I love my job, but how do I ask my boss for time off in the U.S.?

Many Americans are known to be workaholics, at least comparatively speaking. Still, even the hardest workers need a break every now and again.

However, time off in the U.S. doesn’t work quite the same as it does at home — something you’ll notice as soon as you realize that you aren’t automatically going to get days off just because The Bank is Closed.

Here’s the terminology you need to know!

Holidays/Vacation Days

In the UK, most of your days off are taken as holidays, or simply annual leave. All full-time workers are allowed 28 days, including public holidays, and many employers offer more than that legal minimum. That leave is paid, meaning full-time employees will be paid their normal salary while on holiday.

In the U.S., things are different. There is no federal law that requires employers to offer paid holiday days. (Or rather, “vacation” days — get used to saying that!)

So I’m not going to get any holiday in the U.S.?

It varies from state to state and company to company!

A few states have passed laws granting employees the right to paid leave. Certain localities may also have their own laws.

However, just because a jurisdiction has laws guaranteeing paid leave doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be entitled. Maine’s law, for example, has multiple exemptions for seasonal workers, new employees, and small businesses.

It’s also common to have to “earn” your paid leave. Under Maine’s law, for example, employees generally earn just one hour of PTO for every 40 hours they work.

Unfortunately, the amount of paid time off you’ll get also depends on your position and industry. If you’re working part-time or in a low-paying position, you’re far more likely to have paid vacation time at all. And if you’ve come to the U.S. to work in hospitality, there’s a good chance you’ll have no paid leave at all.

That being said, the vast majority of full-time private sector employees are granted at least some paid time off. However, you will still likely have to “earn” those days — though many companies grant them after you meet certain requirements, which could be as simple as being in your role for a specified length of time.

Usually, companies will offer between 5 and 20 days of paid leave per year. This does not include public holidays.

That’s not very much… In the UK I get 28 days!

Remember that in the U.S., PTO does not include public holidays. So even if you have no paid leave, you might still get some paid time off.

American Public Holidays

Unlike the UK with its paltry eight public holidays, the U.S. has 11 federal holidays! There are the big ones like Independence Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, all complete with their traditions and iconic Hallmark movies.

But there’s also days you might not know about, like Labor Day!

Amazing, so I’ll have all the American Public Holidays off too?

Not so fast!

Once again, there’s no federal law requiring that your employer give you these days off.

Having said that, many will give most or all of them as paid days off in addition to your vacation allowance. And if you do have to work on these days, many employers will offer you extra money (called “holiday pay”) to work.

So yes, you might not have quite as many days off in the U.S. — but it’s not as bad as you think.

Some employers are stingy in the U.S. But large employers with the resources to employ a Brit on a visa will often compete on benefits — like PTO — and holiday days are a part of your overall package.

Paid Time Off (“PTO”)

This is a concept you might not be so familiar with.

In the UK, annual leave and sick leave are usually treated separately, though employer policies do vary. In the U.S., time off for any reason, including sickness, is often lumped together as PTO — paid time off.

PTO is time off that an employee can use for any reason. It could be for a vacation, sick leave, personal days, and so on. Often, instead of having separate allocations for all these things, they’re all rolled into one.

So if I’m sick I’ll have to give up my holiday?

In some cases, yes.

However, as you’ve probably already gathered, it all depends on your employer. There is no federally mandated sick pay in the U.S., but some employers do offer paid sick leave as a benefit.

So if you’re sick, you might be expected to suffer through it, take unpaid leave, or give up one of your PTO days.

It all depends on what your employer offers, so always check your full benefits when you’re negotiating a job offer.

The key difference between the U.S. and the UK is that in the latter your right to party is enshrined in law, whereas in the U.S. that right is still being fought for.

Holidays and paid time off in the U.S. are more varied, and are almost always negotiated between employers and employees.

Sure, some employers are stingier than you’re used to, but you’re moving to the U.S. for a reason, right? You have that dawg in you! You want to make it!

Also, did you know that some U.S. employers actually offer unlimited time off!? The dream! But that does take us to one last point.…

Cultural attitudes to time off

Oh, so there’s a catch? I can’t just spend 365 days on the beach courtesy of my loving boss?

Sorry.

The U.S. is a fundamentally hard-working culture. That Protestant work ethic arrived on the Mayflower and in many ways never left.

The UK, with its generous guaranteed annual leave, has a different attitude.

Some employees in the UK can find themselves being told off by their bosses for not taking the days off they’re entitled to!

You will rarely see this happen in the U.S.

Americans work, and they work hard. They won’t make sure to eke out every spare second of their allowance. They won’t do that thing we do at Easter, where we convert just a few days of holiday into 13 days off.

In fact, according to research by Pew, 46% of Americans don’t even use all of their PTO! Some research puts that figure even higher. By one estimation, that all adds up to 768 million vacation days left unused in a single year.

That means you’ll need to get used to a bit of a culture shift. If you want to take a day off, you need to have a mature discussion with your boss. It isn’t going to happen automatically, and don’t be surprised if it gets denied. For a better chance of having your vacation approved, get organized far in advance and give lots of notice.

Luckily, while Americans do work a lot, they’re a lot of fun, and your career there is bound to be rewarding. But if you want some time away, you really are going to have to put in a bit of effort.