Where's my vacation?

Q. I'm an associate who's paid on production only. Does this system discourage me from taking unpaid vacation days? Do I really even have any vacation time?

"If you're paid solely on production, you're not directly receiving paid vacation time," says Veterinary Economics Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of VMC Inc. in Evergreen, Colo. "You're paid more at other times of the year and, of course, less when you're on vacation."

Opperman says that if you're making more than you would negotiate for a salary, you might be doing OK. "Look at it this way," he says. "If I offered you a salary of $60,000 with two weeks' vacation, you could say I'm paying you for your vacation. The same is true if I'm offering you a guaranteed base of $60,000 but paying you based on 22 percent of your production—your vacation time is still covered. Really, it's what you're paid at the end of the year that's important."

Mark Opperman