What's Stopping You?
A typical American employer compensates each full-time employee with two weeks of vacation (80 hours) and one week of sick leave (40 hours). There are other employers that lump all of this time into one pot as personal time off (PTO). Nearly every year Americans throw away an estimated 415 million vacation days. So if it’s “your” PTO, why don’t you use it?
Are you a dedicated employee? Do you like to bank the days for extended vacations? Combine it with the holiday season to use fewer days than normal? Does money deter you from taking a day or so away from work? Or are you like most people that “don’t have anyone to travel/ spend vacation time with”?
Believe me, I’m guilty. I’m a healthy single woman with no dependents (other than my dog) so I rarely use my sick leave. And unlike the public sector/ government employers, sick leave doesn’t roll over into your retirement early bank, so why don’t I use this time? I FEEL GUILTY!!! That’s right, I feel guilty for taking time for myself to use a sick day. Even when there are days I truly need a mental health day, I feel like there is one more thing I need to get done at my job. Even when things are slow at the job, I’d rather find work than enjoy a mental health day.
HOWEVER, I do not feel guilty for taking planned vacation days. I will schedule vacation months in advance just to make sure I have enough time saved. But sick leave, I find it hard to use. Now I don’t think people should fake being sick for the kicks, however, there are times when you truly need time away to clear your thoughts and decompress.
Do you have triggering signs that make you aware that you are stressed? One of mine is a twitching eye. My eye will jump non-stop until I am able to relax. This last month, I’ve been stressed and experienced a jumpy eye at least once a week. I think that should show cause for a sick day, right? Maybe not a full day but half of the day at the least. And you’re probably thinking how do sick days relate to travel? Let me tell you...
My new philosophy for 2021, nothing is promised so why not live. As you know this pandemic changed a lot of people’s daily lives and proved that some jobs could still operate with you being remote. Why not still work remotely but on your back porch getting some sun, down at a lakehouse, or across the world after you’ve ridden a safari looking for the Big 5? A safari might need more planning and use of vacation days, but a spontaneous weekend getaway can be seen as a mental health day. You need to enjoy life outside of your job. Don’t run yourself ragged to a point you will actually need those sick days because you weren’t taking care of yourself. Think about that as we ease into the new year.
Will you waste YOUR PTO or will you invest in personal time to enjoy the things you love?