I like taking vacations to recharge from the hectic life at work. In the past, I have found it difficult to schedule a week off. I would call my boss requesting time off. He would tell me to give him a week. A week later I inquire about my vacation, and he acts like this is the first he has ever heard about it. He asks for a week to think about it. Then a week later, he says he needs a week to think about it.That cycle got old after the first week. This is a problem that needs to be solved. Perhaps I am getting ignored because my boss is too busy. Simple. Now I call up my boss, follow up with an email, and state that if there are any problems let me know within a week. Then I also state that if I don't hear back within a week, I will consider the vacation approved. Works every time.
Now there is one more caveat to this techinqiue. I cannot be irresponsible. I must ensure there is coverage for my absense. However I wait until my last day at work before the vacation. At that point I remind everyone that I am going on vacation the following week. There is usually a mad dash to get information from me. There are also cries about how I am an essential employee, and that it is a bad time to take vacation. The sad thing is that this happens every time I take vacation. So I cannot be too bothered by it.
The good news is that I am taking next week off from work. So today there are people crying about how we have so much to do next week. Not my problem. I already got my vacation approved. I just try to focus on the main things I need to get done before the day is out. I will be on the beach by Monday.
