If you need some time off work for whatever reason, be it to move into your new home or you want to go on vacation, you have a couple of options to choose from. The first one you should look into is seeing whether you are entitled to vacation pay or not, regardless of whether you're taking an actual vacation. As long as you are away from work that's considered a vacation by your employers.

Seeing if you are entitled to vacation pay and how much you get is the most preferable scenario because it still sees you getting paid even though you're not actually showing up to work. Not all metal bending brake repair shops or insurance companies offer their employees paid vacation time and if that's the case at your job you need to look into other options if you really need time off work.

The next most logical step for those who aren't entitled to any paid vacation time is to ask for a leave of absence. Depending on how much time you need off work you can ask for a leave of absence that will ensure your job will still be waiting for you once you get back. Companies usually have no problem giving out leave of absences, as long as the person asking for them has been an ideal and responsible employee and covering their work shifts won't be all that hard to do.

Talking to your superiors about your leave of absence options should be done as soon as possible because you can't realistically expect a company to provide you with a 6-month leave of absence the day before you want it to start. That's absurd and would be denied right away. Unless it's an emergency situation you should give about two weeks to a month notice ahead of time for your leave of absence request. That time period gives you the chance to work as much as possible before you leave your job and so you can save up money to help compensate for your soon-to-be paycheck-less days. It also gives your employer a suitable time frame to make the necessary arrangements to hand off your work assignments and shifts to your fellow co-workers.

A leave of absence isn't always the ideal situation but in some cases it might be the only reasonable solution. Some may need the time off to care for an ill family member, to recuperate themselves after an illness or injury, or just to travel and renew their soul. Whatever your reason, speak to your employer about your options.


Thank you Steve, from The Strategic Bar Coach for your continued sponsorship of this site. If you would like to contact Steve in California you can do so at 626-441-0011.