Do you or DH work on chol hamoed?

amother

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:22 am

I know one is not supposed to work on chol hamoed and no good comes out of the money he or she earns on such days by working...but what if you/DH already took off two/three days for yomtov and the boss will get angry about anymore days off? Just curious how you all deal with this dilemma. Thanks for sharing your thoughts/opinions/ideas. TIA~

Mrs Bissli

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:25 am

I have absolutely no problem working during chol hamoed. With successions of three-day yomim tovim, it's rather difficult to keep the entire week off esp when we have heavy workload. DS actually has schools (yes and that's at an orthodox Jewish school) during chol hamoed as well.

SplitPea

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:27 am

Our rav has told us that unless we fear dh might loose his job (not that the boss might be mad) then he can't work. Dh works for a job where he would not loose his job and he could sue for religious discrimination if he did so no fear in that. He has actually be passed up on a few raises and we think its because of not going in peach and sukkot. Oh well.

We were told if he DID need to work the money for the time worked needed to go straight to tzdaka

Edit to add. Dh is also one who won't write on CM unless required and if he does tries to use his left hand or at least a colored pen. He won't let me shop for clothing, no apple picking unless you eat all the apples by the end of YT etc. he is pretty strict on the laws of CM

grace413

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:30 am

Not telling anybody what to do, but my DH is a self-employed accountant and if he didn't work on Chol Hamoed our business would collapse and we would be without a parnassah. He has major deadlines on October 15 and April 15.

Because he has to take time off for actual Chag at the busiest times of the year, we already lose money - because people bring the work in at the last minute, there isn't time to complete it and then we have to pay any penalties/fines due to late filings.

I have real sympathy for people whose jobs are endangered just because they take off for actual Chag.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:47 am

The company where my husband works, an accounting firm, is officially closed for all of sokoto and pessach too. So he is off, which is very nice for everyone. I worked at a sem and we were off for chol hamoed. At previous jobs that I had, it depended on the job, some we got off at and others not.

grace413

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:51 am

Much more likely for Israeli offices to be closed during Chol Hamoed than for offices outside EY.
(And in case I've confused anybody, I live in EY but DH's office is in the US).

Tamiri

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 9:57 am

grace413 wrote:

Much more likely for Israeli offices to be closed during Chol Hamoed than for offices outside EY.
(And in case I've confused anybody, I live in EY but DH's office is in the US).

Up until this year, I never worked on CM - this is my fifth year working. My RELIGIOUS bosses insist I work now, because they "need someone in the office". So I have to be there one day this week, for a few hours.They themselves, however, don't do actual work. They have fun. My DH usually doesn't work CM but this year, there are deadlines to meet so yeah, he's working. It's okay.

Ruchel

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 11:29 am

20 years ago, you didn't find employed people able to take all chol hamoed (on top of holidays etc) off.
Just something to bear in mind!

catonmylap

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 11:36 am

I work. Some years I use some of my vacations days for some Chol Hamoed...but I don't like it to be my only vacation time. This year I'm working since I just came back from maternity leave. I'm going to take some time chanukah when my son is off..

My father always had to work chol hamoed...and I had to go to school when I was in college -- that's life.. (especially in chul)....

I do find it depressing to be working in Israel when most of the country is off.... but unless they pass a law that all offices are closed, mine will expect us to be there for a regular day of work (unless we requested and rec'd a vacation day).

vicki

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 11:46 am

I've worked my whole adult life on chol hamo'ed except the stray vacation day I'm able to take to do something special with my kids.
I'm guessing most people working at non-frum (including non-Jewish) offices outside of Israel work.
It's a sad hard fact of life that most people don't have enough vacation/sick/personal days to cover Jewish Holidays and also the days of chol ha'moed.
Will a boss fire me? I would never test it by not showing up - with or without warning - on days I don't have available to me.

mandr

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 12:00 pm

In my office we all work on Chol Hamoed but everyone gets to choose one day off, which I think is nice. If you don't come in on CH then you don't get paid for all of the days of Yom Tov.

causemommysaid

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 12:06 pm

of course we work. the time off that we require as frum Jews is already bordering ridiculous, we cant also ask for chol hamoed.

oliveoil

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 12:24 pm

The only people I know who are not working on Chol Hamoed are teachers. I work and growing up my parents and friends parents all worked, and school was on as usual (with some fun activities), so it's no big deal to me.

Tamiri

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 1:42 pm

As my boss in Israel said to me when I whined that I don't really work on Chol HaMoed and it's not the best thing to do: .... "and who do you think is keeping all the stores/attractions/public transportation/banks/offices ect. that can't close down running". Um - yeah. If you live in the real world, and don't own your own business and are not a teacher, you pretty much can expect to work on Chol Hamoed unless you are very, very lucky (as I've been till now). Here in Israel, that is.

amother

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 2:06 pm

I work. In a poultry plant. If you don't want chickens for yom tov, I'll tell my boss and maybe we can have off Wink

amother

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 4:22 pm

Tamiri wrote:

Lots of gov't offices are closed during chol hamoed. My dh and all his colleagues have the entire time off, I think each day they are docked half a vacation day though. But it's not a choice.

ElTam

Sun, Sep 22 2013, 5:46 pm

DH works on Chol HaMoed. He has enough vacation time to cover yom tov, but not chol hamoed too. I have a frum boss, so I don't have to work (the first time since I've been working that I've had this situation), but I will check in from home to stay up on email and urgent things.