About 10 years ago, I read about a unique way to test new career options – take a “vocation vacation”. While I don’t know if that option exists anymore, the objective is to take time away from the typical work day to fulfill a higher purpose. Whatever you call your time off, it is still an integral part of the career journey. ~ Melanie Reinersman, editor@careerdevelopmentalliance.com
Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash
FOCUS ON: Is a Rose by Any Other Name Still a Vacation?
Take a look at the definitions of various “roses” or breaks from work:
Staycation = vacation days spent at or near home, often to save money or travel time;
Paid Time Off (PTO) = a “bank” of hours that employees accrue every pay period from which time not working is deducted;
Holidays = time off work – not required but often given to employees, sometimes with pay; there is no federal requirement to give time off or pay for a holiday;
“InDays” offered by LinkedIn = each month employees are given a day to invest in themselves;
Parental Leave = time off for parents and parents-to-be;
Snow Days = not just for students and not just to stay home! For example, Burton employees of Burlington, Vermont, receive season ski passes.
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: Are Non-Faculty Educators Eligible for Sabbaticals?
How would you advocate for sabbaticals for instructional designers, media educators, faculty developers and other non-faculty educators when so few faculty qualify for this benefit? Start by looking at recruitment and retention benefits, consider options for schools to cross-train staff, and then recognize the diversity of who is doing research on campus. Read more from Inside HigherEd.
JOB SEARCHING: Temp Work Does More Than Fill Time Off
Have you talked with your client about using temp jobs to try out career options? Many clients do not realize that temp jobs come with benefits and options for full time work. Clients may think temp work is a step down from permanent employment, but temp jobs can be a foot in the door and eye into the organization. Read More from The Balance.
TOP TEN: Options for Unlimited Vacation
Reports show that while Americans tend to get and take a very low amount of vacation each year, some companies are trying a new program of trust: unlimited vacation. Not only does this equate with employee empowerment, but it may mean a happier and more productive workforce. Read more about the not-so-surprising corporations, including Netflix, Virgin Group, and GE, that offer this benefit.
QUOTES
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” - Maya Angelou
“Imagine that — we now live in a world where a manager’s approval is needed not to take vacation. This would have been unthinkable even three or four years ago.” - Arianna Huffington
“The purpose of a vacation is to have the time to rest. But many of us, even when we go on vacation, don’t know how to rest. We may even come back more tired than before we left.” - Nhat Hanh