Time Off from Work to Chase?

[Joey Ketcham]

On our way back from northwest Kansas this past Saturday night, Chris Wilburn and I got into a discussion about storm chasers who can be out a lot during the season to chase and it brings me to these questions…

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2. Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3. Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4. What kind of job do you have?

Obviously if you run your own business then it’s probably easier to take off whenever needed, depending on the type of business.

For me, it’s kind of tough. I work on a computer support helpdesk for the National Pizza Company supporting computer hardware/software issues for all the Pizza Huts owned by NPC International. Our computer helpdesk consists of 7 full time techs and one part-time guy; however we seem to constantly have people calling in sick or already on vacation.

We support over 900 Pizza Hut stores, so naturally we have a pretty strict policy when it comes to taking time off. The policy is that on any given day only one person can be gone on vacation, that’s it. Right now I get 1 week of vacation in January, then again I get another week in July and that’s it. If you don’t have vacation, they do not allow unpaid leave, so you’re just SOL and either have to suck it up or use sick time.

So storm chasing wise, work sucks because I cannot always get the time off from work I want to go storm chasing.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

My thoughts driving back from se MN yesterday were about completely the opposite. I kept thinking, anymore I really wish I had a job to go to so that I'd have to sit some of these out.

Back when I had a real job, I'd get like 2 weeks but would also have a personal day I could take in small chunks. My hours were 7 to 3:30 which worked out well since I live within 4 hours of a lot of targets. If I needed a few more hours to get where I had to go I'd often use 2 hours of my personal day and leave at 1:00(skipping the 30 minute lunch). Doing that 4 times a year can really help out if it's done on the right days. I also used to just call in sick....rather often.

 

[Jeff Miller]

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2. Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3. Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4. What kind of job do you have?

1. Not leniant at all. In my department vacation time is not advanced so I cannot chase at my leisure. My hours are 12 to 9, which is horrible for chasing, unless I want to get a glimpse of a tornado after dark, however at that stage the storms have likely congealed into an MCS or there is no chance at me making target. Bottom line is once I get off work the show is usually over. The department is smaller so they are hard on taking time off unless it is PRE-PLANNED (nearly impossible to do when chasing is involved).

2. NO.

3. sure you can. You just won't be allowed back.

4. I am a professional technical support representative for computer users.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I am extremely blessed to work in web design for an internet service provider that gives me near-unlimited flexibility. Back in 2003, I began working at home to save gas on the 50-mile round trip commute. My job is project-based - meaning I can set my own schedule as long as the projects get done. I work until I get tired, then go to bed until I wake up. My sleep patterns vary greatly and I almost never use an alarm clock. I routinely shift between working at night and during the day. Since my work is internet-based, I can take it with me anywhere - I just need my laptop, external hard drive and client project folders. I've set up my 'mobile office' in hotels during chase trips in order to get smaller work tasks done.

All this means I can chase anytime and anywhere I choose, with no advance notice given to anyone. Occasionally I will have a meeting with a client that I can't miss (once every week or two), but it's rare that those fall on the same day as a chase. When it does, sometimes I've even been able to get meetings rescheduled. My company and my boss are the coolest and most supportive people I've ever worked for. I owe a lot of what I've been able to do in my chasing career to them.

My job is the perfect fit for me and I can't imagine ever working 9-to-5 in a cubicle again. A blessing I am extremely thankful for.

The only thing that limits my chasing now is finances. To chase everything, you need both time and money. Even with unlimited flexibility, you still have to work to keep the bills paid.

Those of you with restrictive jobs, why not look for a better alternative? Particularly if you're single and can afford to look for a new job somewhere. There are plenty of opportunities waiting to be found.

I will say that being single also makes this lifestyle possible. If I ever get married, everything I just said is probably out the window! But that's another thread.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

My thoughts driving back from se MN yesterday were about completely the opposite. I kept thinking, anymore I really wish I had a job to go to so that I'd have to sit some of these out.

LOL, there have been days when nothing happened that I had wished I been denied vacation.

 

[Sarah Berling]

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2. Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3. Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4. What kind of job do you have?

1. It's not too bad, but then, it's just a part time job.
2. As long as I get the work done first, yes.
3. It's really not a good idea.
4. I service, install, and repair ATM machines around New Mexico and Oklahoma.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

Since I am still in classes I only work about 12 hours a week and that job is basically come and go as I wish, and as for class the only time I have to go is when I have a test or something and I have even worked my way around that to chase, so while classes are in session I am basically free to go anywhere anytime. As for the summer I work a 40 hour work week M-F 7-3:30 getting off at that time allows me to make a lot of target areas, and since its just a seasonal temporary job I can always take off at 2 or noon or just call in without too much hassle. It definitly makes me want to keep taking classes forever as its going to suck when I have to get a "real" job, as it will HAVE to be one that allows me to get off somewhat easily for chasing otherwise I would go insane.

 

[Mikel Shively]

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2. Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3. Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4. What kind of job do you have?

1. Very lenient. I set my own schedule.

2. I get to take any time I want off, I just don't get paid for the time I don't work

3. Yes

4. I work at home doing customer service for a cell phone provider.

 

[Danny Neal]

1,How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?

2.Do you pretty much get to take off anytime you want?

3.Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?

4.What kind of job do you have?

1. I only REALLY work from February to May. But I have plenty of assistants to cover my hide, if I am "suddenly Ill"

2. I can take off pretty much as much time as I want. Probably wouldn't look good but, hey.

3. I don't get vacation time so I make my own kinda.

4. Assistant varisty baseball coach at Evergreen Park High School / Head Freshman Coach.

Pretty easy job. Make money doing something I love.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Oh boy, since I'm up, might as well chime in here!

First off, I've been in the safety profession for almost 15 years now. I have found this a painful experience to even discuss, but I'll try...

It never fails that if and when I start a new job, the topic of weather and me taking time off comes up in the final interview process. At first, most business owners are very understanding, as I try to explain to them that taking off an hour here, an hour there to chase, never really equals the total if I were just to take off a regular two weeks of vacation. But what happens to me is quite simple... other people see it as me coming and going as I please, and the next thing you know, they're getting pssd' and start moaning and crying to the boss about it. And it never fails, usually after 3-4 times, the next thing, my boss is telling me that I can't do that anymore, and must take vacation time in the normal fashion as everyone else.

Other times, it's become SO BAD that I was once fired from a job for being away from the office, and was actually NOT stormchasing! Bottom line, it seems like I have had many a bad experience combining chasing and work. They just don't seem to mix well with me. Problem is, I can't live without either!

Maybe it's a bit easier now that I'm in the Seattle area, and don't have that temptation just to take off early or focus my entire workday around a potential storm day. Now, I'll schedule some TRUE vacation time and come back during May.

Sorry for the rant, but this one strikes a deep chord with me. Personally, I think if you have an office type job, they just expect you to be at the office, no matter what you're doing, if anything!

Maybe I should do the George Costanza thing and just leave a car at the office... that way, I'll look like the first one in for the mornings, and the last one to leave at night!

 

[Dave Nelson]

Originally Posted by jketcham
1,How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2.Do you pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3.Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4.What kind of job do you have?


1) not too bad, can take vacation time any time of the year, unlike some
company's that have a set time of yr that they close up eg. Xmas
Getting 5 weeks vacation time to go to the USA to storm chase last
yr (2006) wasn't a problem. It even entailed taking 1.5 weeks in
advance. (just booked the time off 6 months in advance
2) as long as the work load isnt too bad can usually take a day off
here and there if I see in advance that forcasts look good.
3) could probably take unpaid leave if I wanted to, but hey ...
cant afford to do that
4) I'm an on the road electronics tech. travelling all over the greater
Sydney city (Australia) and surrounding region avg. ~ 1000km
(600miles) a week.
Many times I have been able to chase during the work day when
I have seen the activity building up over the mountains to the west of
the city. some times I have just worked late that nite to finish off the last repair job or 2.
As long as I get my work done ... no problem
If I was working in a workshop I would have missed out on so many chases

cheers
Dave N
Sydney
Australia

 

[Marko Korosec]

Maybe I should do the George Costanza thing and just leave a car at the office... that way, I'll look like the first one in for the mornings, and the last one to leave at night!

lol that was a good one. Some of his tricks could be useful someday =)

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?
2. Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?
3. Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?
4. What kind of job do you have?

1. I never had any problem with my superiors taking vacations, I just have to do some plans for the time I am off work and someone to replace me for those few weeks and of course time reservation month or two in advance.

2. As Daniel said, I can take few hours or a day off easily if there are no big obligations that day obviously. But yeah, it would look a bit weird if I'd do it too often. But what can I do if initiation starts around 2pm and I work until 4pm, believe me its painful. Also I am not seeing myself explaining my boss that I am going chasing, maybe someday when there will be no way out anymore.

3. I can, but usually those unpaid days are an exception like for exams or such extra things when you're out of the usual paid vacation days and is no other option. Unortunatelly I cannot take it before I consume paid ones.

4. I work as a supervisor for road weather information system, so thankfully during summer months there is a bit less work outside and its focused more into administration things which can easily wait few days if there is a nice setup for chasing around.

Also for me here its much easier then it'd be there in States...the chase terrain I am covering is just like in a circle of 200km, so its reachable fast anywhere I go. I'd be much more interested chasing in Germany or France (500mi+ drives) where MDT risks taking place few times per season, but with such weather observations we have here, its way too big risk. Actually maybe this is a good thing, I spare my vacation time to use it in much longer effective days visiting the almighty Tornado Alley

 

[John Erwin]

I get 5 weeks vacation time a year that I can pretty well take any time of the year, with the exception of our fiscal-year end which tends to be very busy. The only stickler is that I normally have to plan out my vacation periods well ahead of time, however I don't have to take all the days at once and its relatively easy to take one here or there if I can give a few days notice. Although its possible to take unpaid time off, doing so requires too much paperwork and wouldn't be in my best interests anyway..need cash to live I'm afraid. Like a lot of others in here I work in the Information Technology field.

Chasing on the plains is a real poker shoot for me since it will normally occur during one of my vacation periods. I am fortunate though to live in an area that sees some pretty good action during some years; I try to chase anything at all outside of work hours if I can get to it in time.

 

[Shane Adams]

On our way back from northwest Kansas this past Saturday night, Chris Wilburn and I got into a discussion about storm chasers who can be out a lot during the season to chase and it brings me to these questions…

1. How lenient is your place of employment when it comes to taking vacation time to storm chase?

1. 
   
   Extremely. My boss and I have been friends longer than he's been my employer, so he knew quite well my passion for chasing years prior to my working for him. In the past there have been a few situations where chasing was an issue, but in recent years it's never been, because when I came back to this job, unlimited chasing time was the #1 condition. He promised me on that and has delivered.
   
   
   

   Doyou pretty much get to take off anytime you want?

   
   Yes. My problem is I work in Dallas, TX while still living in Norman, OK, which means I'm 200 miles out of the way to even start, compared to when I'm home. Every day I take off work to chase becomes two days off if I don't drive straight through. Sounds easy but when you have to stay up 24 hours just to get the chase in and then get back to work, and THEN you have to work a 12-hour day, it gets exhaustive. I decided after last year I just couldn't survive another season like 2006, when I was doing 24-36 hour wake shifts just to make chases during the week...sometimes more than one a week. I love chasing, but I have to make a living and I just can't physically keep going under that grueling schedule. I have never been able to take an extended chase vacation.
   
   
   

   [*]Ifyou don’t have vacation time, can you take unpaid leave to go chasing?

   
   I probably could if I wanted to, but I'd be living under a bridge. There's only two people in the entire company....the owner and myself. We are the best at what we do and we're constantly swamped with work because everyone wants us...which means if I step away for chasing, he has to bring someone in temporarily to fill in the gap...actually 2-3 guys. That's great for chasing, but it means I'm spending money, not making any, and someone else is getting my work. And if the replacements do well, I can't just disappear for three days then come back and sweep up the gravy work from them....they've earned it and it's theirs...which means I have to take the next job that comes along....regardless of how much less it pays or the difficulty of the project. So it's always a gamble, every time I consider leaving work for a chase now. And that doesn't include the chase itself...which is a whole other gamble.
   
   
   

   [*]What kind of job do you have?

I work in the trucking industry. We remove/install decals on semi trailers, paint them, power wash them, remove adhesive (from particularly nasty decals), and do light service work. We basically take junk and make it gold, as gold as junk can be. And we're housed on a yard where a few salemem run their business....they make calls, create the deals, and when the papers are signed, we go to work. They buy junk for cheap, we make it into gold, and they re-sell it at a higher price and make a profit, substantial in most cases. So basically we make other people rich


I'd like to add in closing that, while I love chasing, this season is going to be a messed up one for me because of everything I talked about above. I'm in a major transitional mode of life right now and I have to work and save money for a move....to Dallas, because of my job. Once I'm settled in, we'll go from four days a week to five, which means a 20% increase in not only work but PAY. So even though my 2007 season will suffer a bit from this, my 2008-beyond seasons will not. You might not hear my name much this year, but I ain't going anywhere. I'll be back

 

[Jeremy Ludin]

I have taken a few days off to chase. I don't really think that my employer would be up on the idea that I'm leaving to go hunt down a storm, but that's what "sick" time is for. I actually don't like using up any time, so sometimes I'll come in on saturdays (as much as that sucks) to make up for lost hours.