What are the tricks to score choice vacation time?
This is part two, continuing a series of three posts. Previous post.
A reader asks:
I assume it's next to impossible to take vacation during the busy season, so that leaves April to October, and maybe mid-late December open for vacation requests? But as a junior staff accountant, how hard is it to get vacation during this period, with so many things going on (CKE/SOA/UFE exams)? From your experience, are there any legitimate "tricks" that would maximize one's chances of getting vacation requests approved (e.g. submitting requests at a certain time)?
First off, if you're going to take time off during your first year, it means unpaid time off unless you have the Most Generous Employer Ever. I'll explain why tomorrow in part three, but in a nutshell, all your vacation time will be "spent" on study leave, so if you want to take a vacation it's doable, but it'll cost you.
If you insist on submitting a vacation request for your first year, do it as soon as you know who to contact - don't wait at all. That reduces the risk someone will assign you "work" you can't get out of. And if they do, there will be plenty of time to fix up your schedule. If you want vacation in July, don't worry, that's given out freely in most places, though.
Having said that, let's assume you want to take time off after you've finished with the exam and no longer need to sacrifice your summer to studying.
If you look carefully you'll see treadmarks on the sidewalk. A sidewalk I had been walking on moments earlier. Great driving buddy, take a vacation.
It's not impossible to take time off during busy season, but it's certainly inadvisable. There are seven things to keep in mind:
- Most (Canadian) firms want you to take your vacation time so you don't burnout.
- Firms will assign you a schedule a year in advance, or even longer.
- You have the luxury of booking your time yourself.
- If you're smart, you'll avoid official or unofficial "blackout periods".
- People won't think of you favourably if you actively dodged work.
- Skipping out on the big clients means you'll lose out on the biggest learning opportunities available to you in preparation for your professional exams. This is huge.
- If you have something more important than learning - let's say, the most important family wedding imaginable which you must fly to India or Europe to attend because you're the maid of honour or the best man - most companies will let you take off even in the middle of the worst part of busy season. But you better have that reason and repeat it so all know why you're doing what you're doing.
Before diving into the details, here's my strategy - which has been working for years now. Look at your schedule, find the gaps. If you have work booked on a stable client, avoid losing that "reliable" work by getting yourself removed to go on vacation.
You will most likely have some delicious gaps to fill if you're looking far enough in advance. If you're booked 100%, force a gap into existence, taking time off the least 'important' client. And by that, I mean a client where you've never worked on before - in that case anyone can replace you - it's not critical that you and only you do that work.
Looking in advance to book time off is key whether you're a CA or an employee in a small store - owners need to plan to have replacements on hand to cover while you're away. No matter what profession you're in, use the magic of Sufficient Advance Notice to do virtually anything conceivable, or find a workplace that can better accommodate your life - that was probably my 395th suggestion to consider quitting in favour of a better workplace in the past month.
Remember - as much as you're a unique snowflake, you're also an interchangeable cog in the machine who can be easily replaced by anyone else.
No blackouts! Well, short blackouts.
What should be considered "good news" by anyone worried about an insanely small selection of vacation dates is that fact that the "blackout period" is a lot shorter than you think. For plain vanilla auditors, it's January/February. For tax people it's April or June, depending on whether you deal mainly with personal or corporate income taxes - in Canada, anyway. In other parts of the world deadlines shift around of course.
In small firms you're more likely to be dragged into helping with taxes, so your "blackout period" may actually be longer than I predict. Large firms, on the other hand, often put people into separate "silos" so unless you volunteer to torture yourself - you'd be surprised how many people do - you'll have plenty of flexibility with respect to planning your vacation.
Holidays for all, except auditors
But, with one big fat exception, you can at least count on the fact that around Christmas your office will be absolutely dead, because:
- Many managers will be taking time off so they don't lose their vacation days before the year end,
- Your religious colleagues will go off and celebrate the Holy Days with prayer and related festivities - who would Blackberry more work to you from Midnight Mass? See the Avoid Sociopaths rule - and
- People like to boost their paid vacation days with public holidays, and Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's turbo charge the time off.
As with everything I write, I did hedge the above with a mention of a big fat exception; first year financial auditors have a huge one to keep in mind: inventory counts.
One of the chores I've been able to avoid experiencing by working in IT audit is the dreaded inventory count - I have tested inventory controls at crazy hours to boot - but I haven't had to find myself ordered to attend an inventory count. Regular auditors, on the other hand, are required throughout their first couple of years to do a few counts - the exact number depending on how busy your office is, of course.
Inventory counts often happen at the year-end. That means there's a chance you will up be sent to do an inventory count. Near, or perhaps on December 31.
Kiss New Year's Eve or other vacation plans goodbye.
Two consolations
First, you'll probably make it out to the evening's parties - the client you're auditing probably wants to go home too.
I think I just heard the bitter laughter of someone whose inventory count lasted past midnight and into the new year - there are companies that specialize in running inventory counts so your client's staff don't have to, which could of course still make your life hell.
Secondly, you now know this little piece of hell exists, so you can do something about it.
Make friends with whoever has the power to set the schedule, and volunteer to do counts in October, November or early December instead.
Either that, or simply plan your vacation in advance - by booking it off at work as early as possible. If you think just buying tickets to Punta Cana will help, it won't. It does nothing. Planning in advance - 9 to 12 months lead time is a good idea will save you all kinds of silly hassles, especially those associated with counting boxes and supplies in a drafty warehouse or snowy field.
Tomorrow: part three - how does time off work for CA students?
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