2020 has seen many changes in the workplace - including employees losing vacation days because they didn't take them earlier in the year. For many companies, precious vacation days have to be used up in the next 45 days. No matter if you had to cancel that cruise or don't feel safe with a trip to New York, Workplace Culture expert Gabe Abshire says taking time off is important. "It is important to step away from work. When you're working from home you're kind of working MORE. It can be hard to shut it down at the end of the work day." Abshire suggests you talk to your manager and see if the rules can be bent to add those unused days to next year.
Workplace Culture expert Gabe Abshire says some workers are so grateful to have a job that they don't want to ask for time off. "If you want to take it - don't be afraid to ask for it. It starts with an open communication with your manager. Make sure you give them enough time to schedule it. You don't want to come to them on December 5th and say you're taking the off the last 2 weeks of the year."
Abshire says time away from work is important for both your mental health and your job performance. If your employee handbook says you have to use it or lose it and your work load won't let you go right now, ask your manager to make an exception to the rules just this once. After all...2020 has become the year of the exception.