Hey guys, and gals.
So the holidays are upon us. How do you approach time off. As you all know, Our market isnt nine to five. Many of us put a hundred of more hours a week in. Thats a lot by any standard. I give my guys three weeks off with pay. I show up everyday during this period. How do your or your company approach time off for holidays?
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Hey Thomas,
I have worked for several companies before I started my own, but one of the policy I always liked was: You get the week of Christmas off and the other 3 weeks in December you allow them to work flex hours. Normally employers would ask they put in 15-20 a week at their own leisure, but they get paid 40hrs.
If you are giving your employees 3 weeks off I think that is very gracious and a policy that I would think is more than satisfactory.
Thanks,
Chris
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Hay plants don’t take vacation. 
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No they dont. Thats why i cover ALL holidays myself. these girls would be fine on thier own. however i just like to sit there sometimes, even nap. It is my happy place.
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I felt the same way about my greenhouse. I was sad say goodbye and to that time in my life.
No complaints, but it was life at a better and different pace.
The IT world stole me away at a good time. I absolutely loved what they paid me to do. I got to read about 1/3 of my time, I got to write specialty computer languages 1/3 and I got the best parts of really big projects 1/3. Any leftover time was mentoring insanity intelligent paid interns and new hires. I worked only a four day week. I taveled the world for work. I got to see Greenhouses and Botanical gardens I only dreamed off visiting. I visited more greenhouses as an IT specialist than I ever got as a practing grower. I got to visit the garden of death in the UK with a private tour.
Today, i am retired. Not by choice but a long term health problem. One can’t choose ones parents, the role of the dice and you have a genetic problem.
I grow my garden, I fish and live in a beautiful place. Cold as all can be, but you can always put more clothing on to be comfortable.
Plus, Our first born male son, my pride and joy came along and both my wife and I wanted more hours at home. exploring the world through his eyes. He was a surprise, and a joy. I had a great opportunity to spend more time with him. And now he is spending time doing the things he loves, and my wife and I taught him that value. Study what you love.
We are ready for our next adventure. Most likely Bellingham, Washington. Because, the only environment I have not grown in is temperate rain forest. Plus, pot is legal. And we are less than two hours by plane away from our son. And we hope for more than grand dogs. 
. His live in girlfriend is a saint and an ok grower.
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Bellingham is a nice place. i love the Seattle area. but i am a LA native. its home. dirty as ever but home
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We are wonders. We came to NorthernMinnesota so Jacob could know my wife’s family. My family was mostly in St. Louis. But, I have family all around the world. So when we travel with our son, he always got to see my family at the chosen destination. He thought that it was strange that every new place we went there was family.
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@ethan my brother lived in Bellingham for some time and recently moved to Seattle. I loved to visit him to go snowboarding, such a cozy town, with options to easily jump up to Canada or visit Seattle. I think you would enjoy Bellingham!
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That is the plan. I have family in Seattle and Vancouver. I can take the train to either
My boy child is working towards AMGA certification in Skiing, Rock climbing and Mountain guiding. The goal is ski guiding for two months a year France @ 2K a day. He is tiered of working in the death zone on mountains in the summer. I think he may have a contract for Mt Rainier this climbing season. The ending point is lower than the starting point for Denali. Camp one on Danali is at 14k the end point on Rainer is bellow 14k.
I am ready.
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Thomas, we are setup as perpetual harvest weekly. We do 12 traditional holidays a year paid and two weeks paid vacation but time off has to be structured around the production schedule. That said, we can always get someone out of here for a vacation or to spend time with family. The team has always done a great job at knowing who needs what time off and having each others backs. We are a team on the grow side and all of us know the job has to be done. As Ethan said, the plants don’t take a day off. Like many of you, I cover a lot of time and always have a smile on my face when I am in the grow. Ethan we are in St.Louis often and are not to far away.
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I grew up in saint Louis and now live noth of Duluth Minnesota.
Only planning one last trip to St. Louis.
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@mx2forty it sounds like you have done a wonderful job on the management-side of things. If your team can run a perpetual harvest operation and still respect each other’s needs for time off without a conflict, then I hope you’re investing every $ in keeping them all. That’s a management and operational dream.
That’s truly amazing and a beautiful thing.
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keeping KEY personel is very important. make sure to pay your guys what they are worth. share the love…
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Thanks Matt. I’m just a plant nerd that has a great team. I am blessed.
Perpetual does not allow much down time but it can be done with the right facility and staffing.
Ethan, I love those old river towns. They have their issues but you can feel the history and I enjoy that.
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My team gets PTO up to 3 weeks a year. I encourage them to use it in clumps , but I don’t let more then 2 take vacation at the same time ( as stated above "Plants dont take vacations). Im giving them 23ed-25th Dec. off, but making them come in on the Sat. before and the following SAt with a Sunday option. I also let them have the morning off until 1pm on New years day 
. Its tight, but we are on a schedule and they know what needs to happen. I am very loose with any requested time off, and they are all happy with the schedule. These guys want the hours more then the time off so its never a big issue for us.
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A real grower appreciates the “plants don’t understand it’s a holiday” concept. Like you, I would give the whole staff Christmas day off and most of Christmas eve, leaving me by my lonesome to manage the facility on Christmas morning. For three consecutive Christmases, I spent my day with thousands of “trees”. It’s good and reasonable of you to allow your team the time off.
I didn’t take vacations for a long time because of my work, which was unhealthy for me. I’m glad you recognize the importance of personal time and allow your staff up to three weeks off each year. It’s a sign of a solid work culture that they elect not to take the time off and prefer to work their hours!
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