Stop working for free
Did you give up one of the 226 million vacation days that will go unused this year?
You probably are. The average American gives up somewhere between two and six vacation days per year, according to surveys run by Expedia and Hotwire. The stated reasons are all the normal ones -- too much work to do, no money for a vacation, the boss likes face time, etc.
These are all logical reasons, but I'd like to give you an even more logical reason to take your vacation time: Not taking it is working for free.
Think about that for a minute. Yes, you still get paid so it feels like you're not being ripped off. But, you are. When you negotiate a job, you talk about salary, health benefits, schedules, and vacation time. Let's say you accept a job with a salary of $52,000 a year ($1,000 per week) and two weeks of vacation. And then you work for 51 of those weeks and take one week of vacation.
At the end of the year, your total pay will still total $52,000, but $1,000 of that was earned twice. Yes, twice: Because for one week you came into the office every day and busted your buns for no pay. You would have gotten that pay if you'd stayed home and watched "Jersey Shore" and ate peanut butter with a spoon. Do you hear me? You would have gotten the same pay if you had watched "Jersey Shore." (Although, you may lose brain cells if you take that route -- no guarantee of mental fitness is implied if you take this as a suggestion. Also, don't try it if you're allergic to peanut butter.)
If your boss came up to you and said, "Gee, I'd like to just slash your salary a little bit here," you'd pitch a fit. But, if your boss says, "Gee, we're too busy for you to take vacation!" you just say, "Sure. No problem. I'll just keep on working here for free! Because I love it here!"
Bosses: Let your employees take vacation
And I know, you are looking at the longterm picture here. It's better to give up vacation today in exchange for your boss thinking your indispensable. That said, I don't buy it. First of all, you're not indispensable and your boss doesn't think that. Second, people are taking some vacation days, just not all. So, it's not like you can't ever leave -- you're just choosing not to.
So, what can you do to ensure you use all your vacation days?
Don't worry about taking weeks off, take days or afternoons. Just because there is no money for a trip to Disney World doesn't mean you can't take an afternoon off to organize your basement. (And here's a little tip for those of you with children -- take a one day "vacation" on a school day and you have a whole day to yourself with no little helpers!)
Find yourself a "vacation buddy." This isn't someone to go traveling with, this is someone who helps you get the time off by agreeing to cover you while you're out and you cover him (or her).
Take some time off in January. Frequently people want to save their vacation days in case something comes up. That makes sense, but if you're regularly running out of time before you run out of vacation you're saving too many days.
Use "traditional" slow days to get ahead. If you're always behind, don't use your vacation days on the days most people want to. Work the week between Christmas and New Years. Your email inbox will be empty and your files filed. Then, you're all caught up so you can take the first week in January off. (Any day next to a regular holiday is good for this.)
Plan ahead with your boss. Announcing you won't be in tomorrow because you're going on vacation for two weeks would make any boss steam, but if you plan ahead and have good communication, you should be able to get the time you've earned.
Gently remind a stubborn boss. "This is part of my compensation package. I work very hard and in order to continue to be productive, I need down time." Repeat as needed.
