Have you been in this situation
The holidays are coming up. You want to take a few extra days off to spend time with your family, who you rarely get to see. Youre secretly laughing at the thought of your coworkers being trapped in their cubicles while you enjoy fresh air and sunshine.
Me on a ski vacation.
You ask your boss for a few days off and what does he say?
Sorry, we have too much going on. Well need you here.
Today, I want to help you use your vacation days without any pushback. Youll even get something at the end of this post that can help you get an extra week or two of paid vacation using the same techniques my students use to get $43,000 raises.
But first, lets look at how you can get your boss to say Yes when you ask for time off. Starting with a word-for-word script you can use when requesting vacation time even if its during a busy time for your company.
Subject: Vacation request (October 2nd through October 6th)
Hi Jack,
Id like to request vacation time from Monday, October 2nd, through Friday, October 6th because Ill be taking a family vacation over those days.
While Im gone, Ill be reachable by email but not phone. Ill be making sure that we have coverage in the support queue while Im gone, and Ill also be distributing a playbook to my team so its clear who owns which issues.
Is this OK?
Thanks,
-Ramit
Now, what makes this so effective?
To answer that, lets look at this email from your bosss perspective.
What reasons might he have to decline your request?
- Hes worried a project youre working on wont get done while youre gone
- He doesnt want your workload to wind up on his desk
- He doesnt want to run around reassigning your tasks to other people
Now lets see how this email overcomes these objections and gets him to say Yes to your request.
First, it opens with a friendly tone. Saying I would like is a much softer request than stating I request or Im taking this time off.
Second, the word because is strategically chosen as it increases compliance. Saying because and giving your boss a reason for the time off (no matter what the reason is) makes it more likely he or she will say yes.
Third, remember how your boss was worried your work wouldnt get done? Well in that last section you ease that concern by showing him youve already thought about that. Youve even gone the extra mile to ensure any projects youre working on still get finished on time.
Finally, be sure to send the email weeks even months in advance. Its far easier for your boss to say Yes when he has plenty of time to plan around your absence.
How to get more vacation days (and a raise)
Most people spend their careers at whatever salary theyre given. They never even ask for a raise or extra vacation days because they expect their boss to respond with an angry No!
But the fact is, you could very easily get a 10-20% raise or extra week off simply by asking the right way. Let me show you how.
I created an Ultimate Guide to Getting a Raise. You can use this guide to earn more, get more days off, or both. Its yours free, just opt in below.
How to ask for vacation days is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.
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