Unlimited vacation is a lazy benefit offered by shitty companies. Prove me wrong.

Tried to capture the argument in the subject. Feel like companies cut corners by offering this instead of things like continued education, creative comp packages, etc. Also, there have been plenty of studies done to show that employees end up spending less vacation time than employees with explicit budgets. I'm a subscriber of the idea of creating your own schedule / flexible time but the idea of this as a perk seems stupid. 

People that are offered this, do you feel like your employer is overcompensating for other areas where your benefits lack? Do you value and utilize it? 

 

I think employees should have dedicated 2 weeks off + “use your head and don’t abuse it” days off for random things (dropping the car off at the shop, being sick, running errands, dealing with kids, etc)

Also I think you shouldn’t have to prove being sick. I think it’s stupid as a standard operating procedure to require a doctors note or proof of a car accident (my previous company needed proof of my car accident because I was 30 mins late)

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 
Most Helpful

Malta

I think employees should have dedicated 2 weeks off + "use your head and don't abuse it" days off for random things (dropping the car off at the shop, being sick, running errands, dealing with kids, etc)

I think companies should have 4-6 dedicated weeks off. And Fridays. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Your argument is that unlimited vacation is a bad thing because...companies could also offer other things? 

You can keep clocking in and clocking out if you want, but I'm going to keep my unlimited vacation. If you have unlimited vacation and take fewer vacations, that's on you. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

I'm not arguing that its bad... I'm arguing that its a bogus tactic used by larger companies (from what I've seen) offered in their campus recruiting materials or whatever. It should be discounted from the greater comp package. 

Example: If one of the custodian banks offered back office people unlimited vacations, they wouldn't have the money to enjoy the time off, able go back to school, or protect their jobs from inevitable turnover. It offers them no "benefit". 

 

In my case they offer all of the above and then some. I'd argue in our specific case, the biggest trade off that I don't have is stock compensation (privately held) but that's just a function of our company and they aren't offering unlimited vacation in place of that.  

I value it pretty highly, and I utilize it as much as I can. I enjoy not worrying about whether I have accrued time, tracking my days, etc. That's pretty great. The flexibility I have to take off when needed is great. 

It's just another consideration - like anything else in your compensation package. 

 

DatAnalyst

Do most companies actually track this stuff? 

Yeah consultancies and law firms have billable hours.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Funniest

Dolor repellat et quo est molestiae perferendis ipsa. Numquam ea quasi ullam. Asperiores optio occaecati autem in placeat fugiat quo nisi. Libero corrupti alias dolorum et. Est doloremque sit vel hic.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”