How to overcome being guilt-tripped by your boss about taking leave
When you need to take a leave, sometimes your boss will not be supportive of this time off. After all, you’re the most productive worker at the company, and your boss knows it. Or you are the glue that keeps the other workers motivated and productive and your boss doesn’t want you to leave. Either way, your boss guilt trips you about taking leave. Here are some things you can do about it.
Stop Glorifying Work
Many people believe that if we aren’t Busy, we aren’t working at all. According to several sources, a person who works hard or even overworks is considered high status. Take the so-called “high-powered” people in pop culture. They are always going to work, working late, or don’t have enough time because they’re working that night. The short answer is that we need to stop working so hard. Your work will still be there when you get back, or someone else will take it off your hands. Either way, you need to rest.
Give Plenty of Advanced Notice
Obviously, the unexpected happens, but taking leave can be something you plan for. Especially if you are going to take a holiday, you can give your boss plenty of notice that you won’t be available for a set time. This advanced notice will allow your boss to plan ahead, giving them opportunity to find someone else to take over your workload. For example, if you are a data entry worker, you can let your boss know you are going to take a holiday leave a specific week. They can then ask another employee to take over your workload. However, it should be noted that your boss does not need to know where you are going unless they are an emergency contact, but they can know when you plan to return.
Take Time For Self-Care
There’s a lot on the internet about the so-called self-care movement. It’s ridiculous and over the top in many cases, but it sometimes has a nugget of truth. While stress is often dependent on how you react to it, too much stress or chronic stress both have negative effects on your health, including burnout. Therefore, you need to step away from work or whatever is causing stress in your life, even for a little while.
Overcoming a guilt trip isn’t always as easy as it sounds. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, if you don’t take time away to take care of yourself, you will burn out and your work will suffer. Second, if you’ve been planning a holiday or vacation for a long time, let your boss know so they won’t be caught without an alternative. Third, it’s important to realise we glorify people being Busy but don’t realise the toll it takes on our lives. Sometimes, the most useful thing you can find in a job is the perspective that it will be there when you get back.
