Want more vacation days?
(Who doesnt?)
Then make yourself irreplaceable.
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Thats the advice of Amanda Basse, and she should know.
Actually, Basse negotiated for nine additional vacation days, plus her birthday off, plus work-from-home flexibility.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help…
So howd she do it?
And how can you?
For structured, more established companies, you should probably know their policies.
But policies arent necessarily written in stone.
Prove Your Worth
Dont start planning that extended European vacation just yet.
Basse said it took her a year of documenting concrete examples of her accomplishments on a Google doc.
Start by writing down your wins, Basse said.
Document everything, even if its small.
Little things amount to big things.
She totaled those numbers and compared it to what she expected to get for a raise that year.
Then she considered how much that money was really worth to her.
I could make more money elsewhere, but I also wanted to be present in my childrens lives.
Know their value as you prepare your case, Margolis said.
The better armed you are with facts, the better you could make the case with your boss.
Get Your Boss on Board
You dont know what you got till its gone.
Let your boss ponder the wisdom of Joni Mitchell when you present your case for more vacation.
Companies are competitive with each other, Margolis said.
When youre in there, weave in what competitors are doing.
Basse said she completed an analysis of what her companys competitors were paying before she started negotiating.
I didnt have any intention of leaving, but I started fishing for other opportunities, Basse said.
Now how much paid time off should you ask for?
Basses advice: Aim high.
Ive never gotten everything on my first ask, she said.
I went in asking for 40% to 50% higher, then worked my way down.
He was a little shocked I didnt ask for a raise, but for days off, Basse said.
He had to think about it, and it took a little back and forth.
Ask your boss their thoughts Do you have any reservations?
Make it a two-way conversation so your boss can address concerns.
Basse added that its also essential to get everything in writing.
Right after the meeting, I emailed a follow-up, Basse said.
I wanted to be clear what I was communicating.
I had to think of ways to feel compensated other than monetarily, she said.
I realized I wanted time to enjoy my time off.
You may even end up realizing more paid time off isnt what you really want.
That can be worth thousands of dollars.
If at First You Dont Succeed…
There was some fear since women with young children can be considered a liability, Basse said.
I decided that more time to travel and volunteer at my childrens school is more important.
And if her boss had ultimately said no deal?
But you wont know that you have to move on to negotiating something different unless you ask.
And that skill could come in handy the next time you ask for those extra vacation days.
Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a staff writer/editor at The Penny Hoarder.
Readher bio and other work here, then catch her on Twitter @TiffanyWendeln.
When you log into your bank account, how do your savings look?
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
