How To Negotiate More Holiday Leave At Work

Let us start with a question. Do you honestly believe that a two-week holiday leave from work is enough for the year? If your answer is no, then you probably share the view of every working person around. It doesn’t matter if you work in a blow wave hair bar or as an accountant. Time goes by so quickly and before you know it, you spent your best years behind a desk without seeing what else the world has to offer. 

As humans, we need time away. Not just to recharge, but to also work on yourself and take care of your emotional well-being. Just like we pamper our bodies by getting a manicure or massage, our brains need rest too.  However, not all bosses see things that way and getting more holiday leave can be a difficult conversation to have. Here are some handy tips you can use to negotiate for more holiday leave.

Discuss at your evaluation

The same way you would ask for an increase, the process is quite similar when asking for more holiday leave at work. There is no universal script on what to say, but the best approach is to outline how your excellent performance has contributed to the overall success of the company and then suggest the extended holiday leave as a reward for the hard work. It is something that your boss may consider because if they were to check the facts, it would prove that you are making a positive impact on the organization and keeping you happy will keep your boss happy as well.

Gather sufficient information

To have a chance at getting more holiday leave from work, you have to know your worth and do your research. When pitching to your boss, one of the first questions might be, “Why do you think you should get additional days?” This is where many employees lose their nerve but it doesn’t have to be such a troublesome task if you have the right information. The type of relationship that you have with your boss will also determine the effectiveness of your proposal. Get hard facts about the holiday leave policies for other persons in the same line of work and outline how extended holiday leave has benefited them and their respective companies.

Get your timing right 

Approaching your boss about holiday leave at the right time is a key factor in getting more days. Try to avoid the stressful times throughout the day, week or month as this can sink your plans fast. Don’t ask for time off when you know all hands need to be on deck and give your boss at least a month’s notice so it will be easier to approve when the time comes to have the discussion. Depending on the employer/employee relationship, you may choose to make the request via email or face to face to get your point across.

Get it in writing 

So, you finally got your boss to agree with your need for more holiday leave. While that’s great, never forget to put the agreement in writing to avoid misunderstandings at a later date. This is very important because anything can happen and your request might get pushed back without you knowing. Considering those things, you can keep it simple by sending an email summary of the discussion confirming the new agreement.

Bear in mind that every organization is different and each has its own policies about holiday leave. These tips don’t mean that your boss MUST say yes to the proposal but if you can tailor each trip to your work life, it can make the process seamless.