Furlough for Government Employees : Personal Finance

I work on U.S. federal government contracts, and last year when it looked like the government would be shut down we were told that we'd have to use up our vacation and sick time during a shutdown, and if the shutdown continued after that we'd have to go on leave without pay. With the budget cuts it's possible that some of my contracts will dry up and some of us will lose our jobs. I've already had my vacation and sick time cut in half (I lost 10 days), although that was mainly a cost-competitiveness move.

It's funny how people tend to have these wildly inaccurate stereotypes of government employees as lazy workers with great perks and no pressure; I've been a government contractor for 17 years now, and I'm consistently impressed at the dedication and sacrifices that my clients make: I often work nights and weekends, and my clients are almost always working then too, responding to emails and phone calls. I've spent time in international negotiations where people worked 36 hours straight. And when I go to my clients' offices and see the conditions they work under it's humbling: entire agency programs run out of one cubicle, ancient computers with tiny monitors, etc. Of course there are always a few people who fit the stereotype, spending their days twiddling their thumbs or reading novels, but I think I've encountered only one of them in the last 17 years.

Good luck -- I hope you don't end up having to go on furlough!

Source: http://www.youneedabudget.com/forum/personal-finance-f9/furlough-for-government-employees-t19909.html

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