Discussion
Some of my colleagues think I'm making a big mistake in not taking all my holiday. I'm entitled to 24 days and normally take about half, usually odd days here and there, simply because I can't think of anything interesting to do with the remainder.
My argument is that if you take a week off, then on average you are delaying your next promotion by a week. They reckon your health can suffer if you don't get away for a week or two occasionally.
What is the view of the experts on PH?
My argument is that if you take a week off, then on average you are delaying your next promotion by a week. They reckon your health can suffer if you don't get away for a week or two occasionally.
What is the view of the experts on PH?
I would always take my full annual leave unless I can carry the days over to the next year.
On the bright side..you must love your job.
Are you single? Most wives/GFs will always find you something to do around the house on your days off. Not the best way to use your days off but for my it's better than working.
If the promotion you are striving for is management, you shouldn't expect those under you to think the same way as you. Otherwise you'll have nobody to manage fairly quickly.
On the bright side..you must love your job.
Are you single? Most wives/GFs will always find you something to do around the house on your days off. Not the best way to use your days off but for my it's better than working.
If the promotion you are striving for is management, you shouldn't expect those under you to think the same way as you. Otherwise you'll have nobody to manage fairly quickly.
Dr Jekyll said:
Some of my colleagues think I'm making a big mistake in not taking all my holiday. I'm entitled to 24 days and normally take about half, usually odd days here and there, simply because I can't think of anything interesting to do with the remainder.
My argument is that if you take a week off, then on average you are delaying your next promotion by a week. They reckon your health can suffer if you don't get away for a week or two occasionally.
What is the view of the experts on PH?
Guess if you want to brown nose the boss, then go for it, myself and a colleague decided that we both not like working most evenings and weekends for only a little bit more money, so the 22 year old can have the next step up and get the hair falling out hassleMy argument is that if you take a week off, then on average you are delaying your next promotion by a week. They reckon your health can suffer if you don't get away for a week or two occasionally.
What is the view of the experts on PH?
will use all holiday every year and by tweaking schedule can get extra days here and there, eg all the week's work is done, so heading off mid friday for weekend away
HarryW said:
Not an expert by a long chalk but if you don't take a full years holiday you are one of three things imhe.
1. A sad kcuf.
2. A sad kcuf with no life outside of work.
3. Self employed and in the midst of start up.
4. Self employed, working in the banks and getting as much money in before it goes t*ts up1. A sad kcuf.
2. A sad kcuf with no life outside of work.
3. Self employed and in the midst of start up.
fade2grey said:
yup, always take your full entitlement.. why would you not?
I can't see how it would affect your next promotion, which surely is based on your ability to do the job rather than how many hours you spend in the office.
The point is that you achieve fewer projects and have less opportunity to prove your ability if you spend less time working.I can't see how it would affect your next promotion, which surely is based on your ability to do the job rather than how many hours you spend in the office.
surely over the span of a year, you'd have several opportunities to prove your ability & realistically you could have only done 1 project & proved your mettle.
Be wary of making yourself too indispensable or you'll be building your own glass ceiling to run up against.. when it comes to succession planning, I'm assuming there aren't many people in your organisation who spend the same sort of hours in there as you & it sets a curious precedent for both yourself & the staff around you. It could be seen by those above that they'd have to employ 2 people to get the same amount of throughput if they had to replace you in your current post.
As a rule I also subscribe to the working smarter rather than harder... it's far easier to demonstrate benefit to the business, thus a payrise\increase in responsibility if you are saving money with efficiency. If you are just working hard & not billing them they score only once. If you make things better they score every time that process happens regardless of which body is in the role.
Just food for thought.
Be wary of making yourself too indispensable or you'll be building your own glass ceiling to run up against.. when it comes to succession planning, I'm assuming there aren't many people in your organisation who spend the same sort of hours in there as you & it sets a curious precedent for both yourself & the staff around you. It could be seen by those above that they'd have to employ 2 people to get the same amount of throughput if they had to replace you in your current post.
As a rule I also subscribe to the working smarter rather than harder... it's far easier to demonstrate benefit to the business, thus a payrise\increase in responsibility if you are saving money with efficiency. If you are just working hard & not billing them they score only once. If you make things better they score every time that process happens regardless of which body is in the role.
Just food for thought.
When I was in my twenties and working up the career ladder I regularly failed to take all my holiday - because my life was centred around work, projects and EVERY day was a "holiday". I was a consultant and so spent five days a week on a customer site being paid to work hard and play hard every night at the company's expense.
Then I ran my own business for fifteen years.
I take a month off every year. Without fail. I NEED that time for the sake of my health, my enthusiasm for work and, not least, my marriage.
When you run your own business you could work every hour God sends the whole while...and unless you have the discipline to say enough is enough you would never leave it for a moment. But if you don't you will die.
As said above: no-one's dying words are "I wish I'd spent more time at the office..."
Then I ran my own business for fifteen years.
I take a month off every year. Without fail. I NEED that time for the sake of my health, my enthusiasm for work and, not least, my marriage.
When you run your own business you could work every hour God sends the whole while...and unless you have the discipline to say enough is enough you would never leave it for a moment. But if you don't you will die.
As said above: no-one's dying words are "I wish I'd spent more time at the office..."
got a friend who runs his own business and does not seem to understand the phrase chill out and work less, seems his doctor is worried at his palpitations, rectal bleeding and other fun things that he told me all about 
Even when he goes fishing, it is a compeititon to catch more than he did last time, suspect he is not going to have any babies with his wife, something about feel free to shag around but not tell her the details..
Everyone that knows him is telling him to chill out, he has asked silly prices to put people off, they still say yes as his work is very good.
Maybe not as bad as the OP, but.....
Guess he is single with no family ? as for not showing your ability on projects, if you cant do it in the same time frame as everyone else who takes the full holiday entitlement, then you must need help and it will show the boss, that you are not as good as people who can get the work done and take their holiday.
I have 2 mobiles, one for work, one for me. Work will never get my personal mobile, as when am on holiday, not want to know or think about work, so come back refreshed
Even when he goes fishing, it is a compeititon to catch more than he did last time, suspect he is not going to have any babies with his wife, something about feel free to shag around but not tell her the details..
Everyone that knows him is telling him to chill out, he has asked silly prices to put people off, they still say yes as his work is very good.
Maybe not as bad as the OP, but.....
Guess he is single with no family ? as for not showing your ability on projects, if you cant do it in the same time frame as everyone else who takes the full holiday entitlement, then you must need help and it will show the boss, that you are not as good as people who can get the work done and take their holiday.
I have 2 mobiles, one for work, one for me. Work will never get my personal mobile, as when am on holiday, not want to know or think about work, so come back refreshed
Taking holiday is really important to "re-charge the system", otherwise over a period of time you become worn out and therefore less effective. Ther's also the danger of burn out, at which point you're no good to anyone never mind yourself.
I'm suprised that your employer doesn't positively encourage you to take time off.
Take the holiday and have some fun!
I'm suprised that your employer doesn't positively encourage you to take time off.
Take the holiday and have some fun!
If you are entitled to a holiday, you should take it. If people are flexible and postpone holidays as we (management) want them to work that's great.
If they don't take them, I would ask why? If there is a pattern it usually means they dare not take them. That may be because they are incompetent and dare not risk being found out, or it may be because they are commiting fraud and either cannot afford to not be there or again they dare not. If I was called in to investigate a site, that would be one of my first questions - who doesn't take leave, who works such long hours they are often on their own in the morning/evening. Even if people don't regard it as suspicious (and most do) they will regard it as poor time management or (I can't think of a nicer way of putting this) sucking up to management.
Whatever, it is not a good idea (no probs if just an odd day of course). I have not meant to cause any offence whatsoever and I very much hope I haven't, but I have been involved in investigations for many years now.
If they don't take them, I would ask why? If there is a pattern it usually means they dare not take them. That may be because they are incompetent and dare not risk being found out, or it may be because they are commiting fraud and either cannot afford to not be there or again they dare not. If I was called in to investigate a site, that would be one of my first questions - who doesn't take leave, who works such long hours they are often on their own in the morning/evening. Even if people don't regard it as suspicious (and most do) they will regard it as poor time management or (I can't think of a nicer way of putting this) sucking up to management.
Whatever, it is not a good idea (no probs if just an odd day of course). I have not meant to cause any offence whatsoever and I very much hope I haven't, but I have been involved in investigations for many years now.
you should probably take your full quota of annual leave.
I work for a large financial firm in london - and it's a reasonably high pressured environment - with pressure to perform and get promoted - and I appreciate the tempatation to put in maximum 'face time' in the offce to give you maximum chance to deliver work, but ultimatley, I just don't think that it works that way.
Firstly, your boss will be much more impressed if you can deliver to timelines planning around vacation, it will mark you out as a balanced and mature person.
Secondly, I think that you will find that when you're away from the office, you have a chance to reflect and unwind, you'll often see things differently. Certainly, the chance to reflect often helps me to come up with new ideas and put stresses at work into perspective.
Thirdly (as one of the other posters pointed out) - working all hours and not taking holiday will make your manager wary of the way you manage subordinates.
hope this helps, Cheers - Ace
I work for a large financial firm in london - and it's a reasonably high pressured environment - with pressure to perform and get promoted - and I appreciate the tempatation to put in maximum 'face time' in the offce to give you maximum chance to deliver work, but ultimatley, I just don't think that it works that way.
Firstly, your boss will be much more impressed if you can deliver to timelines planning around vacation, it will mark you out as a balanced and mature person.
Secondly, I think that you will find that when you're away from the office, you have a chance to reflect and unwind, you'll often see things differently. Certainly, the chance to reflect often helps me to come up with new ideas and put stresses at work into perspective.
Thirdly (as one of the other posters pointed out) - working all hours and not taking holiday will make your manager wary of the way you manage subordinates.
hope this helps, Cheers - Ace
Dave_M said:
If you are entitled to a holiday, you should take it. If people are flexible and postpone holidays as we (management) want them to work that's great.
If they don't take them, I would ask why? If there is a pattern it usually means they dare not take them. That may be because they are incompetent and dare not risk being found out, or it may be because they are commiting fraud and either cannot afford to not be there or again they dare not. If I was called in to investigate a site, that would be one of my first questions - who doesn't take leave, who works such long hours they are often on their own in the morning/evening. Even if people don't regard it as suspicious (and most do) they will regard it as poor time management or (I can't think of a nicer way of putting this) sucking up to management.
Whatever, it is not a good idea (no probs if just an odd day of course). I have not meant to cause any offence whatsoever and I very much hope I haven't, but I have been involved in investigations for many years now.
Exactly. Things should be able to atleast run themselves whilst you are away, do you need an assistant?If they don't take them, I would ask why? If there is a pattern it usually means they dare not take them. That may be because they are incompetent and dare not risk being found out, or it may be because they are commiting fraud and either cannot afford to not be there or again they dare not. If I was called in to investigate a site, that would be one of my first questions - who doesn't take leave, who works such long hours they are often on their own in the morning/evening. Even if people don't regard it as suspicious (and most do) they will regard it as poor time management or (I can't think of a nicer way of putting this) sucking up to management.
Whatever, it is not a good idea (no probs if just an odd day of course). I have not meant to cause any offence whatsoever and I very much hope I haven't, but I have been involved in investigations for many years now.
Granted you may be busy in the run up to a holiday, and partly when you return but the advent of Blackberries et al makes things easier when you are away to be bale to monitor things - maybe have a set time each day to review e-mails and let people know this, say 3 o clock.
May be worth enroling onto a management training course - and maybe read a few books first about time and people management.
The one minute manager series is a very light hearted set of books about management.
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