Practice Management Member Conversations

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Practice Management Member Conversations .
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Does anyone have information they would be willing to share regarding how their firm establishes Vacation Time for employees?  I am a small firm of 5 employees.  I offer 2 weeks of paid vacation, 3 paid sick days per year, and 9 paid holidays per year.  I am particularly interested in knowing how I compare to other firms and if other firms add days or weeks of vacation time after a particular number of continuous years of employment with the firm. 

Any help would be appreciated.  My direct email address is brianmcnew@att.net.

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Brian McNew AIA
McNew Architecture, APAC
Shreveport LA
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We are a 25 person firm. We offer two weeks vacation, with a third week after five years at the firm. We have 5 sick days and 3 personal days available each year. Our senior Project Managers get 3 additional personal days.

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Jerry Roller AIA
Firm Owner/Architect
JKR Partners
Philadelphia PA
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The deciding factor for vacation time is how your benefits compare to other firms in your area of the country and owner organizations that have on staff architecture trained staff ------------------------------------------- William Burmeister AIA Ballwin MO -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 12-20-2011 08:07 From: Jerry Roller Subject: Employee Vacation Time We are a 25 person firm. We offer two weeks vacation, with a third week after five years at the firm. We have 5 sick days and 3 personal days available each year. Our senior Project Managers get 3 additional personal days. ------------------------------------------- Jerry Roller AIA Firm Owner/Architect JKR Partners Philadelphia PA -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 12-19-2011 10:18 From: Brian McNew Subject: Employee Vacation Time This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Practice Management Member Conversations . ------------------------------------------- Does anyone have information they would be willing to share regarding how their firm establishes Vacation Time for employees? I am a small firm of 5 employees. I offer 2 weeks of paid vacation, 3 paid sick days per year, and 9 paid holidays per year. I am particularly interested in knowing how I compare to other firms and if other firms add days or weeks of vacation time after a particular number of continuous years of employment with the firm. Any help would be appreciated. My direct email address is brianmcnew@att.net. ------------------------------------------- Brian McNew AIA McNew Architecture, APAC Shreveport LA -------------------------------------------

The timing of your question could not be better. I am currently reviewing the same issue as I update our employee handbook that was a great importance when our firm had 20 people. The challenge we currently face is that with increased time of service we feel compelled to grant more time off but that also puts a strain on our productivity when you reduce the productive time available each year by granting more vacation/ paid time off.

We have in recent time been more flexible in granting time off  and looking for other benefits for our staff that do not necessarily affect our total productivity at the firm. As an owner, I find this to be beneficial to the employee and the ability to meet our deadlines without having to restrict an employee from time off based on firm deliverables. it also can reduce the need for temporary staffing.

I look forward to hearing other firms methodology with respect to vacation as well.
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Craig Pryde AIA
Perkins Pryde + Kennedy Architects
Glen Ellyn IL
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That is about as lean as you can get. But with that few employees, you need to be less a 'time meister' than a solid team builder. Then let that perspective lead your decisions.

A question, though: Other than yourself, which of the other employees are 'exempt'?

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Michael Webber
The Portico Group
Seattle WA
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I work for a large firm that provides 80 hours vacation per year. After 5 years employment they offer 120 hours per year and after 15 years they offer 160 hours per year. Time is accrued per pay period at 26 pay periods per year.
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Patrick Cooper AIA
Architect
Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc.
Lubbock TX
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Brian,

I am curious as to your question and what is prompting it.  If you are asking in order to exceed what others are offering then I applaud your efforts (not that my applauding or otherwise is of any value.)  If you are asking in order to make sure you are staying "competitive" with the rest of the crowd I am afraid that once, again, we only do what is necessary.

I am reminded of the peloton in the Tour de France where the group of riders assemble in order to conserve energy while jockeying for various positions, looking backwards to see who might be advancing, etc.  The real leaders are the few who have left the group mentality and are out front, leading the race, pushing themselves as hard as they can, braving the resistance, and throwing caution to the wind.

A client of mine exhibits this latter courage.  Three weeks vacation upon starting, increased value within the company regardless of tenure, ownership in projects where the firm is a stakeholder...reward for work in lieu of work for reward.  The culture is highly collaborative, employees are long-term, OT is embraced with enthusiasm.  What else? Revenues are expected to triple for 2012 and work is being backlogged into 2013.

So if you only want to do what others are doing you set the stage for similar results (not that they are either good or bad.)  Instead, why not push the envelope and provide what you didn't think possible as a way to push the profession towards something we have never yet seen?

Appreciatively,

Steve Haber



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Steven Haber AIA
Principal Facilitator
Steve Haber Group
Cincinnati OH
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We take a slightly different approach to employee vacation time - we offer people 15 days at the outset and increase it to 20 overall, which comprises personal days, sick time and vacation time.  The goal is to treat people as responsible members of our team, not individuals who have to explain their sick time to a superior, or pretend to be sick lest they lose unused sick time at year-end. 
Our only criterion about using the time is that they are expected to plan with their colleagues so that no one is surprised with work that's left undone, unassigned or unplanned-for.
We've employed this policy since our founding in 1986 and it's never been a problem.  People seem to appreciate the responsibility and have never, to my knowledge, abused it.

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Russel Feldman AIA
TBA Architects, Inc.
Concord MA
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Our firm was founded in 1977.  For the most part our Vacation Policy is in line with the previous discusses.  We did learn the hard way that Vacation Time needs to have a cap.  Currenly, we permit carry over of only 40 hous annually.
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Jerry Berggren AIA
Berggren Architects
Lincoln NE
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