posted by Catherine on Aug 6
Are you working for a company that are looking to save money without losing staff?
Then why not offer to help them by taking 6 months off to work in an orphanage in Africa or rescue wildlife in Central Asia?
Maybe your company haven’t thought of letting staff take reduced or unpaid time off to help save money. So why not tell them?
How Will It Help My Bosses?
When your company pay your wages, they also have to pay other contributions on your behalf as well as many other expenses that you may not have really though about.
So, when you take unpaid leave – you could be saving them more than just your salary. I’m not talking pensions, petrol and other expenses here, I’m talking general costs.
Take the following things as examples:
Toiletries: Toilet paper, tissues, soap, dryers are all used on a daily basis by all staff, running up energy bills and paying companies to do the dirty work.
Cafeterias: Ordering, cooking, preparing, eating and disposing of food and drinks isn’t cheap – and there is always waste. If your company know they have less staff, they can cut down on deliveries and reduce waste.
Other Vending: Water coolers, hot drink machines and food vending machines can all be re-filled less often if there are less staff – therefore lower costs of maintenance and staff to refill them.
Stationery: I know people will still need to use stationery even while you are away, but there will be a noticable reduction in use if there are less people in the office. For one: there will be less people to leave notes for – so your Post-It notes use will drop! Less pens will get ‘lost’ or taken home by accident, less email to print, etc……
Other Benefits To Your Bosses:
If they can reduce outgoings with reduced wages then they may well be able to stay in business and pull through the current financial crisis. Therefore – you are actually helping to make sure that you keep your job!
Your gap year may also help you to learn new skills and bring them back to the company on your return. For example, many developing countries have to learn to make do with less – and the skills and techniques that you pick up while working abroad could really benefit the company on your return.
You may even find that the skills that you bring back to your role are better and more usefull and applicaple in this changing climate – possibly even giving you better propects on your return!
However, make sure you check the details before you leave to make sure that you return to your role exactly as you left it – otherwise a great trip could be followed by a heavy thud back down to earth!
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