| Shalom Alan and the rest of Bagelers,
I will take this as my opportunity to wish everybody a healthy and happy
new year and an easy fast, before replying to the base note.
L'shanah tovah, t'koteivu!!
I think that we can all appreciate an employers position about getting
the time for the dollars. From the employers' point of view, why
should we get extra time. However, if asked, we most of us would have
no objectioin to making up for it.
> Here at DEC, my options are 1) Compensation for overtime, 2) Charge
> against vacation, 3) personal day, or 4) day off without pay. I'll
> still work christmas, but that A) falls into catagory 1 and B) what
> difference will it make? As part of a team, who else will be here?
Actually here at DEC, at least for salaried employees, our options are
very much at the discretion of our immediate management. Many of us
operate in a typical DEC workaholic mode and have management who will
look the other way if we take off the High Holidays (maybe even
Pesach?) and just assume that the time will be made up in the usual 12-16
hour days worked around this place. This is not universal but it
certainly is common. I would expect that Christians who wish to take off
those holidays which are less commonly observed (and therefore without
matching secular holiday 8^{) ) would get the same treatment.
Those who are hourly are put in a more difficult position. Clerical
staff and the like are critical to many operations and their days off
are hard felt. Under these circumstances many managers usually insist
on filing all the appropriate paper work (they frequently have to find a
temporary to cover). Hourly employees frequently do not have the option
of working comp. time.
I would suggest that DECs policy on this topic should be that some small
fixed number (3-5?) of days be standardly allowed for religious holidays
without penalty to your vacation time. Of course with the DECs usually
Od paam, l'shanah tovah!!
Gavriel
|
| One of the basic rules of job hunting is "Pick your manager carefully".
Since at DEC, the disposition of time-off is a matter of agreement
between employee and manager, it is important to sound your manager
out, at the time of the interview, concerning matters of importance
to you. How your boss regards absence for the High Holydays was
obviously not of a high-enough priority to you to be one of your
questions during the hiring interview, so don't complain about how
things turned out. It WAS important enough to me, so I asked, got
the answer I liked, and took the job.
If, on the other hand, you would like to make a change in company
policy, please consider that there are levels of observance of Judaism.
I would not want two (or three) days off per year in lieu of "whatever
arrangement you make with your manager" if I want to take the eighth
day of Pesach off, or want to leave early on Fridays as the days
shorten. That's the usual result when you transform an informal
agreement into written policy -- you win some, you lose some.
How can you monitor which employees are entitled to take which days
off for religious reasons? I'm not sure I like the idea (and I'm
not sure it's legal) of registering my religion with Personnel.
And if you want to give, say, ten days to every employee to use
for the religious holidays of their choice, most would undoubtedly
invent a new religion that requires oceanside observances during
July and solemn rituals on the ski slopes.
The bottom line is the priority that Judaism takes in your life.
If it means a lot to you, it should influence your career choices.
And if you can't find a livelihood that fits comfortably with our
observances, than take vacation days or days without pay, or whatever
costs are necessary in order to reap the joys of a Jewish life.
Examine your priorities carefully and make whatever choices are
consistent with them. What better occasion is there than The Days
Of Awe for making such a self-examination? If, as I believe it
is, living Jewishly is important to you, then you will take the
right steps to organize your life and career around it. That's
what I am doing, over time. And what a wonderful year 5748 will
be, because of the progress I am making in returning to my People.
L'Shana Tova
Ed
|
| Ed,
As to the company policy suggestion, the more I think about it the more
I realize that the status quo is probably better. I am not one of those
people who is in a bind. As I said, I tend to be a workaholic on the
other days anyway. So, nobody much cares if I take off on the holidays.
As to the choice of jobs thing, for some people that kind of choice
can mean a major career change. I am not suggesting that this should
not be considered. I was just explaining what you can expect at DEC
(and many other places as well) if you are an hourly employee with
religious convictions.
Gavriel
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