The daily grind of a nine-to-five job often leaves us burnt out, exhausted, and desperately in need of a mental-health break, getting a half-day off or leaving work early will not be enough.
“Take leave” is one of the most underused forms of employee protection, and for good reason: it’s not easy to take.
But if you’re feeling overwhelmed or just need a longer break, there are times when a week off work is just what we need when circumstances dictate that our personal lives take precedence over our jobs.
Good Reasons to Take a Week Off Work
The best reasons to take a longer break such as a week off work, include personal illness, a family emergency, the death of a loved one, childcare issues, and jury duty, just to name a few.
If you want to take more than a day or two off from work, here are the ten of the most common reasons that people use when requesting a week off from work. And at the end of the article, we have a set of tips that will help you succeed when making that all-important request from your manager or HR department.
1. Personal illness
If you are sick, especially with a contagious illness, employers will prefer that you spend the time recovering away from the office. Not only will this prevent you from spreading the contagion to other employees, but taking the time to rest and recuperate means that you will be able to return to work stronger and better than ever.
For a week away from work, most employers will want to see a doctor’s certificate.
Currently, in the United States, there are no federal laws that enshrine a worker’s right to paid sick leave. However, if your workplace is subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you can acquire up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for some medical situations.
Check your contract or workplace employee handbook for most companies have as policy a set number of days that you can take off before you need to provide a note.
2. Family illness
One of the best reasons to take a week off work is to care for a sick family member, or someone important to you. Whether it’s catching up on sleep or spending time with loved ones, taking a break can make all the difference.
Take a week off to take care of a sick child
For most of us with school-aged children, we know that when there is a bug at school it is highly likely that every child will become infected at some point. This means that parents often need to take time off work to care for a sick child.
Some bosses are more sympathetic than others. If you’re lucky, your workplace will allow you to take sick or personal leave. Others might also force you to take paid time off or, if they are particularly draconian, unpaid time off when your child is sick.
Take a week off to take care of a sick family member
If you have elderly parents, you might also need to take time off work to care for them after an illness or hospital visit. The same is true for a partner or spouse, especially if they suffer from a chronic, long-term, or terminal illness.
3. It’s time for a vacation
Mental health is a fundamental aspect of personal wellness and general health. Going on a vacation is a great way to take a break, recharge, relax, and go on a mini adventure with family or friends.
In fact, according to research published in the Harvard Business Review, taking a vacation can even result in better outcomes at work, as well as a more relaxed and mindful attitude at home.
The best way to get an approved week of leave for a vacation is to ask for the time off with as much advanced notice as possible. This way your employer has plenty of time to plan around your absence.
4. You have a house emergency
Life at home can be unpredictable and sometimes you have an emergency that needs your immediate attention.
Perhaps the Flexi-pipe under the sink broke in the middle of the night and your whole house flooded before you woke up in the morning. You might even have a leaky roof thanks to a particularly powerful storm, or unsightly and smelly smoke damage from when the pasta caught fire because it was left on the stove too long.
Not only will time off allow you to deal with insurers and tradespeople, but you will be able to handle the chaos without worrying about going to work. When you do return to work, it will be with a clear head and your undivided attention on the job.
5. Death of a loved one
There are few employers who would begrudge a few days off work when you experience an intense emotional loss. You can use the week off work to grieve and organize the funeral if necessary.
The most important thing is to let your boss know as soon as possible so that they can organize to cover your absence or find a replacement.
6. Childcare challenges
When your children are not yet at school, organizing full-time childcare can be challenging at the best of times. Occasionally, the childcare center will have to close with little notice because of:
- A contagious illness
- Extreme weather like snowstorms, tornadoes, extreme heat, and wildfires
- A staff shortage, or
- A problem with the facilities
If you cannot safely or productively work from home with your child, your best option is to take the time off work to look after your child.
Don’t worry, there is an upside. You can focus on spending quality time with your child at home and visiting interesting places as a treat.
7. Jury duty
Some people feel that jury duty is a painful part of living in a civil democracy. However, in the United States and many parts of the world, it is every citizen’s right to be tried by a jury of their peers if they are charged with a crime.
Every year, around 32 million Americans are summoned to sit on a jury. If you are not self-employed and can afford to take the time off work, being a member of a jury is a great way to participate in our society and contribute to making it a better place. You might even have the luck of finding yourself sitting in on an interesting case.
8. New baby in the family
Has your sister, cousin, partner, or best friend just had a baby? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be with them for one of the most important times in their life.
Spending quality time with your loved ones is something that you cannot get back once it is gone. Taking a week off work is a great way to celebrate the happy event and provide your loved one with physical and emotional support.
9. Moving house
There is a well-known saying that moving house is one of the most stressful activities we can go through during our lives. While that may be an overstatement, there’s no doubt that for many of us, the process can be a physical challenge and emotionally draining.
Even when moving house is a positive step in your life, shifting to a new neighborhood, city, state, or even country can take a massive toll on you and your family.
This is normal, and one of the reasons why it is also a legitimate reason to take a week away from work to organize, pack, move, unpack and settle in.
10. Something ‘unexpected’ happened
If your reason for needing a week away from work does not fall into one of the categories already mentioned, you may still be successful in your leave request.
Depending on your workplace regulations, you may not have to provide a reason for an absence, no matter how many days you want to be away from work.
Letting management know that ‘something unexpected’ has come up is a great way to request an absence while keeping your reasons private.
How to successfully take leave from work
Once you have a legitimate reason to ask for time away from work, your best chance for success is to follow these simple guidelines.
Tell the truth
For most people, their reason for needing or wanting a week off work will fall into one of the categories provided in this article.
Don’t inconvenience anyone
Although this might not always be possible, try not to request leave during the busiest time of year, during the school holidays, or when the office is already short-staffed because of issues such as illness or maternity leave.
Keep the details to the minimum
The truth is enough, you don’t need to go into detail. Even though you are not lying, it might sound as if you are.
Do it in advance
Request the time off work as early as you can. Of course, this is not possible for emergencies, but if you can schedule it in advance, you are more likely to succeed if you do.
Have your documents ready
Provide whatever documentation you can to make your case. For illness, this might be a medical certificate and for a death in the family, this might be a death certificate or death notice published in the newspaper.
Confirm your leave of absence
Make sure the relevant people at work know that your leave has officially been processed and approved.
Most importantly, be honest, and believable, and stay off social media while you’re away from your desk or out of the office.
Following is a list of the most popular reasons that employers will accept for taking a week away from work.
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