About Staffing : Winter Breaks Mean a Total Break from WorkWe start getting antsy around this time of year. The leaves are falling, the nights are chilling, and the flowers are dying. This is the time for Albertans to start planning warm winter holidays and vacations. Sharlene Massie |
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Do check with the boss and co-workers to ensure the timing is right for a holiday. We are experiencing a blip right now in Alberta, with the unemployment rate rising slightly, which does mean some layoffs. You don’t want a pink slip waiting for you when you get back so pay attention to the timing of a vacation.
Do make sure you can afford the holiday you are booking. If you think that you will be getting a raise or expecting a bonus this year to pay for the vacation later, you may be very wrong! Dips and blips in the economy and the U.S. market chaos will have some effect on us at some point, which will affect employees’ wages, increases, and additional income potentials. So, don’t go into debt to pay for a winter holiday.
If you do plan the holiday at the right time, and can afford it, do check out the financial strength of the airline, hotel, travel agent, car rental companies you choose, or take extra insurance in case you get caught in a situation while you are away.
This kind of scary economy we are facing can present some crazy, out of your control issues. Be sure you don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to call your boss if you can’t get home. If all your ducks are in a row, and the holiday timing is perfect, and you have booked it, paid for it, organized your work flow while you’re gone, you shouldn’t need to bring your cell phone, lap top, or blackberry. Besides, it’s rude to sit in a restaurant with someone and spend the time on a phone or blackberry. It is completely ridiculous to sit on a beach in paradise with someone you care for, after going to all this trouble and expense, with a computer.
Don’t ruin a much needed holiday for any work related issue that can wait.
Do enjoy life, the fresh air, the sunshine, the experiences, the conversations, and the winter holiday for what is supposed to be, a break from work.
-- Sharlene Massie is the C.E.O. of About Staffing Ltd., a dynamic personnel agency specializing in direct-hire and temporary placements. Questions for Sharlene? Visit the About Staffing website at (www.aboutstaffing.com), and click on the link under the Sun logo. This article may be reproduced or transmitted if done so in its entirety, including this copyright line: Copyright 2008, by About Staffing Ltd., all rights reserved.
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