work just isn't there. It's not huge for Me right now because it's been balanced out with the tax refund. Yes, I'd rather be doing this than having to deal with lay offs.

Evility -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/26/2009 4:52:46 PM)
My company won't do it. Their logic is that if they can afford to give you time off without pay then they do not need you. I can't really argue with that logic.

MmeGigs -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 5:04:53 AM)
My employer is doing this, along with other cost-cutting measures. We're all taking 12 days off without pay this year. Fewer of us will be laid off - that's a good thing. It's going to make for some stressful days and all of us have to rearrange priorities and cancel or postpone some important projects, but at least we have our jobs. There are a lot of folks who aren't so fortunate. My employer chose to do this instead of freezing wages. They could have asked us to take fewer days off without pay if they had frozen wages, but feel that this will work out better for employees in the long run. A wage freeze or wage cut affects workers' income in the future - it's not like once the crisis is over everyone's going to get a big raise to make up for lost increases. The COO is holding meetings for employees twice a month where he'll bring us up to date on what's going on and we can ask him questions. He started a blog to share information and get feedback. They're really handling this all very well, which is what I've leared to expect from them. My employer rocks.

housesub4you -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 5:11:38 AM)
We have an auto plant in our town and it happens all the time, But when they (auto exec's) went to DC, they said that labor is less than 10% of their cost. They can save more money changing to more effienent lights, heat etc.. So who knows what the truth is anymore, it seems anyone can say anything to anyone and just keep screwing the guy on the floor busting his ass trying to put food on the table

MmeGigs -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 2:52:38 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: housesub4you We have an auto plant in our town and it happens all the time, But when they (auto exec's) went to DC, they said that labor is less than 10% of their cost. They can save more money changing to more effienent lights, heat etc.. So who knows what the truth is anymore, it seems anyone can say anything to anyone and just keep screwing the guy on the floor busting his ass trying to put food on the table Those are the folks I'm most concerned about - those who are above poverty and below making a living. These folks seem to be basically invisible, even though there is a large and growing number of them. I'm getting so tired of hearing them characterized as lazy slobs who are looking for a handout. A lot of the working poor folks I know work more hours than I do. Many have been working a job-and-a-half to make ends meet for a long time. I know plenty of folks around here who used to work in a factory but lost their job when light manufacturing was shipped overseas. They went back to school to become first tier computer support because that's where they were told the jobs would be. They got those jobs, then lost them a couple years later when tech support was shipped overseas. Now they're working retail and food service and moving back in with their parents until they can get on their feet. Whenever it's suggested that the working poor be paid enough to live on, some folks get nearly apoplectic about what that will do to prices and profits and all that, when that lower-end labor really isn't that huge a factor in the price of a product. Any price increase would be at least partially offset by lower taxes and further offset by more people being able to buy the stuff we produce/sell. It always strikes me as odd that the folks who are most unwilling to consider paying these folks a decent wage are also the folks who scream the most about social spending - they don't seem to see the connection between these things. Many free-market folks also seem to miss this connection. They forget that labor and consumers are the same people There's a big stigma attached to using food stamps, living in public housing and such. I'd like to see as big a stigma attached to paying one's employees so poorly that they require these things.

awmslave -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 3:06:27 PM)
There is a conflict. Mandatory time off serves interests of business owners but not workers: business makes more profit being more efficient, worker has difficulties earning anything during his/her day off. Workers should resist it. Company should be forced to either have full time or hourly workforce so that skilled workers can organize their time efficiently.

Vendaval -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 3:24:53 PM)
Very well stated, Mme Gigs.

MzMia -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 8:33:40 PM)
The only "good" thing I see about a furlough is the fact that you get to keep your job. The only "good" thing, I see is you did not get the boot. I can't think of any other "pro's" unless you were secretly desiring an unpaid mini vacation. Who want's to join the growing ranks of the millions that are unemployed? During a depression, basically almost any job is a good job. Many are saying that these days.

Jeptha -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/27/2009 9:17:54 PM)
I'm hoping that in the future there will be more opportunity for "job sharing" (whatever that might mean) and taking unpaid leaves of absence. I'd love to be able to take time off to travel, work elsewhere, etc. ~ But I'd love to be able to come back to my job, too. I basically want to have my cake and eat it too. But it wouldn't be hard to do where I'm at because we already have an army of trained subs who get no benefits, and no pay increases, and exist just to fill in for other's vacations or sick days.

Vendaval -> RE: Mandatory time off without pay, pros and cons (2/28/2009 3:09:29 AM)
I like the idea of splitting a job position with someone else. One person in the mornings the other in the afternoons or alternating days. And I would much rather work 4 days at 10 hours to have 3 days off per week or simply take 1 day a week for telecommutting without all the distractions in a normal office.

Page: [1]

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.078125