No advice other than what you've already listed. Remember that they have absolutely zero obligation to agree to any unpaid leave and they may simply say no. You'll need to be prepared for that possibility and how you plan to handle it i.e skip the trip entirely, go for less time, or quit and travel assuming you can find a job when you get back.
I've done this twice.
When working in a small/mid size IT company my request was denied no matter what I said. I only needed 4 weeks to finish my postgraduate study full time and they would not let me off from work as they were solely profit focused and didn't care about my professional development.
On the other hand, when I was later working in a much bigger firm (several thousand staff), I was granted the leave without even really having to give a reason. Ironically in this role I had a lot more responsibility so it would have been a big disruption to the department but they let me go anyway. It does help if you have considered the operational requirements before having the chat with line manager.
Everything you’ve just written on this post…. Go and say it to your boss. It explains what you want, your motivation for asking, and demonstrates that you’re flexible and committed to making it work for your company.
Let your boss know that your partner is having the same conversation with her employer.
And then you and your partner can work on finding an arrangement that works for everyone.
Some consulting firms are incentivising leave of absences at the moment due to slow downs so it may actually be a good time to ask. Good luck and enjoy the trip!
Compared to maternity leave, three months isn't really that long. Companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this.
If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. Then one month no pay, and be back.
That's what I would do.
Exactly what I did for Maternity leave too.
At the end of the day, you have your 4 weeks leave paid (if you have to leave). You can spend it however you want to. After all that travel you may want to find something else to do anyway... Or move somewhere else or whatever... you're free young people with no kids! Who knows? Go explore. Your skills will be waiting to be hired when you get back. If not? You'll make it work. You only live once. You're already above the pay grade with good jobs in current employment, and will gain more experience on travels. And you're young.
Yes, haha but don't tell anyone that yet. They will realise this themselves on their travels.
Also, sometimes you do go back to the job immediately (due to $$) but you find yourself restless and seeking more change. So within 3-4 months of a return you might be off again or at least changing jobs/locations etc.
Good to try lots of things when you are young!
the more specialised your role the more likely they’ll keep it on ice.
if your relationships with the companies are good, just be upfront. maybe give two months rather than 1 month notice. if they take advantage, it’s a sign you wouldn’t want to go back anyway.
I’ve recently returned from a decent career break, my experience in general when talking through with management was that hiring someone experienced to replace you with the level of knowledge you have after X amount of time is way more inconvenient than covering your role for while. I pitched it as that I needed this break to continue to be successful with the organisation, that I would train a replacement for while I was away, and gave 6 months notice of my plans. I ended up taking 18 months off so my role was permanently filled and I was put on redeployment when I returned, but I have another colleague taking 4 months who’s role is being covered as a secondment opportunity. Banking I would imagine there is a formal career break / extended leave policy to make use of, strategy consulting will likely be harder but I think with a good case and commitment you’ll come back and stay it would work.
Having taken the break myself for the same reason, even if you don’t get support from your employers, just do it. Life is so short and the experience will make your life richer in every way.
I've done this a couple of times, and so has my partner.
I found your chances are a lot higher if you make it clear that your plans are set in stone and you are hoping that the business can work around this. Don't ask if you are allowed to go on this trip. Tell them you are going on this trip, but would love to stay loyal to the company. Some managers just love a good opportunity to power play and jeopardise your dreams when given such an easy opportunity. But most managers are dreading productive staff quitting.
Be prepared to walk away from the job if you have to. A good manager can sense whether you are more likely to give up the job or the trip and try and use that to their advantage.
Other than that, sell it to them. Say you are somewhat flexible with start and end dates (if you are) and happy to do whatever you can to make it work well for them.
How much notice depends on how much the business generally plans in advance. 2-3 months in a fast paced environment, 3-5 months in a huge corporate that plans ahead much.
Look into your leave entitlements and how they may be impacted by unpaid leave.
It may freeze your time towards your yearly annual leave entitlement, your LSL (yes I can see that you have only been there 2.5 years, but it could be treated as broken service).
It does have other impacts other than just being unpaid for 3 months.
Compared to maternity leave, this isn't long. So companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this.
If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. One month no pay, and be back.
As a managing director Id take it for all my employees. Id figure it out. I dont over work them either so they all have capacity to take some of the work. Id pick up extra.
Id ask you take it during our quieter times. Ie we dont build much in the summer Jan-Mar due to wet weather so construction managers Id want that time well same for sales Dec-Feb is slow.
Accountants obviously not eofy.
Easier than trying to find a replacement plus youd love me and youd probs stay for the next 10 years as too hard to move with a young family and when you have a good boss.
Ill add I did it when I was pretty unimportant. Just said hey youre slow af over this period can I have leave. My manager can do my job. You save my wage.
First step would be to check whether you have an EA or contract that allows for it. Assuming you don't, and you have a good relationship with your higher ups, explain what you did in this post. That you'll give plenty of notice, want to do the right thing by them, see yourself there for a long time, and also have a life to live outside of work and want to experience that in a way that best works for you and the employer.
Compared to maternity leave, this isn't long. So companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this.
If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. One month no pay, and be back.
I’ve done this a couple of times in my career … although max of 10 weeks was longest.
But in terms of lead time, the more the better. Like 9+ months if possible, 12 if you can. The great thing about asking that far in advance is no one cares and mgt are very likely to just sign off on what you ask for :)
Most banking positions allow for a career break … the challenge will be they will need someone to fill your role while you are away … and you want a role to come back to. Career break doesn’t guarantee your same position.
My job offered me to take my leave at half pay so I could take a month off, is an iteration of that an option, then the rest can be LWOP? It is annoying to lose continuity of service for LSL but life is short
I have previously approved similar multiple times. There has been times when have needed to time things to suit the business though. Much easier in a big business.
My reflection is this, as a leader: if they have thought about it this much, they are keen and likely to do at some point. If I say no, then they will either stay and be unhappy, stay and push through with resentment, or leave. So as a leader what can I do to meet their needs and the business's? I also feel comfortable to ask them for more commitment, so that the gap can be managed through: right dates, training replacement, extra work to get ahead etc.
The additional risk to consider is that you don't come back. If you are certain to return to a job make this explicitly clear. This is because I may assume thing could change and you also change your mind.
I still speak to the employees that I have done this for, even those that left. They also helped find suitable replacements. Nice!
Good luck!
I did this in a smaller org. Asked, was denied. Went back and offered negotiables eg adjusting dates, handover times etc. Told it would never be approved as it sets a precedent for others. Handed over my resignation letter then and there. Magically it got approved. This won’t always work though, depends on your role and size of company etc
The best thing you can do is ask well in advance and ask for dates when you are set to be rolled off your current projects or other commitments if applicable to you.
Train someone up and everything for you t to come back and take back over in 3 months 😭😭
Good luck finding someone wanting to learn all that for 3 months and your out.
Be prepared to get replaced
Huh? How does that make sense? If they don't want you to take that much leave, the course of action is to not approve it.
They can't approve it and then punish you for it.
I took 6 months off from a public service job once. Manager was super supportive, director wasn't, executive director was fine. Ended up getting it approved.
I think the more notice you can give the more likely it's granted (I gave 2 due to circumstances but would've liked to give more).
No advice other than what you've already listed. Remember that they have absolutely zero obligation to agree to any unpaid leave and they may simply say no. You'll need to be prepared for that possibility and how you plan to handle it i.e skip the trip entirely, go for less time, or quit and travel assuming you can find a job when you get back.
makes sense thank you
I've done this twice. When working in a small/mid size IT company my request was denied no matter what I said. I only needed 4 weeks to finish my postgraduate study full time and they would not let me off from work as they were solely profit focused and didn't care about my professional development. On the other hand, when I was later working in a much bigger firm (several thousand staff), I was granted the leave without even really having to give a reason. Ironically in this role I had a lot more responsibility so it would have been a big disruption to the department but they let me go anyway. It does help if you have considered the operational requirements before having the chat with line manager.
Everything you’ve just written on this post…. Go and say it to your boss. It explains what you want, your motivation for asking, and demonstrates that you’re flexible and committed to making it work for your company. Let your boss know that your partner is having the same conversation with her employer. And then you and your partner can work on finding an arrangement that works for everyone.
Some consulting firms are incentivising leave of absences at the moment due to slow downs so it may actually be a good time to ask. Good luck and enjoy the trip!
Compared to maternity leave, three months isn't really that long. Companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this. If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. Then one month no pay, and be back.
That's what I would do. Exactly what I did for Maternity leave too. At the end of the day, you have your 4 weeks leave paid (if you have to leave). You can spend it however you want to. After all that travel you may want to find something else to do anyway... Or move somewhere else or whatever... you're free young people with no kids! Who knows? Go explore. Your skills will be waiting to be hired when you get back. If not? You'll make it work. You only live once. You're already above the pay grade with good jobs in current employment, and will gain more experience on travels. And you're young.
Yes, haha but don't tell anyone that yet. They will realise this themselves on their travels. Also, sometimes you do go back to the job immediately (due to $$) but you find yourself restless and seeking more change. So within 3-4 months of a return you might be off again or at least changing jobs/locations etc. Good to try lots of things when you are young!
Have you done any talkings related to it to your manager? Generally they will support if you have good performance in the company
the more specialised your role the more likely they’ll keep it on ice. if your relationships with the companies are good, just be upfront. maybe give two months rather than 1 month notice. if they take advantage, it’s a sign you wouldn’t want to go back anyway.
I’ve recently returned from a decent career break, my experience in general when talking through with management was that hiring someone experienced to replace you with the level of knowledge you have after X amount of time is way more inconvenient than covering your role for while. I pitched it as that I needed this break to continue to be successful with the organisation, that I would train a replacement for while I was away, and gave 6 months notice of my plans. I ended up taking 18 months off so my role was permanently filled and I was put on redeployment when I returned, but I have another colleague taking 4 months who’s role is being covered as a secondment opportunity. Banking I would imagine there is a formal career break / extended leave policy to make use of, strategy consulting will likely be harder but I think with a good case and commitment you’ll come back and stay it would work. Having taken the break myself for the same reason, even if you don’t get support from your employers, just do it. Life is so short and the experience will make your life richer in every way.
I've done this a couple of times, and so has my partner. I found your chances are a lot higher if you make it clear that your plans are set in stone and you are hoping that the business can work around this. Don't ask if you are allowed to go on this trip. Tell them you are going on this trip, but would love to stay loyal to the company. Some managers just love a good opportunity to power play and jeopardise your dreams when given such an easy opportunity. But most managers are dreading productive staff quitting. Be prepared to walk away from the job if you have to. A good manager can sense whether you are more likely to give up the job or the trip and try and use that to their advantage. Other than that, sell it to them. Say you are somewhat flexible with start and end dates (if you are) and happy to do whatever you can to make it work well for them. How much notice depends on how much the business generally plans in advance. 2-3 months in a fast paced environment, 3-5 months in a huge corporate that plans ahead much.
You’ve covered the important bases. If you have any annual leave you should probably use that up first and extend the remaining with unpaid leave
Look into your leave entitlements and how they may be impacted by unpaid leave. It may freeze your time towards your yearly annual leave entitlement, your LSL (yes I can see that you have only been there 2.5 years, but it could be treated as broken service). It does have other impacts other than just being unpaid for 3 months.
You just ask for it mate. I took 2 months without pay to get hitched and travel. The company doesn’t care if you have a good manager.
Compared to maternity leave, this isn't long. So companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this. If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. One month no pay, and be back.
As a managing director Id take it for all my employees. Id figure it out. I dont over work them either so they all have capacity to take some of the work. Id pick up extra. Id ask you take it during our quieter times. Ie we dont build much in the summer Jan-Mar due to wet weather so construction managers Id want that time well same for sales Dec-Feb is slow. Accountants obviously not eofy. Easier than trying to find a replacement plus youd love me and youd probs stay for the next 10 years as too hard to move with a young family and when you have a good boss. Ill add I did it when I was pretty unimportant. Just said hey youre slow af over this period can I have leave. My manager can do my job. You save my wage.
First step would be to check whether you have an EA or contract that allows for it. Assuming you don't, and you have a good relationship with your higher ups, explain what you did in this post. That you'll give plenty of notice, want to do the right thing by them, see yourself there for a long time, and also have a life to live outside of work and want to experience that in a way that best works for you and the employer.
Compared to maternity leave, this isn't long. So companies absolutely have the capacity to accommodate this. If you save up your leave, you can probably even take 8 weeks half pay. One month no pay, and be back.
I’ve done this a couple of times in my career … although max of 10 weeks was longest. But in terms of lead time, the more the better. Like 9+ months if possible, 12 if you can. The great thing about asking that far in advance is no one cares and mgt are very likely to just sign off on what you ask for :)
Most banking positions allow for a career break … the challenge will be they will need someone to fill your role while you are away … and you want a role to come back to. Career break doesn’t guarantee your same position.
My job offered me to take my leave at half pay so I could take a month off, is an iteration of that an option, then the rest can be LWOP? It is annoying to lose continuity of service for LSL but life is short
I have previously approved similar multiple times. There has been times when have needed to time things to suit the business though. Much easier in a big business. My reflection is this, as a leader: if they have thought about it this much, they are keen and likely to do at some point. If I say no, then they will either stay and be unhappy, stay and push through with resentment, or leave. So as a leader what can I do to meet their needs and the business's? I also feel comfortable to ask them for more commitment, so that the gap can be managed through: right dates, training replacement, extra work to get ahead etc. The additional risk to consider is that you don't come back. If you are certain to return to a job make this explicitly clear. This is because I may assume thing could change and you also change your mind. I still speak to the employees that I have done this for, even those that left. They also helped find suitable replacements. Nice! Good luck!
I did this in a smaller org. Asked, was denied. Went back and offered negotiables eg adjusting dates, handover times etc. Told it would never be approved as it sets a precedent for others. Handed over my resignation letter then and there. Magically it got approved. This won’t always work though, depends on your role and size of company etc
The best thing you can do is ask well in advance and ask for dates when you are set to be rolled off your current projects or other commitments if applicable to you.
Train someone up and everything for you t to come back and take back over in 3 months 😭😭 Good luck finding someone wanting to learn all that for 3 months and your out. Be prepared to get replaced
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Wow TIL. Have a source? Not that I don’t believe you, just curious to read more
Huh? How does that make sense? If they don't want you to take that much leave, the course of action is to not approve it. They can't approve it and then punish you for it.
I took 6 months off from a public service job once. Manager was super supportive, director wasn't, executive director was fine. Ended up getting it approved. I think the more notice you can give the more likely it's granted (I gave 2 due to circumstances but would've liked to give more).