What if I told you that the last time you took an extended break from work, your coworkers didn’t miss you as much as you think? Likewise, what if I told you that your contributions at work are important but, generally speaking, you’re replaceable within a couple of weeks? Would that make it easier for you to take some paid time off? It should.
“YOU WOULDN’T WORRY WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU IF YOU KNEW HOW SELDOM THEY DO” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Here’s a dirty little secret employers use to keep you in your seat, sometimes without even realizing it: Humans are social creatures and we feel validated when we’re needed by our clan. If I’m needed, I’m not replaceable. By virtue of being non-replaceable, I’m important. Because I’m important, others depend on me. Since others depend on me, I can’t leave work.
I’m not the first employer to break this code of silence, and I won’t be the last: Take your time off. You need it, and so does your employer and, while you’re an important part of your team, the company doesn’t revolve around your presence. You don’t have to drop five grand on a trip to Tahiti, but you owe it to yourself to get some distance from your work. Please, go live your life.
We’ll be fine, trust us.
When I leave work for a couple of weeks, the founder of the company is gone. When I return, I get a good idea for how well the company operates in my absence. The answer is, most times, really well. While there may be decisions only I can make, they can usually wait for my return and, perchance there’s something absolutely business critical to discuss, my team can get in touch with me. In twelve years, I’ve been dragged out of vacation exactly once.
Before you leave work for a week or two, let your coworkers know about your current workload and dependencies. If you return to a shambles, well, it’s likely you didn’t do enough to set them up for your absence. Personally, I have no qualms dropping off the radar for a couple of weeks – I know, through and through, that the company has its mission and measurable objectives, and those are enough to carry them forward in my absence. Every one at every level of most any organization can describe their duties in the same way. Your coworkers will cover for you, but you gotta set them up to succeed. Build trust with your coworkers and in yourself, and make a break for it.
Get perspective, and get a raise?
People who take their time off are statistically more likely to get a raise or promotion, according to Project Time Off. This implies a few things. People who use their paid time off are better planners and have the will to seek balance. They’re good self-managers and train others to do their work while they’re out. Perhaps most important is perspective – leaving work is a professional palette cleanser in that our distance from work doesn’t immediately go away when we return to work. Rather, because we’ve been gone, we see our workplace as an outsider might which helps us identify the good, bad, and ugly that wasn’t so obvious to us before. Maybe that helps us dig into a fresh challenge that nobody else sees. Maybe it means other people adopted the more routine work you didn’t like anyways which will give you more time to focus on more fulfilling work. Put simply, time away from work likely makes you more valuable to your employer.
It’s your time, so what’s holding you back?
Your time is money. If you’re a software developer making one hundred thousand dollars a year and your employer gives you four weeks of paid time off, that’s a big percentage of your compensation you’re leaving on the table by martyring yourself for your work. You’re literally paying your boss to exhaust yourself. In all likelihood, your employer isn’t going to hound you to take your time off, so it’s on you. Go. Work will be here when you return stronger, refreshed, and ready to dig into whatever is next.