You deserve to — and should — take time off from job
Q. This may sound weird, but I love my job. I actually don’t want to take any time off this summer. Home life is very chaotic and work is my home away from home — it’s safe, it’s my happy place and makes me feel good. Is it bad if I put in extra hours and don’t take time off? I mean, will my bosses look down on me or will it actually hurt my career?
A. Thanks for your honesty and I’m sorry to hear home life is chaotic, but that’s wonderful that your job brings you so much joy and it sounds like you may also get support from your work family, too.
As for your questions, I have a few thoughts. It’s up to you whether or not you take any or all of your PTO, but technically it’s paid time off. You deserve to unplug whatever that looks like — if it’s a staycation or if you travel somewhere or a combination of both.
Regarding whether or not it can be a hindrance, this may sound counterintuitive, but it might. Your bosses may begin to wonder why you’re unable to do the job within the hours of the day and it may send the message that you’re unable to set respectful boundaries for your time and work. I’m not saying it’s a hindrance, just saying that it’s in the optics.
Plus the bigger picture that I’m concerned about is that you may be burning yourself out by working so much and so hard. You may want to consider a counselor to address your home issues and also add a hobby or something wellness related so you have some balance.
Q. My boss wants me to hire her neighbor. The neighbor is not qualified. We have a strong internal candidate and two external candidates — all are more qualified than the neighbor. I’m worried about retaliation if I don’t speak up. What should I do?
A. I hear you. If I were in your shoes, I would think about what would help you and your team achieve their goals which sounds absolutely like one of the three candidates (sans neighbor) and then back into your actions such as speaking to your boss both thoughtfully and deliberately, and I should add — delicately.
Hiring the neighbor who will likely have a longer ramp-up time and require more hands-on training than one of the other three candidates, especially the one who is in-house and won’t have to assimilate to the culture. And if the neighbor doesn’t end up working out, then you’ll have to let them go. That could get messier politically than having what can be a somewhat uncomfortable conversation now.
Alternatively, if you speak up to your boss and push back, how will she retaliate? If it’s a toxic environment, she may hold it against you. Only you will know if the fear of retaliation and actual retaliation can be worse than the conversation, but if you’re working in an environment of fear, well you may want to consider pursuing a new job (and I know that wasn’t your question, but it is a red flag you may want to explore. Eyes back to the neighbor!)
If it were me, I would speak up so I know I said my peace, otherwise you may regret not at least saying something, and mention something such as, “I’d like us to consider one of the other three candidates who are more qualified and will help us reach our team goals.”