Each person at least once in his life was faced with the need to ask for guidance on the provision of additional days off or time off. Unfortunately, many were faced with indignation of the authorities and a very categorical refusal.
Why did this happen? Maybe the whole point is that the wrong approach to the harsh boss was used? But how do you figure out which method works? Indeed, not every person is closely acquainted with his leader, which means that it is difficult for him to imagine exactly how to communicate with him. It is quite possible to learn from the Americans how to get a weekend, correlating their methods with our, Russian realities.
Play by the rules
Susan Lucas-Conwell, CEO of Great Place To Work, advises all of their employees before applying for a vacation or asking for an extra weekend to ensure that their requirements are consistent with company standards and practices. This is very good advice, following which you can avoid unnecessary worries and not waste time, both yours and your leader.
However, in addition to the official rules, each team also has unspoken rules. If in the USA they do not play a special role, then in Russia they are often binding.
If a person recently got a job, then before asking for a day off or starting to plan a vacation, he should find out how to do it. For example, is vacation divided into two parts, or can you take three weeks off at a time? Is it normal to take a couple of hours to run away to a child in a kindergarten or will it be perceived negatively?
Plan your work
It is unlikely that even the most loyal and understanding boss will let go of an employee who has accumulated a lot of tasks for an extra weekend. Lynn Sarikas, director of Northeastern University’s MBA Career Center, advises completing all ongoing work before heading out for a weekend. However, the expert clarifies that if the company’s goal is not personal, but team result, then you should make sure that the colleagues do not have a blockage on the table.
Of course, this is a very wise advice. However, it does not always help to achieve the goal. Russian leaders sometimes like to find new tasks for an employee who has completed their work. Therefore, before you go to the boss asking for time off, you need to make sure that he will not be able to find additional things instead of an extra weekend.
Notify in advance and many times
This method only works when a person knows for several months that he will need personal time. For example, if he bought tickets for a concert or to the theater, but the show is on a working day.
Lynn Sarikas, director of Northeastern University’s MBA Career Center, advises you to file a written notice and remember to remind your boss at least twice a week that you, the “irreplaceable employee,” will not be in the workplace. This method of influence leads to the fact that the boss gets used to the idea that the employee will have a day off on a certain date.
Of course, it is not necessary to demand or put forward ultimatums. Requests, like reminders, should be unobtrusive and friendly.
Choose the right time
You must admit that a lot depends on whether the boss and the company as a whole have a good or bad day. Especially the reaction to a request for a day off. It is not necessary to interrupt her important meeting or to prevent the leader from drinking coffee.
Experts advise to approach the authorities with requests for a weekend only at a suitable time for this.Especially when it comes to extra days off, and not about accumulated unused days off.
Be prepared for failure
If you ask for something else, then he may well refuse, right? The boss is the same person you asked for. He is not at all obliged to meet you and provide additional days off, leave early from work or give leave on those calendar days when there are a lot of things in the office.
Americans have no problem perceiving failures, probably because they rarely ask for extra days off. On the contrary, in the USA it is customary to accumulate time off so that, if necessary, without any problems not to go to the workplace or to spend a short impromptu vacation.
Unfortunately, in Russia there is no such practice. And far from all calmly respond to management failures. Their particular aversion is distinguished by women with children, who believe that the boss is obliged to let them go on demand, while also maintaining the amount of payment.
In fact, the boss should only one thing - to take care of the level of labor productivity and the growth of company income. Therefore, you should be mentally prepared for failure and not be upset because of this. And of course, one should not allow negative emotions to influence the quality of work.
Plan your vacation in advance
When thinking about when to apply for a vacation, you need to consider many factors. For example, you need to find out when most of the employees are going to relax. If the time coincides with the one you have chosen, then you will have to either get ahead of them by submitting the application first, or transfer your plans to another month.
You need to understand what calendar dates the company has the most to do. If you are going to ask the head for a couple of extra days off during the emergency week, then, of course, you will encounter a categorical refusal. The same applies to holidays. But if you want to avoid a rush, then you just need to write a vacation application with an earlier date, of course, having calculated the time so that by your return the working rhythm has already entered its usual course. However, if the boss is attentive to trifles, then he will instantly understand what numbers are actually talking about.
If you are going to spend your vacation on a trip, for example, you want to visit the hot southern countries, then it makes sense to find out what the weather is like during the off-season. As a rule, in most resorts you can relax in the spring or autumn. No one usually takes a vacation at this time, respectively, and there will be no problems approving your application.