3 Reasons Why You Need To Take Vacation Leaves, Plus How To Ask Your Manager

How does that saying go?

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Whether you are a seasoned professional or dipping your toes in the working world, everyone needs a break.

It could be from dealing with overwhelming work problems, suffering from a bad boss, and the push to be more productive. Other examples could include a spillover of personal problems, managing difficult people, or juggling tons of responsibilities.

As a result, you may find yourself barely getting by at work. Your motivation has declined, and you are close to feeling the ailment of burn-out. But if you have not used up your vacation leaves yet, take this as your sign to do so.

What is vacation leave in the Philippines?

Also known as Service Incentive Leave, the Vacation Leave refers to a paid leave absence. Depending on the company you work for or your tenure, the average is 5 days per calendar year. Unlike the Sick Leave, the Vacation Leave is not convertible to cash.

Usually this is a privilege available for regular employees and can be availed after six months to a year of service. You can use your vacation leaves by speaking with your supervisor or manager to plot them out in advance. Aside from that, the best way to utilize them is to couple them with public holidays.

What is the purpose of vacation leave?

How important is taking a vacation leave? It is so important that takin a leave as part of a balanced work life it places in the top 10 preferences employees want during the job search. Our Decoding Global Talent report specifies its placement at third place ““ good work-life balance. On top of this, experts share that taking a vacation leave can help improve mental health.

In fact, the rise in depression among Filipinos has gone up six-fold ““ from three million pre-pandemic to 17 million as of 2022. While there are several ways to manage mental health issues, getting a leave is one of them. It falls under one of the solutions to appease your mind, where you relax and reduce stressors that trigger.

In fact, lawmakers have proposed the Mental Health Wellness Leave Act. This bill details an added five days on top of the provided leaves purely for mental health.

What are the reasons for leave?

There are several reasons why it is advisable to use them up. First of all, most companies do not allow leftover leaves to carry over to the next fiscal year. So if you have barely used them up, they will sadly go to waste.

Aside from these, we share three more reasons to hopefully convince you further.

1. A time to recharge

When trying to make a lagging website work, what do you do? You refresh. We carry over the same mentality for ourselves. When we do the same routine day in and day out, we tend to get “stuck.“

This could mean that we experience extreme fatigue, which could lead us to losing the drive to come to work. A vacation leave is a good way to charge our social and wellness battery up. Who knew that taking a beach trip, a flight abroad, or even taking a day off can make a difference?

Vacation leaves give us opportunities to shake off stagnant energy and start anew. It is the routine-breaker, because we usually devote our weekdays to the office.

Just like avoiding a plateau in the fitness world, switching up your routine could make you see things from a different perspective and even come up with new and better ideas for your projects!

Also read: Top 11 Movies About Jobs To Inspire You At Work

2. Spending time with loved ones

Name the last period where you had quality time with your loved ones. You are actually watching that Netflix series without your eyes wandering to your work phone.

Did you ever have dinner while replying to an email or work message between bites? If your reply is yes, it may seem like work is encroaching on your life. While there could be office emergencies every so often, allowing your boundaries to blur can have negative consequences.

It could also have a negative toll on your relationships with your loved ones. Whether they are friends or family, spending uninterrupted time with them is a gift. If it is difficult to unplug during post-work hours, you can take a vacation leave instead.

This frame of rest can allow you to work on bonding with your family, your significant other, or your friends. Just make sure that you inform your superior that notifications (unless it is an emergency) are off during this time.

4. It prevents you from getting sick

While physical ailments are rooted in viral or bacterial infections, did you know that emotions can contribute to that?

Negative emotions, in particular, increase the likelihood of sicknesses. Yes, even fatal ones like heart attacks. MayoClinic shares that stress is a common cause. If you do not learn to rest, you could be filing sick leaves often.

Learning to take a rest is essential if you want to minimize trips to the hospital. It may not be the main solution, but it is a start.

How do you ask for vacation leaves?

It is important to remember that you do not have to beg for a vacation leave. But there is certain etiquette that comes with filing for one. On the other hand, there is a big difference between taking a vacation leave and going AWOL. What is the underlying distinction? You ask permission for the former, you disappear for the latter.

Aside from that, you may face termination if you go missing in action without notice for a long time. So what is the right way to schedule your vacation leaves? We mentioned earlier that plotting them is the most ideal, especially with your manager. You can sit down with them and block certain dates in advance.

Other companies have an automated filing system that allows you to plot your leaves alone. Your manager can just approve them on their end afterwards.

Additionally, make sure to note that vacation leaves are not ideal for emergencies. In case you face one, you can file for an Emergency Leave. But it is dependent on your company if they have this privilege for their employees. If not, you can make use of your vacation leave instead. 

Lastly, make sure that you have endorsed your duties to your colleague or accomplished urgent projects prior to going. It helps your supervisor out when you are away so that the calls do not come, asking you for help.

"When the going gets tough”

The tough gets going. We contextualize “going” in this case as a temporary leave of absence. Making use of your vacation leaves is not only a luxury, but a right you have as an employee. Instead of wasting it away, utilize it and maximize it to your greatest potential.

If you feel guilty about going on leave, do not. First, your company calculated this in their productivity scales to measure. Second, there are people that can help you do your job while you are away. Third, if they cannot, the company can still go on.

So what are you waiting for? Shut that computer down, turn off the work phone, and hit the snooze button. We promise you ““ there is no greater feeling than looking forward to a day without the alarm clock ringing in your ear.

Have fun!

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