I totally get that events arise sometimes that might require a person to work during their scheduled vacation. I've put in work hours during pto myself. But not during EVERY vacation. That's nuts!

If I say I am unavailable, I am unavailable.I pretty much refuse to work outside normal hours. I make a few exceptions in extreme cases, but I don't even log into my email when I'm not 'at work.' (When I get stupid and do check it, I usually regret it.) NopenopenopeNOPE.

I wish I could, but it's not done in this industry. I have a lot of scheduling flexibility, so I can go to the gym in the middle of the day, or spend a few days visiting a friend, as long as the work is getting done. I was sick for most of the two weeks prior to Labor Day, and I basically handled what was important in between sleeping 12 hours a day, and I didn't take sick days. Where they go apeshit is in these situations.

I am going to be changing my own behavior though, about putting the work phone on DND after working hours and on weekends. I need to be better about not checking it after I'm done for the day.

I think we're supposed to be satisfied with a boilerplate "We're grateful for your hard work and everything you do!" at the end of the email saying "you're going to have to work through lunch again."

That's what this country gets so wrong. This drive to work, work, work, to the exclusion of everything else isn't healthy, and we all know it. Not to overgeneralize things, but Americans live to work and the rest of the world works to live.

Not wading into the (a)theist conversation right now. My thoughts are a jumbled mess, and my relationship with religion is tenuous enough.

I'd be really unhappy if the extreme cases happened with more frequency than they do now.

This drive to work, work, work, to the exclusion of everything else isn't healthy, and we all know it.

I think this is a big issue coming down the pipe. What happens when there isn't enough work? Already there is this weird perception that (not among everyone) that automation is this bad thing. Freeing people of tedious jobs should be a good thing, but we don't have any other means to allocate wealth and jobs are so tied to our identity and self-worth so it's seen as a terrible thing. How do we as a society deal with a future where we don't really need everyone to work? How do we create value in creative work to create new options for people besides tedium?

Omg there is SO much work to do!!! In fixing the infrastructure, in social services, etc. Finding ways to train and then pay them to do that work is another matter.

Is it possible to be an atheist without coming across as arrogant or offensive?

Religious belief, or lack thereof, is a topic that I avoid when I already know the party's belief because they have it plastered all over their bumper and wear it on their sleeve. I find the militant believers as annoying as the militant non-believers. I'm pretty good at avoiding the topic with saying it is a personal matter. Really good at it with the persistent. More open minded people I am happy to discuss such things with at length. I am perfectly accepting of both the super religious, atheists, and all in between. Just don't ask me to carry your banner.

I work too much. 24/7/365. I know this is true, but haven't figured out how to change it. This morning one of my doctors died. Sudden aortic rupture. He looked seriously healthy to me! He was scheduled to retire in 6 weeks. I would prefer that I get some time off before I die.

I'm lucky that I'm in a job where, most of the time, I can close my work email at the end of the work day and not open it up again until the beginning of the next scheduled work day. There've been a few weekends where, long before the fact, I was asked to take care of a few things, and I did so. Of course, my low pay probably reflects the low pressure.

But vacation is vacation. If your job offers it as a benefit, then it is part of your overall compensation. Working on vacation days while still getting those hours counted against your overall vacation time is wage theft.

Gud, I have never felt like you came across as arrogant when you talk about your atheism. I'm not exactly a representative sample, non-Christian agnostic that I am, but can be as prickly and defensive as anyone else, so not having triggered that is something.

I get that stuff happens and vacations get interrupted and sometimes work takes priority over the rest of life, it's when that becomes the standard thing and there's no such thing as vacation that I gotta say whoa.

Oh no, Laura! I'm sorry.

I currently have just over 41 days worth of time off accrued. It is difficult to use it because if I work any overtime in the pay period, I can't take PTO unless it is needed to get me to 40. So, say I worked 4 hours of OT and want to take a day off. I can only take 4 hours against my PTO balance.

This week, I'm really frustrated with the labor day holiday in the middle of this pay period. I have put in 14.5 hours of OT so far but I won't get paid for 8 of that due to the holiday. Only way around that is to take a full day off but I have too much darned work (see OT). Just annoying as heck. I know, I'm lucky that I'm salaried AND can get paid OT.