Mana’s Unofficial Guide To Extended Leave At Work

Note: this guide is non-comprehensive! Taking leave is not one-size-fits-all experience, and the associated circumstances should be given individual care and support. If you are considering taking an extended work leave, we encourage you to consult financial, legal and/or clinical counsel to help optimize your decision and outcomes.

It has been a complicated and rocky few years for US employees, especially those working in tech. The impacts of economic volatility have been massive. In fact, more than 170,000 tech workers have been laid off in the past year, perhaps signaling a cold end to an era of carefree optimism and exponential growth in many familiar industries. For those who were not directly affected by layoffs, workplace vibes have shifted to deeper focus, doing more with less, and often, greater pressure to succeed. It’s no surprise that all of this has taken a toll on people’s mental health, with burnout numbers on the rise. Fortunately, many big companies offer benefits to help employees take care of their personal lives and wellbeing. It’s easy to overlook these benefits for the sake of continuing to work, especially when the climate feels more desperate or competitive. That’s why we wanted to provide a high-level guide to taking leave.

Today’s blog is a reminder that taking time off from work can be a career-saving decision, and often helps employees come back stronger and more productive. It may feel scary to pursue, but it shouldn't be difficult. Read on for our high-level advice on how to gracefully pursue and go on an extended work leave.

Types of leave

Before we discuss the considerations of going on personal leave, we want to briefly cover the types of leave that exist in most workplaces:

Vacation or paid time off (PTO) - full time roles almost always come with a vacation policy. The amount of time and how that time accrues varies widely by company (some tech companies even offer unlimited vacation days), and should be managed by employees accordingly. Some companies have a maximum number of vacation days allowed, so if you’re pushing up against your limit, here’s a reminder to take some days off and relax!
Sick days - full time roles also typically come with sick day policies, which again, vary by company. Get to know your policy and use it when needed.
Maternity and paternity leave - another standard offering at many companies. We’ve blogged about this in the past, and we encourage readers who are family planning to get familiar with your company’s policies and make a plan well ahead of time.
Bereavement leave - this is a more modern benefit that is commonly offered at tech companies. If you experience the loss of a loved one (even a pet), your company might offer time off to mourn and process. This tends to be an underused benefit, so we also encourage readers to learn about what options they have available.
Extended paid leave, including mental and physical health, educational leave and sabbaticals - this is the type of leave we are primarily focused on in today’s blog. While the previously listed types of time off are usually widely advertised and have clear rules for use, other forms of extended leave are often less acknowledged and opaque to employees. However, taking extended paid leave can be one of the best decisions you can make in your career.
Unpaid leave - this is another form of leave that we want to highlight. While it is less desirable than paid leave, there are many circumstances where employees absolutely need to take personal time, and knowing your rights in this case is very important.

When is the right time to take personal leave?

If your company has a policy supporting personal leave, and you are struggling to get your work done for more than one week due to a mental or physical health issue, it is worth taking time off. Full stop.

This is often a hard pill to swallow for employees, but the tough facts are that you, and only you, must take care of your health. Your company can not and will not do this for you. Neither will your manager or co-workers. Especially in the case of psychological hardships like depression, anxiety, insomnia and mood disorders, many employees fail to proactively manage their symptoms and wait until it is “too late”, e.g., they are already failing at their job. Another way of looking at this issue is, you shouldn’t wait until you are operating at or close to 0% capacity. Taking leave when you are at 60-70% capacity will not only keep your team in a better place, but in many cases it will allow you to come back quicker and in better condition (it’s preferable to take 2 weeks of leave when you initially recognize your limitations than 6 months of leave when you’ve already been low to non-functioning for weeks). Additionally, if you have these benefits and need them, you should use them! That’s why they’re offered.

Basic considerations for personal leave

If you’ve decided to pursue leave, the first thing to get clear on are your rights in the workplace. Every employee should understand the implications of the Family Medical Leave Act, which entitles you to job-protected leave for 12 workweeks in a 12 month period, covering:

the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;
care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job;
any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or
Twenty-six work weeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the service member's spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin (military caregiver leave).

This means that if you qualify for any of the scenarios above (in some cases, you will need to provide proof of a condition to your employer), you cannot be fired during your 12 weeks of leave. In many cases, companies also provide paid protection during this period of leave.

The second thing to do is research the types of leave benefits offered at your company and decide which one fits your needs. Some offerings are very specific, like educational leave, where companies support employees advancing their workplace knowledge and skill by going back to school, or sabbaticals, where employees may pursue other personal projects or self betterment for an extended period of time. Some companies offer extended physical and mental health leave, which are generally flexible and vary in their details company to company. Researching your eligibility can feel daunting, especially if you are already struggling. We highly recommend leaning on HR teams for support in this process. If you have a supportive manager who you can trust, open up the conversation with them. Don’t let fear or shame prevent you from accessing the necessary resources and gaining a full understanding of your options.

Finally, you’ll want to plan ahead by getting any documentation necessary to pursue leave. This usually entails a obtaining note or form completion by a healthcare professional to outline your needs. Make sure that it is indicated that you cannot work during your leave, and that the rationale leaves no question about your eligibility.

Functional workplace considerations for leave

Once you’ve decided to go on leave, it’s important to prepare and help others succeed in your temporary absence. We have a few recommendations to help things go smoothly:

Create a transition plan: if you have the capacity, create a document or spreadsheet that outlines your work expectations and offers suggestions for prioritization, coverage, and things that can drop or be delayed. Circulate this document before you go on leave, and seek help from your manager on the appropriate level of detail. P.S., this process feels a lot smoother and you’ll be able to execute more confidently once you know your rights and benefits, so don’t start this until after you’re clear on the exact nature and length of leave you plan to take.
Set boundaries: make it clear that you will not be working during your leave, and identify a list of contacts that co-workers can rely on while you’re out. The point of leave is to be spending time away from work stress, so you want to set yourself up for success in avoiding pings and requests.
Minimize surprise and take action early: let people know as soon as you’ve made your decision. It’s possible that your team will want to help you create your transition document, or that some teammates will want to volunteer to take on certain tasks. Once again, don’t be ashamed of the situation, and let people know what to expect so they can plan accordingly.
Protect your privacy: Creating a detailed transition plan does not mean you need to let coworkers know the details of your leave. Talk to HR about your rights regarding health disclosure in the workplace, and don’t feel obligated to share any personal news that you otherwise wouldn’t want to. Your leave should benefit everyone, and no one should be asking or judging if you meet eligibility.
Develop your self-care plan: This is the main point of your leave. Work with your healthcare professionals, family and friends to build a care plan that serves your needs and feels achievable. Ensure that you come back stronger, more focused and ready to do your best again at your job.
Show gratitude and give thanks: As a reminder, it’s always a good idea to thank your co-workers and support system for helping you during an extended leave. Public gratitude, if you feel comfortable offering it, can also help normalize leave in the workplace and show its benefit.

Coming back from leave

Remember that you don’t have to snap back into hyperdrive when you return from personal leave. Set small, accomplishable goals for your first few days back. Make sure you restart in a good place, and definitely don’t pressure yourself to play catch up or overcompensate for your time off. Treat your return like any other day at work, and focus on getting the basic, important things done. Ramping back up and avoiding burnout should be treated as equally important in this time period.

Here at Mana, we believe in the amazing power of our readers and clients to succeed in the workplace, but we know that part of that power is recognizing your limits and practicing the self-awareness and care needed to continue operating at a high level. We know that taking extended leave can be a form of harnessing this power for optimal long term outcomes. Leave, especially mental health leave, feels like a taboo term for many, and we want to shift that narrative. So many companies have progressive benefits in this space, and those who need them shouldn’t feel shame in using them. We hope this article helps destigmatize this process.

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Madison Elliott is a UX Researcher at Google. Madison consults on data engineering and usability at Mana Financial Life Design (FLD). Mana FLD provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management services to help clients grow and protect their wealth throughout life’s journey. Mana FLD specializes in advising ambitious professionals who seek financial knowledge and want to implement creative budgeting, savings, proactive planning and powerful investment strategies. Madison brings her combined background in cognitive science, computer science and clinical psychology with her professional UX design and engineering experience to optimize workflows at Mana FLD and improve people’s lives.