Marian the Librarian (#25)

Do you have a question for Marian? 
Send it to the editor, Deanna Briggs, dbriggs@copyright.com to forward to Marian.

Dear Marian, 

I work for a manager who is basically the Grinch when it comes to people taking time off of work. My kids are getting close to the age when our summer vacations are going to transform into trips to look at colleges, and after that, getting together as a family for a vacation is going to be almost impossible. My husband and I miss the days when we could easily pile everyone into the car, hit the road, and have some nice adventures together. We decided to make one more trip this summer. We’ve got the route planned out and everything. Our oldest, who frequently doesn’t want to be seen with the “old man” and “old woman,” is even a little excited about it. How can I convince my manager to let me use the time I’ve got coming to me anyway so I can have a nice vacation?

Yearns for that Summer Roadtrip

Dear Yearns for that Summer Roadtrip,

It’s no fun working with a vacation Grinch, especially when he can take away time you’d spend with your family.

Some strategies for trying to take vacation include:

*Telling your manager weeks in advance of your desire to take time off.

* Juggling vacations with coworkers to make sure coverage is adequate while people are gone.

* Making arrangements before you leave so that anything that might need to be addressed while you’re away can be taken care of.

* Having someone from human resources or another department vouch for your ability to take vacation.

* Impressing on your manager the need for a break from work, especially during an important time for your family.

Taking vacation can often be a challenge. Some of us never feel like there’s a good time to be gone for a few days. Some of us often spend long hours at the office before and after a vacation preparing to leave and catching up when we return. And some of us fear what might happen while we are away. However, there are many benefits associated with taking time off. Articles in the Business Journal and several Web sites indicate taking time off increases productivity and morale. Some estimates indicate for every $1 spent on vacation time, an employer can reap a $3 return on investment.

Since you have earned the time off, you definitely should have the right to use it. Perhaps your manager needs some kind of reminder about your employer’s vacation policy. If the problem of him not letting people take vacation is particularly severe, maybe someone should discuss it with your manager or your manager’s manager. Perhaps there’s some way to improve his attitude.

Bon voyage,
Marian

Dear Marian, 

Recently, I took myself out of the running for an out-of-state job and I’ve been having some second thoughts. I realize there’s probably nothing I can do to put myself back into consideration as a top candidate, but I just wonder if I did the right thing. The job interview process, I thought, was going quite well. The telephone interview went swimmingly. They paid for my trip to have an on-site interview, meet some of the staff, etc., during the course of a real workday. I began to realize something wasn’t quite right when I met none of my potential office mates or anyone I’d be working with directly. The entire time, I kept thinking, “Well, maybe I’ll meet them later.” I met all of the partners, upper management, and human resources staff. At 3 pm, when I realized the HR person was showing me out, I expressed concern about not having met my office mates and coworkers. She looked a little nervous when she replied with something silly. I can’t even remember what it was now. I insisted, so she called someone, but that didn’t work. I left feeling very puzzled and frustrated. How could I have spent a day doing interviews with various people and tours and not have met anyone on the team? The next business day after I got home, I called my contact there and expressed my concern. The contact brushed it off, but I couldn’t let it go. I withdrew. Am I being ridiculous for not accepting a job when I haven’t met anyone with who I’d be working? Or did I make the right decision? 

Likes Cards on the Table

Dear Likes Cards on the Table,

What a quandary! Going through the job search process is difficult enough, searchers don’t need the extra major obstacle you have faced. 

In some situations, the people running the interviews intentionally try to bring people on board without trying to introduce them to everyone with whom they’ll be working. In other cases, meeting everyone may not be possible because of work schedules, unexpected absences, and other unpredictable happenings. If it’s very important to you to meet everyone before taking a job, which it seems to be, you did the right thing. Taking a new job is a big risk. Moving out of state to take a job multiples that risk by several magnitudes. If you have not met the people with whom you’ll be working, especially if you’re sharing office space, it’s very difficult to make a sound judgment about whether or not to take the job. 

I hope you were brave enough to tell them why you withdrew. Perhaps next time, they’ll be smarter about job interviews before they lose another strong candidate. 

You’re right, though: there may be nothing you can do to put yourself back in the competition for that position. But would you really want to do that anyway? 

Good luck,
Marian

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