Terminator2000 said:
I have a lot of money saved up. Enough money to keep me for a year (or more) but its true what you say. Its just too bad work is so inflexible and employers literally own you and workers dont have that many rights in the workplace or in the company. You're always expendable or useless.
They don't own you, you always have the choice of tendering your resignation. Unless you've worked out some other deal, the basic contract you have with your boss is that you will work for x hours per week and in return the boss will pay you $ as well as give you some paid vacation time perhaps. Workers have plenty of rights (especially compared to some other countries) which are laid down in labour law.
Terminator2000 said:
In Canada (and the US) Life is measured and defined entirely by your work and nothing more. Personal goals or pursuits don't have any meaning. Work is the end and all that defines the importance and worth of a person's life. Very corporate society we live in. Its either money, bills, work, money, bills, work, money, bills, work, money, bills, work. No days off. Only a week every five months time off allowed.
Perhaps that's how you measure your life, but for me work is merely the means by which I afford my life. And make up your mind, first you say no days off and then you say 1 week/5 months. (and that's better than the ESA's minimum of 2 weeks/year so already your employer is better than many)
Terminator2000 said:
Pretty sad how overworked we are.
Like, for example, say you worked for a couple years. Saved enough to keep you for a good amount of time. Have quite a fortune saved up to do quite well without work for a while. (Yet, you still want to keep your job). So if you dont need to work, you can pursue other things. Like a personal life. (Which we all agree is important to us. Work to live, notthe other way around.) Yet, companies/employers OWN us and decide our lives and with their policies and protocols, they decide/define how our time and lives are spent and consumed. Even, if we dont need to work so much/have a good sum of money to live off work for a while.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. Just because you can save enough that you don't need to work doesn't mean you have any right to expect your boss to keep your job vacant for when you decide you want to work again. Or do you expect that they will hire and train a replacement for you and then fire the guy when you want to earn some more money? Doesn't seem very fair to the poor guy who wanted to work.
And again, companies do not OWN you, you don't like their policies and protocols concerning the time that they are paying you for then quit.
Terminator2000 said:
So, you decide you want some free time to pursue other dreams, aspirations. Go travelling. Visit some other countries. Pursue some personal projects. Expand your personal life/personal horizons.
We ALL have personal goals/aspirations/dreams. This I can say of all of you, withcertainty.
This is true, and like all adults I have to temper "I want it all my way" to "I'll enjoy what I can have".
Terminator2000 said:
You cant. Unless, you're the boss,manager,CEO himself. Whom can take as many days off as he pleases.
Wrong, managers, bosses, basically any employee other than the owner has to answer to people just as you do to arrange for time off. They may get more time off than you do, but they probably also have a lot more responsibility that goes along with those perks too. And as for the owner taking the time off, well that's why he took all the risks of starting up and developing his (or her) company. If you want those perks, then take the money you have saved for that year of not working and start your own business.
Terminator2000 said:
Sorry for my rant. its just surprising what kind of society we live in and how our "freedom" and how much of a "free" country we live in.
Seems pretty good to me, but then again I understand that with freedom comes responsibility as well.
If this seems like a random nonsensical rant. I apologize.[/QUOTE]
Not nonsensical, just juvenile imo.
Terminator2000 said:
P.S. What also strikes me as funny is. How if you want time off, maternity leave. Say your wife is pregnant or girlfriend is pregnant or you're stressed. You have to ask the boss/manager/employer for "permission". Yet, the boss/manager/employer DOESN'T need a justifiable reason to take an extended leave of work absence for himself. he can go whenever he pleases.
First of all, if your wife or girlfriend is pregnant you don't get "maternity" leave. You are entitled to take "parental" leave after the child is born and you don't need your employer's permission to do so. If you wish to take a leave of absence before the delivery to help out then yes you would need permission as that is not an employee right under the ESA.
If you are stressed, then you get a doctor to say that you need some time off. Again no company permission required.
Obviously you've never been a boss/manager/employer (or at least not a good one) or you'd know that they can't take off on a whim for as long as they wish.
If you want to take an extended LOA from work I suggest you sit down with whomever in your company decides those things and discuss it with them. Since we know absolutely nothing about where you work or what kind of value you have to them we can't give you and idea of your likelihood of success at getting it. I would suggest you not share your views of the ease of management's life as they probably won't help your case in any positive way.