FAQs About Take Vacation
Q: Is it reasonable for my boss to expect me to not take vacation for “unimportant” reasons?
A: No, it is not reasonable. Paid time off is part of your compensation package and you are entitled to use it as you wish.
Q: What can my boss do if he doesn’t like that I take time off?
A: He could hire multiple assistants so there’s always coverage, have you cross-train someone to assist him when you’re out, hire a temp, learn to make do when you’re using the benefits that are part of your compensation package, or build an army of robots.
Q: What should I do if my boss doesn’t agree with my use of PTO?
A: You should stop sharing what you’ll be doing with your time off with your boss and coworkers. You should also consider saying this to your boss: “I want to make sure we’re on the same page about my use of PTO. The X weeks of PTO I get per year is an important part of my compensation to me. I of course won’t schedule it for times we know will be especially difficult, but the reality is that we’re always busy so it’s never going to feel convenient. The solution obviously can’t be that I never get time off, so can we talk about systems to put in place so that you have enough coverage when I’m out?” And then hold firm. Your time off is yours.
Q: Are there any exceptions to this?
A: There are some very limited exceptions to this. If you want a day off to build a fort for your cats (I do) in the middle of your company’s busiest week of the year, a manager might reasonably choose to treat that request differently than if you needed the day for your sister’s wedding. But those times should be the exception, not the norm. The vast majority of the time, as long as you’re scheduling your days off with a reasonable amount of notice, at functional companies you can use them for whatever you want.
Summary from www.askamanager.org
