Let’s face it: even though many of us are entitled to a certain amount of vacation time, we could get pushback from the boss, especially when there’s a lot going on in the office. Ramit Sethi shares a simple email script to help you “prime” your boss to say yes.
In his article, Sethi, New York Times bestselling author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, suggests using this script (word-for-word if we wanted):
I’d like to request vacation time from Monday, October 2nd, through Friday, October 6th because I’ll be taking a family vacation over those days.
While I’m gone, I’ll be reachable by email but not phone. I’ll be making sure that we have coverage in the support queue while I’m gone, and I’ll also be distributing a playbook to my team so it’s clear who owns which issues.
Is this OK?
Thanks,
-Ramit
Sethi says this email is effective because you’ve mitigated a lot of your boss’ worries, like needing to reroute your work to other people or making sure a project still chugs along while you’re gone, so there aren’t many reasons left for her or him to deny you. There’s also very nuanced language in there that increases the likelihood your boss will say yes. Sethi notes that you should make sure to send the email weeks or months in advance, which gives your boss plenty of lead time to plan around your vacation.
How to ask for vacation days | I Will Teach You to Be Rich