It is about time employers take note of their employees well being. For too long employees had to submit to the will of their employers, fearing that they could lose their jobs if they didn’t agree to overtime or if they needed time off for whatever reason. Nowadays there are many laws and regulations protecting employees and their welfare. Mothers are able to take almost a year off after giving birth, whereas fathers were left with minimal leave, even though they would like to provide help and support for their newborn.
Thanks to progressive societies in many countries, employees are able to take a substantial amount of leave, not just after giving birth, but also for a variety of reasons such as mental health. No longer are they expected to suffer quietly, and employers have realized they actually benefit from this. A happy employee works better and is of benefit to the business, an unhappy employee is not.
We will look into how, if you are considering taking time off, you can make the most of your work leave. You can still be kept in the loop and contribute, but without sacrificing important time for yourself and your family. Your company will probably thank you for it too seeing as many organizations look to stay lean when it comes to staffing. This means that every person taking leave will be missed, and it won’t be pleasant returning to work finding everything in disarray due to your absence.
While on leave, most of us like to switch off and get completely detached from work. While this may be ideal for you in the short term, consider your return and what state it could be in if you hadn’t helped your company properly prepare for your absence. Companies would be happy for you to continue working, albeit understandably less, while you are on leave. Consider being open to answering urgent emails while you are away, which could help immensely.
If you find yourself at home during working hours without much to do– maybe your newborn is sleeping or bad weather traps you indoors, maybe try attending virtual meetings and conferences. Many forward thinking companies will have implemented hardware such as a conference room scheduling display, allowing employees to see the purpose of the meeting, attendees and the location. This can be viewed on localized hardware or even on your mobile phone, so there is little reason you cannot participate if time allows. Attending these virtual meetings and contributing even when you are technically on leave will show you in a positive light to your colleagues and management.
Of course the majority of people would like to detach themselves from work while on leave, and for some people this could be the best option. Vacation leave is limited so we are entitled to make the most of it, but there really isn’t much harm in staying in the loop!