Thank you so much for taking the courageous step of requesting time off next week even though I and the entire team know that you aren’t actually going anywhere, because you can’t. Nor should you; it would be selfish and irresponsible. But you know what isn’t selfish or irresponsible? Taking some time for yourself, away from work, so you can recharge. After more than twelve months of logging in at seven in the morning and feeling compelled to stare at your laptop until you collapse – eyes burning – into bed, you’ve earned it!
You know who else has worked without taking time off for the last year? Trudy! And she has three kids that she’s basically homeschooling while her school district goes virtual. I think her husband is an ICU nurse, too. But she will be working next week, because she checked the calendar and saw that we have that business review with the VP of Operations on Tuesday, when you plan to be sitting at home, not monitoring the laptop though it will be within your reach at any given moment.
Taking a break – such as those five consecutive days next week in which you would like to not contribute to the success of our organization – has important mental health benefits, too. It can help put things in perspective and hone your focus on what really matters in life. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
Come to think of it, you know what’s really small? The number of days off next week that Jamal has requested: zero! He’s going to be online all week, and he’s the only member of the team with the right system access to pull that report you send me every Tuesday. I guess he’s going to have to figure it out, in between work meetings and taking care of his ailing father-in-law and geriatric cat, while you, a childless and unattached young adult, finally get around to binging Bridgerton.
Look, the last year has been tough for the whole team and holding out for the world to go back to “normal” before taking extended time off from work just isn’t sensible. Why would you keep doing your goddamn job like you were goddamn hired to do when your generous, selfless, dedicated colleagues and management can cover your (sedentary, WiFi-connected, laptop-proximate) ass for forty hours? And yes, studies have shown that the average workday for those working from home stretches far beyond the traditional eight hours, which makes it even more critical for everyone to pull their fucking weight.
I sincerely hope you won’t reconsider your PTO request – I’ve been there, and my recommendation would be to avoid checking your calendar and to-do list in the days leading up to your planned time off, lest you remember that you have real, grown-up responsibilities and your colleagues’ morale and sanity are dependent on you being immediately accessible most hours of every weekday for the foreseeable future.
Have a wonderful week at home, which is the same location from which you would ordinarily help us chip away at our immense and ever-growing workload.