Evening star., 1951-05-20

ldon't know a single privately
owned organization which grants
five weeks and a day of annual
leave. eight holidays. up to two
weeks Of military leave. Jury duty
leave and Is days Of sick leave.
Then let us find the why's and
wherefores.
First annual leave: Two weeks
is still the most common allow
ance for vacation leave outside
the Government, but there has
been growing tendency to in
crease this, so that three weeks
and a month are no longer un-
common in private industry.
However, unlike the Government
service, commerce and industry
regard whatever leave they grant
as vacation" leave. That is, the
leave granted is for formal ,vaca-
tion purposes. In addition, it is
the hard-boiled company indeed
which does not permit its white
collar employees an hour or two.
a half day. and even a day once
in a while throughout the year.
Lunch periods extended by an
hour or more for shopping are
so common in private employment
Offices that we no longer think
anything of it. What a different
story in the Government. An
nual leave is charged in multiples
of one hour. If an employe wants
to do something before reporting
in the morning or goes to store
or anything of the sort during
the lunch period, a matter of Is
minutes tardiness results in a
deduction of one hour Of annual
leave.
Why did the Government ever
start giving so much leave, is a
question frequently asked. Bear
in mind that positions in the Gov
ernment, in Washington, are
largely in the apportioned service.
When the registers of the Civil
Service Commission are being
made up the result attained in
examination is only one factor in
determining the applicants posi-
tion because jobs in the depart
mental service are apportioned in
the relationship the population
of a State bears to the population
of the United States. All of this
means that when certificates Of
names are submitted to the Gov
ernment agencies in response to
acquisitions. selection is made
from the names submitted regard
less of where the applicant is
located. Naturally the overquota
States are those nearest to the
Capital and the underquota are
the farthest. They come into the
Government service from all over
the country and frequently, for
long periods. most of the newly
appointed are from the far away
States. Lonesomeness and home
sickness are common complaints.
The 80 days annual leave which
had been in effect for many years
up to 1886. except for short Pc
riod during the Economy Act"
were none too many for those en-
ployes who came from the far
places. In 1896, under new leave
law, annual leave was cut from
privilege of 80 days to a right of
rs days. Even under present con-
lditions of travel the average en-
!ploye from the far places cannot
afford to visit family and friends
every year. For this reason the
1886 law also provided the priv
ilege of accumulating up to so
days of annual leave. There is no
Question this sounds like a lot of
time off, but it is not too difficult
to see that conditions of employ
ment in the Government service
make it almost mandatory. It is
equally evident that private in
Idustry. manned as it is by local
people, does not have the same
problem.
Military Leave
! AS for military leave, Govern
ment is not alone in granting
such leave as this is frequently
found a practice patriotically
carried out by private employers.
The same thing may be said Of
jury duty leave. The Federal en-
ploye is granted this leave with
pay; but the pay he receives for
jury duty is deducted from his
regular pay. In many private or
Iganizations. jury leave is also
granted as civic duty but it is
rather unusual to find deduction
made from the salary of the en-
ploye so excused.
i This brings us down to the sick
leave granted the Government
employe which amounts to Is days
a year with permission to accu-
mulate up to 80 days. Not too
many private employers grant sick
leave as such. But here again it
is a hardbeiled employer who
doesn't allow his loyal employees
to stay away from work while i'll
without deducting pay. Close
examination will disclose that
many employers, even the large
corporations. are far more liberal
than the Government. Many go
so far as to furnish medical and
nursing care, and time is not too
much of factor. With Is days
sick leave. there is unquestionably
! some abuse of the privilege. as is
, evidenced by the fact the average
for the Government is approxi-
) mately 10 days. Yet there are
countless numbers who, in Is or
80 years, have not averaged a day
a year. If the limit of 80 days
were removed the temptation to
take advantage of the law would