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Speaker 1: On this week's episode of Cultivating her Space. I think

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Speaker 1: that we live in a world where the possibilities are

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Speaker 1: really endless, So get creative and think about what's going

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Speaker 1: to make my life more fulfilling. I think that is

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Speaker 1: the goal right there, to kind of figure out what

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Speaker 1: you desire, what you want, and then go out and

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Speaker 1: build that ideal life and the ideal arrangement for yourself.

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Speaker 2: Hey lady, have you ever felt like the world just

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Speaker 2: doesn't get you? Well, we do.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Cultivating her Space, the podcast dedicated to uplifting

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Speaker 1: and empowering women like you.

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Speaker 2: We're your hosts, Doctor Dominique Brussard and educator and psychologists.

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Speaker 1: And Terry Lomax, a techie and transformational speaker.

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Speaker 2: Join us every week for authentic conversations about everything from

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Speaker 2: fibroids to fake friends as we create space for black

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Speaker 2: women to just be.

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Speaker 1: Before we dive in, make sure you hit that file

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Speaker 1: button and leave us a quick five star review. Lady.

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Speaker 1: We are black founded and black owned, and your support

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Speaker 1: will help us reach even more women like you.

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Speaker 2: Now, let's get into this week's episode of Cultivating her Space.

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Speaker 2: Hey lady, it's doctor dom here from the Cultivating her

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Speaker 2: Space podcast. Are you currently a resident of the state

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Speaker 2: of California and contemplating starting your therapy journey, Well, if so,

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Speaker 2: please reach out to me at doctor Dominique Brusard dot com.

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Speaker 2: That's d R D O M I N I q

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Speaker 2: U E B R O U ss ar D dot

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Speaker 2: com to schedule a free fifteen minute consultation. I look

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Speaker 2: forward to hearing from you. Our quote of the day,

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Speaker 2: taking PTO is not a luxury, It is a necessity.

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Speaker 2: Taking care of yourself is not slacking. It is strategy.

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Speaker 2: That quote comes to us from Patrice Heral Carter, and

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna say that again for the folks in the

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Speaker 2: back who like to feel like they're superwoman and they

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Speaker 2: gotta do all the things. Taking PTO is not a luxury.

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Speaker 2: It is a necessity. Taking care of yourself is not slacking.

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Speaker 2: It is strategy. Who okay, tee mm hmm, all right,

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Speaker 2: you know my question? You know my question.

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Speaker 1: That's a word. Okay, this quote. Yes, to be honest,

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Speaker 1: when I hear this quote, I'm just saying Amen, I say,

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Speaker 1: I'm clapping, I'm stomped, like, Yes, this is I think

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Speaker 1: many of us need this reminder because as you said

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Speaker 1: taking PTO is not a luxury. When you read that,

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Speaker 1: I was like, damn, I don't take enough time off,

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Speaker 1: like I know for sure, and working in tech having

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Speaker 1: unlimited PTO, I don't take nearly as much as I could.

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Speaker 1: And I also I rarely take sick days. So I'm

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Speaker 1: just I'm excited for this episode because I think that

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Speaker 1: it's a reminder that, like you said, some of us

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Speaker 1: are Superwoman. We think we Superwoman, we be showing up

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Speaker 1: as Superwoman. But I think this is the season for

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Speaker 1: many of us to put that cape aside and really

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Speaker 1: foreign to ourselves. So when you hear this quote, don

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Speaker 1: what does it make you think of what comes up

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Speaker 1: for you?

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Speaker 2: The same things that come up for you right around.

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Speaker 2: Like I'm not in an industry where I have unlimited PTO.

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Speaker 1: But.

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Speaker 2: It makes me think about, Okay, well, how am I

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Speaker 2: using my PTO right? Recognizing that I do have a

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Speaker 2: limited amount of of vacation time and sick time, and

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Speaker 2: I'm in a job where those two categories are split.

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Speaker 2: I recognize that there are some people who it's all

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Speaker 2: one bucket and they have a limited amount of time.

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Speaker 2: I'm also aware that there are some people that are

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Speaker 2: in jobs that you take time off, you're not getting paid. Like,

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Speaker 2: if you don't work, you don't get paid. So whether

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Speaker 2: that's an hourly position that doesn't have any benefits, or

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Speaker 2: you're self employed, right, Like I think about my private practice.

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Speaker 2: When I have times where I have to take vacation

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Speaker 2: from my private practice, I'm not getting paid, and so

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Speaker 2: I think about that and think, so I think about

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Speaker 2: the varied situations that all of us might be in

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Speaker 2: as I'm coming into this conversation right of like, what

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Speaker 2: do we do to maximize our job benefits and the

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Speaker 2: taking time off? I believe no matter what your situation is,

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Speaker 2: it is to your overall benefit to make sure that

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Speaker 2: you take time off. And so even if you're in

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Speaker 2: a position where when you take time you don't get paid,

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Speaker 2: there are still ways in which you can be strategic

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Speaker 2: about that to make it so that you're not losing

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Speaker 2: out on money. And we'll talk about that as we

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Speaker 2: get deeper into the episode.

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Speaker 1: Oh yes we will, so, lady, as you can already tell,

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Speaker 1: we are talking about something that many people overlook. Our

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Speaker 1: job benefit benefits might not sound like a sexy topic,

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Speaker 1: but listen, if you're out here grinding out every day,

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Speaker 1: and you know how we do. We often go above

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Speaker 1: and beyond. You owe it to yourself to take full

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Speaker 1: advantage of what's available to you, and trust me, there's

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Speaker 1: likely more than you think, and we're going to cover

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Speaker 1: some of that today. Okay. We're diving into PTO hacks,

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Speaker 1: including a calendar strategy to help you plan your time

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Speaker 1: around holidays for maximum days away, sick day strategies, hidden

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Speaker 1: perks your job might have, and for those of you

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Speaker 1: that don't have fancy benefits package, we got some tips

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Speaker 1: for you too, okay, because everyone deserves work life balance,

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Speaker 1: no matter what kind of job you have. So by

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Speaker 1: the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how to

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Speaker 1: maximize the benefits you do have, how to ask for more,

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Speaker 1: and what to do if your job isn't given what

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Speaker 1: it should be given. Okay, so let's go ahead and

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Speaker 1: dive into number one. We're going to talk about PTO

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Speaker 1: and vacation hacks, and the quote that we're going to

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Speaker 1: ground ourselves with for this portion of the conversation, lady,

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Speaker 1: is that rest is not a luxury, it's strategy, all right,

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Speaker 1: So let's dive into PTO and vacation hacks time. So

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Speaker 1: I think one thing that we should think about is

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Speaker 1: the fact that some of these policies are use it

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Speaker 1: before you lose it, so it does not roll over

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Speaker 1: into the next year, and so it's really important to understand, like,

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Speaker 1: what is my balance? Right? So every year, thousands of

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Speaker 1: employees they lose PTO because they don't use it in time,

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Speaker 1: and that could be you, lady. So when you think

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Speaker 1: about it, many companies that I've worked at least they

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Speaker 1: reset the PTO balances at the end of the year

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Speaker 1: or a specific time of year, whatever the fiscal year

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Speaker 1: is for that company. And so some jobs allow for

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Speaker 1: PTO to roll over, but often they have limits. So

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Speaker 1: it's just something to keep in mind as you're thinking

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Speaker 1: about your PTO.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I think that a lot of times, a lot

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Speaker 2: of places have I'm thinking about academia specifically, almost every

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Speaker 2: place that I've worked at. If you are not within academia,

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Speaker 2: if you are in a staff role or administration role,

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Speaker 2: not necessarily faculty, because faculty have a whole other way

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Speaker 2: in which they can maximize on their benefits. That's a

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Speaker 2: whole different conversation. But if you are in a position

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Speaker 2: where they are tracking your vacation sick time. There are limits.

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Speaker 2: Like you mentioned, most companies that I've seen usually have

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Speaker 2: a two hundred forty hour limit. So that is, if

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Speaker 2: we do the math, we work forty hours a week,

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Speaker 2: we give for most employers have a forty hour work week.

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Speaker 2: That's six weeks of vacation time. That's the max that

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Speaker 2: you are allowed to keep. I have seen. I have

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Speaker 2: seen it where there have been people that I've worked

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Speaker 2: with that have been forced to take six weeks of

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Speaker 2: vacation or they were going to lose that two hundred

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Speaker 2: and forty hours on top of the two hundred and

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Speaker 2: forty that they are allowed to have rollover. So that

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Speaker 2: mean when I do the math on that, that means

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Speaker 2: you're sitting on twelve weeks of vacation term. I personally,

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Speaker 2: that's not how I roll in life. I'm always like

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Speaker 2: trying to make sure I'm not in a deficit because

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Speaker 2: I take my vacation time and so make sure the

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Speaker 2: benefit of taking time off is that that is time

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Speaker 2: for you to rest and reset and recharge. That's time

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Speaker 2: that you get to spend with friends, you get to

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Speaker 2: spend with family, or you can spend with yourself. Also,

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Speaker 2: The thing that people don't often acknowledge is that that

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Speaker 2: is money on the table. If you don't use that

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Speaker 2: vacation time, that is money that is going back to

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Speaker 2: your employer. Don't give them that money, don't do it.

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Speaker 2: Take that time. If you get paid vacation time, take

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Speaker 2: that time.

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Speaker 1: And I think a good action step here would be

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Speaker 1: to lady today, like, hopefully as you're listening to the episode,

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Speaker 1: you can be journaling, writing down your own notes and epiphanies.

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Speaker 1: But check your PTO balance today instead of reminder to

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Speaker 1: track it quarterly and then playing your days accordingly. Right. So,

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Speaker 1: one of the other tips that you can take on

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Speaker 1: is to stack your time off strategically. So pair PTO

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Speaker 1: with holidays and weekends for extended breaks. There is a

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Speaker 1: link that we're going to add in the show notes.

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Speaker 1: I'm actually going to send it over right now, and

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Speaker 1: this link is basically a pro tip on how to

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Speaker 1: maximize your vacation days and so it can turn eleven

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Speaker 1: PTO days into forty four vacation days. I actually did

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Speaker 1: this last year, dom I found the guide. I did

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Speaker 1: it last year, and I had such a great winter

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Speaker 1: break because of how I strategically mapped it out, So lady,

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Speaker 1: be intentional instead of taking random days off, look at

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Speaker 1: your calendar, right, schedule it in a way where you

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Speaker 1: can maximize your time off. So example, for example, right,

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Speaker 1: if a holiday falls on a Thursday, take Friday off

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Speaker 1: or even Monday, and you can get you a longer weekend. Right.

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Speaker 1: And if you have unlimited PTO use the long weekends

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Speaker 1: wisely because that can help you stay refresh or feel

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Speaker 1: refreshed without burning through all your days. Because you know

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Speaker 1: how sometimes you take a vacation and then you need

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Speaker 1: a vacation from the vacation. Like plan everything accordingly.

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Speaker 2: Yes, And I think that goes into the next thing

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Speaker 2: about planning your year in advance. Right. So if you know,

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Speaker 2: most companies, by November at the latest, they have released

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Speaker 2: the holidays, the paid company holidays for the year, right,

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Speaker 2: and so look at those holidays and map out your

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Speaker 2: time off for the whole year now. And I also

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Speaker 2: I do reckonognize that it truly depends on your industry, right,

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Speaker 2: and so looking at your industry, be strategic. In academia,

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Speaker 2: we know that those days in between Christmas and New

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Speaker 2: Year's depending on your university and what their policies are.

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Speaker 2: It may be that those days are not paid holidays,

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Speaker 2: so you may want to plan in advance to take

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Speaker 2: those days as vacation days. Right if you work in retail, though,

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Speaker 2: the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas,

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Speaker 2: those are big days in the retail industry, and so

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Speaker 2: maybe you want to take those days off because you

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Speaker 2: know that your family has plans, so you request those

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Speaker 2: that time off in January, because some companies operate from

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Speaker 2: a space of whoever I ask first, And if you

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Speaker 2: wait till November to ask for time off, at the

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Speaker 2: end of November and December, you're not gonna get it.

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Speaker 2: So plan your year in advance.

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Speaker 1: And speaking of that time, I remember back when I

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Speaker 1: worked in Reds Life and residence life, like on university campuses,

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Speaker 1: and like you said, a lot of times the holiday

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Speaker 1: season was like hot. Everybody wanted to schedule time off.

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Speaker 1: And so another thing you can do when it comes

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Speaker 1: to being strategic here is I typically wouldn't have a

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Speaker 1: lot of big plans for the holiday season, so when

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Speaker 1: people needed help or they're like, oh, can you take

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Speaker 1: this day? I was like, sure, I got you. I

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Speaker 1: know I'm already going to be here. So I'm building

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Speaker 1: a plan that works with my life. So I take

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Speaker 1: all these days, I do these favors, and of course reciprocity, right,

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Speaker 1: I'm expected or they're expected to pay me back in

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Speaker 1: some way, and so that way, if I can take

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Speaker 1: on a larger load, it's going to be usually it's

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Speaker 1: really like light, it's not as busy around that time,

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Speaker 1: and then I can get a favor later and have

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Speaker 1: someone else take a day for me. And so I

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Speaker 1: think it's all about perspective as well. You all like

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Speaker 1: when you think about it, right, your job does not

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Speaker 1: own your time. I know it feels like they do

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Speaker 1: a lot of times, but we own our time like

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Speaker 1: it's our job and it's our right. I want to say,

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Speaker 1: to build the life of our dreams based on how

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Speaker 1: our life is set up. So, for instance, one of

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Speaker 1: the things I used to do with my old job

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Speaker 1: was I would I'd be working all crazy, working all

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Speaker 1: hours of the nights and weekends. And so with my

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Speaker 1: new role, I put some boundaries in place, and I

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Speaker 1: also put some markers on my calendar, so I have

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Speaker 1: drop off and pick up for my baby girls, so

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Speaker 1: that's on the calendar. So don't book over this, y'all.

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Speaker 1: And then some days I have a lunch break where

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Speaker 1: I go work out, so instead of working through my

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Speaker 1: lunch break like I used to do, and oh, I

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Speaker 1: got to do this and do this. No, you don't,

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Speaker 1: cause I know y'all saw this quote, right, Lord forbid,

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Speaker 1: if you were to pass to do it pass away today,

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Speaker 1: you know that job is going to have your job

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Speaker 1: post it up on LinkedIn and on indeed like clockwork, right.

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Speaker 1: So we need to be prioritizing our lives, our mental

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Speaker 1: health because this job, although it does afford us the

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Speaker 1: money to you know, for our lifestyle, it should not

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Speaker 1: be our end all, y'all. Like, it's really important for

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Speaker 1: us to try to find harmony and create space for

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Speaker 1: rest and prioritizing what's important to us.

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Speaker 2: Yes, And I think that takes us to the next

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Speaker 2: part of this is like also that last minute PTO,

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Speaker 2: don't be afraid to take that last minute day off. Right.

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Speaker 2: So let's say life has been lifing, the kids have

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Speaker 2: been sick, and I recognize that for parents, a lot

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Speaker 2: of your time off is related to planning around your children.

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Speaker 2: So if your child is home sick, now that's the

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Speaker 2: day that you have to take off, and that's pulling

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Speaker 2: out of your PTO. But your PTO is not just

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Speaker 2: for you to take care of your kids. Sometimes life

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Speaker 2: has just been lifing and you need a day for you.

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Speaker 2: Take that day as a therapist. I know that sometimes

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Speaker 2: it's hard for me, working in a college counseling center,

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Speaker 2: to say, Okay, wait, I woke up this morning, I'm

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Speaker 2: really not feeling well. In this post covid era, I

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Speaker 2: could say I'm not feeling well, I'm gonna work remote

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Speaker 2: and I'm gonna switch all of my in person sessions

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Speaker 2: to zoom. No, if I'm not feeling well, just because

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Speaker 2: I have that remote option doesn't mean that I need

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Speaker 2: to take it. If I am truly not feeling well,

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Speaker 2: it is okay for me to wake up in the

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Speaker 2: morning and acknowledge I am not feeling my best. I

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Speaker 2: could push through, but I shouldn't Let me reschedule those students,

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Speaker 2: let me reschedule those meetings. It is okay to take

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Speaker 2: that last minute PTO.

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Speaker 1: Amen to that don because I don't think we do

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Speaker 1: that enough. Like I remember feeling so guilty when I

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Speaker 1: would call out sick or things like that in the past.

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Speaker 1: But we I think in the season that we're in,

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Speaker 1: especially with everything going on in the world, we have

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Speaker 1: to pour into ourselves. And you're employed, they're gonna be

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Speaker 1: all right, Okay, if you take one day off, everything's

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Speaker 1: gonna be okay. Now, if you're a surgeon and you're

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Speaker 1: doing like your change, like you're doing that type of work,

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Speaker 1: we may need to do another episode for you because

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Speaker 1: that's a different type of stress and pressure. Either.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and even then, if you, no matter how important

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Speaker 2: your job is, if you are not feeling one hundred percent.

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Speaker 2: I'll be honest, if I'm a patient, listen, and my

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Speaker 2: surgeon is not feeling well, stay home. I might initially

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Speaker 2: I might initially, I'm gonna be real, I might initially

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Speaker 2: be pissed off about the inconvenience that it's causing me. However,

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Speaker 2: in the long run, would much rather have that surgeon

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Speaker 2: reschedule me to when they are feeling one hundred percent,

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Speaker 2: because the last thing I need is for them to

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Speaker 2: be for me to be under anesthesia, them to not

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Speaker 2: be at one hundred, and them to cause me more

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Speaker 2: damage that requires more surgery and possibly a lawsuit.

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Speaker 1: Let's not do it, Listen, won't want no smoke. Won't

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Speaker 1: want no problems.

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Speaker 2: Okay, take care of yourself.

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Speaker 1: Take care of yourself, and if you have unlimited PTO,

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Speaker 1: don't wait until it's convenient. There is never a good

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Speaker 1: time to take off. Just do it right, and if necessary,

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Speaker 1: you can frame it as a reset day to return

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Speaker 1: more energize and productive. And you don't always have to

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Speaker 1: go somewhere if it's PTO, because sometimes you might be like,

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Speaker 1: well girl, I got PTO, but maybe I don't have

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Speaker 1: the money to go to Bali or do this thing. Okay,

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Speaker 1: make it a staycation like stay home if you have to.

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Speaker 1: And it's crazy, Dom you heard this fact too, But

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Speaker 1: a lot of times people with unlimited PTO often take

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Speaker 1: less time off because there's no clear guideline on how

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Speaker 1: to use it. So, lady, I think planning your year

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Speaker 1: in advance, even if everything's not set in stone, but

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Speaker 1: having an idea on Okay, each quarter, I'm going to

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Speaker 1: take a mental health day, right, just put it on

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Speaker 1: the calendar so it's already there. If you're able to

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Speaker 1: block your calendar with the current job you have, do

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Speaker 1: that as well, so people know in advance, like I'm

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Speaker 1: taking some time off, you don't got to, you know,

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Speaker 1: give all the details, but set a PTO goal. And

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Speaker 1: if your company culture makes it awkward, lead by example,

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Speaker 1: because when one person starts using it, others feel in

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Speaker 1: power to do the same.

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Speaker 2: Yes. Yes, And I think the thing too is that

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Speaker 2: you're if you are truly strategic, that means that you

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Speaker 2: are doing your work. That means that if you take

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Speaker 2: so for me, like I know again, I constantly reference

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Speaker 2: working in academium, there points in the quarter of the

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Speaker 2: semester where it is stressful for everybody, And I know

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Speaker 2: personally it is helpful to take a day or two

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Speaker 2: at some point so that right before things get incredibly stressful,

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Speaker 2: so that I can have a reset, so that I

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Speaker 2: can come back in and I am refreshed and recharged

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Speaker 2: and I can handle all the stress that everyone else

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Speaker 2: is bringing into the space. And I've had to learn

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Speaker 2: to do that over the years. That wasn't an automatic understanding,

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Speaker 2: and it required releasing the shame and the guilt of like, oh,

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Speaker 2: but I have all of this happening. Nope, nope, nope,

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Speaker 2: take that day. Give yourself that time to reset so

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Speaker 2: that you can come back and energize, because that prevents

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Speaker 2: the burnout that tends to happen at the end of

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Speaker 2: the semester, reporter that everybody's experiencing.

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Speaker 1: Okay, because sometimes those days it can be so meaningful,

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Speaker 1: it makes such a difference. So let's cover real quick, lady.

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Speaker 1: We're going to cover a quick myth and then a

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Speaker 1: call to action for you that we encourage you to take.

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Speaker 1: And I'm going to take my own advice and do

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Speaker 1: this as well. So the myth is taking PTO or

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Speaker 1: this is a MythBuster. Let's say, taking PTO doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: you're lazy or uncommitted, all right, it means you're playing

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Speaker 1: the long game by protecting your energy, productivity and mental health. Yes, ah, okay,

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Speaker 1: take it in. And then the call to action for you, lady,

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Speaker 1: is to go ahead and schedule a PTO day. If

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Speaker 1: you have PTO before this episode ends, you can just

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Speaker 1: put it on the calendar, get it out there, and

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Speaker 1: then let us know on Instagram at her Space podcast

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Speaker 1: what you plan to do for your PTO day.

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Speaker 2: Okay, yes, yes, Sometimes at PTO day means that you

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Speaker 2: sleep in listen right, yes, and you ask somebody else

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Speaker 2: to get the kids to school. Sometimes it's you know

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Speaker 2: what you get up, you take the kids to school,

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Speaker 2: and then you go to have that massage, or you

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Speaker 2: go grab that coffee with the friend who works from

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Speaker 2: home and has more flexibility, right, or you go for

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Speaker 2: that drive, like you get to do that thing that

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Speaker 2: you've been wanting to do for a while but haven't

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Speaker 2: had the time to go ahead and take that day.

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Speaker 1: Got me excited? Dom all right now, don't want take

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Speaker 1: my pto? Yes, all right, lady, Let's talk about these

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Speaker 1: sick days and mental health breaks. Okay, because bernout costs

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Speaker 1: more than taking a day off, if we're gonna be real.

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Speaker 2: Yes it does, Yes, it does. So I can't stress

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Speaker 2: enough the importance of recognizing that, like I mentioned before,

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Speaker 2: like a sick day is not only when you were

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Speaker 2: like feeling deathly ill. A sick day is when you

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Speaker 2: need a mental health day. And a mental health day

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Speaker 2: is you know what, I am feeling stressed, I am

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Speaker 2: feeling burned out. I need a day to reset my mind.

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Speaker 2: A mental health day is A lot is going on

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Speaker 2: in the world, A lot is going on in my workplace.

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Speaker 2: I need a day to not deal with the things

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Speaker 2: that are happening in my workplace, with the things that

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Speaker 2: are happening in the world around me. I need a

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Speaker 2: day to have a break from my personal life responsibilities.

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Speaker 2: I just need a day. And I know, like it's

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Speaker 2: easy for us to say I'm deathly ill. I legit

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Speaker 2: can't get up out of this bed, I can't come

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Speaker 2: to work if we make time for that because we're

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Speaker 2: forced to. It is okay to make time for a

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Speaker 2: mental health day because what I know, what research has

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Speaker 2: shown is that when we are experiencing stress, we are

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Speaker 2: more susceptible to illness. Our immune system is lowered. And

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Speaker 2: so if you recognize that you're feeling stressed, take that

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Speaker 2: mental health day before it leads to a day when

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Speaker 2: you are forced to take time off. And I also

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Speaker 2: think about people who are on jobs where it's physically taxing.

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Speaker 2: When you are stressed, you are more likely to have

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Speaker 2: an on the job injury that then leads to to

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Speaker 2: more days when you are forced to be out of work,

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Speaker 2: forced to maybe then quit that job because you physically

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Speaker 2: can no longer do what you are supposed to do.

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Speaker 2: So when you recognize your stress, take that mental health day.

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Speaker 1: Girl. I cannot tell you how many times my because

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Speaker 1: I'm like ohm, my power through power through my body

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Speaker 1: has forced me to not be able to do anything,

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Speaker 1: or like I do, I catch a bad cold or

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Speaker 1: I get sick, and I'm like, dang, maybe I needed this,

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Speaker 1: not I'm able to refresh. But I don't like to

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Speaker 1: wait until my body forces me to do it. I

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Speaker 1: like to try my best to do it in advance,

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Speaker 1: because usually it's just a lot easier to choose that

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Speaker 1: path versus being forced. And the other thing that I'm

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Speaker 1: just like you were saying, stress, anxiety, and burnout often

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Speaker 1: manifest physically, right, So if you're having headaches, that's why

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Speaker 1: it's good to be in tune with our bodies. Headaches, fatigue, irritability,

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Speaker 1: or even lack of focus, those are all signs that

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Speaker 1: you might need a break. So I might put that

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Speaker 1: time on the calendar. And I know we talked about

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Speaker 1: strategy a lot, right, if you feel drained but not

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Speaker 1: sick sick, take the day before you hit full burnout,

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Speaker 1: or take a half day right based on what your

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Speaker 1: schedule allows, and try to recognize the early signs of burnout,

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Speaker 1: so brain fag, irritability, like we talked about low energy,

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Speaker 1: or even just dreading simple tasks, stuff like that. When

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Speaker 1: we're in tune with our bodies. We can kind of

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Speaker 1: plan appropriately based on how we're feeling as well. And

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Speaker 1: I think another thing to remember too, and this is

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Speaker 1: something I had to learn, is there is no need

430
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,000
Speaker 1: to overshare. Like when you're taking a sick day, you

431
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,359
Speaker 1: don't got to go into all everything that's happening, what

432
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,960
Speaker 1: your body feels. I can send a picture, here go

433
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,280
Speaker 1: my COVID test. Hear, how here's my cost, Like, you

434
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:43,480
Speaker 1: don't have to do all that, right, And this is

435
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,440
Speaker 1: really for myself because dom I used to be oversharing, like, yeah,

436
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:48,120
Speaker 1: this is happening. I got to take a break because

437
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:49,879
Speaker 1: of this. All you have to do is message the

438
00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 1: person and just say, you know, I'm not feeling well today,

439
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,400
Speaker 1: I'm going to take it, take a sick day, and

440
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,480
Speaker 1: of course, follow whatever policies you need to follow, make sure

441
00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,520
Speaker 1: that things are you know, but yeah, yeah, be in

442
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 1: order and take your mind.

443
00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 2: The reality is that most states there are hr laws

444
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:15,520
Speaker 2: in place that state that it is your employer is

445
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:21,400
Speaker 2: not allowed to ask you specific questions unless you are

446
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:26,560
Speaker 2: out of work for like more than three The typical policy, now, lady,

447
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,239
Speaker 2: make sure you check with your specific job and know

448
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,119
Speaker 2: what the requirements are, but also know the state laws

449
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 2: right that. It may be most employers it's three days.

450
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,439
Speaker 2: After three days that you're out sick, you have to

451
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,280
Speaker 2: provide a doctor's note, some level of some level of

452
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,680
Speaker 2: documentation for why you are out of work. This loan right,

453
00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,919
Speaker 2: So know the laws and the policies for your your state,

454
00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:03,360
Speaker 2: and your specific employer. But typically for one day, they

455
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 2: are not allowed one they are not allowed to ask.

456
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,800
Speaker 2: So if they are not allowed to ask, you don't

457
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,879
Speaker 2: need to tell. You can simply say I am not

458
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 2: able to come into work today. And one of the

459
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,800
Speaker 2: things that I often encourage people to do is to

460
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,159
Speaker 2: find that out up front, right, Like find out what

461
00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:29,679
Speaker 2: is the template that's required, So if it's you'd have

462
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:34,200
Speaker 2: to send an email, what does that email need to say?

463
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:39,240
Speaker 2: And then save that template so that whenever you need

464
00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,200
Speaker 2: to take a sick day, all you do is copy

465
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:48,720
Speaker 2: and paste that specific template and they know, and we

466
00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,680
Speaker 2: don't need to know why you're out sick that day.

467
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,920
Speaker 2: You follow the template and let and let the appropriate

468
00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:59,480
Speaker 2: people know you follow. As long as you're following policy,

469
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 2: you should be good to go.

470
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,960
Speaker 1: Girl. I'm so glad you said that dom Be, could

471
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:05,560
Speaker 1: you ever have one of those days where You're like,

472
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,640
Speaker 1: I'm not six sick, but I'm calling all sick and

473
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,720
Speaker 1: I kind of feel guilty and then you overthink at it.

474
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,160
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, wait, well, message girl, all the time

475
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,200
Speaker 1: I spent like what message shots in them? Does it

476
00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,640
Speaker 1: gonna sound for real? I love that protest because if

477
00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:19,680
Speaker 1: you copy and paste it and you just have it there,

478
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 1: you can just use it now. One thing I do

479
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: want to say is sometimes you might have that nosey

480
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,440
Speaker 1: ass manager like one of my pass managers, where you know,

481
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:28,080
Speaker 1: you take time off and like what do you have

482
00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,040
Speaker 1: planned or something like that, and I think something that

483
00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:32,440
Speaker 1: we can say, and dom let me know what you

484
00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,640
Speaker 1: think about this as well. You could say something as

485
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: simple as you know, I'm handling some personal some personal matters. Yep,

486
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,720
Speaker 1: it's personal, like any god damn business. Okay. Aka, ain't

487
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,080
Speaker 1: none of you a god damned business? Okay. Another thing

488
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,360
Speaker 1: that I recommend is using buffer days after big life events,

489
00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:51,520
Speaker 1: so moving weddings, funerals, or even a vacation. You might

490
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:53,880
Speaker 1: need a little buffer day after vacation to like, you know,

491
00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,160
Speaker 1: get your stuff together, do your laundry, get turn over

492
00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,520
Speaker 1: your house and all that. And when I think about it, right,

493
00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: those high stress events, they can really drain your energy, right,

494
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,200
Speaker 1: even if they're positive, it can just be a lot

495
00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 1: for you, especially if you're an introvert, right, or if

496
00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,000
Speaker 1: you're just busy and it just took a big toll

497
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 1: on you. So don't underestimate the physical and emotional recovery

498
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,760
Speaker 1: time that you need after a big life event. So

499
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:16,600
Speaker 1: bake those times in. And that's why we think that

500
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:18,600
Speaker 1: just kind of taking a bird's eye view of your

501
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,720
Speaker 1: life and planning for the long term and in advance

502
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,360
Speaker 1: can be very helpful instead of trying to rush around

503
00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:25,840
Speaker 1: and use your time at the end of the year.

504
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,240
Speaker 1: So be sure to just plan accordingly later.

505
00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:32,120
Speaker 2: You got this, Yes, I like that idea of buffer days,

506
00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:36,160
Speaker 2: and I think it's important to consider those buffer days

507
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:39,680
Speaker 2: in your planning. Right. So if you know that you

508
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:46,800
Speaker 2: only have ten vacation days, all right, So again let's

509
00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:52,640
Speaker 2: go back to being strategic. Let's not take all ten

510
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,320
Speaker 2: days to be on vacation. So day one you are

511
00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:01,240
Speaker 2: flying out to Fiji, Day two you coming back from

512
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,040
Speaker 2: feed I mean day ten you're coming back from Fiji,

513
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,880
Speaker 2: and day eleven you're back at work. Well one, no

514
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,520
Speaker 2: matter where you are in the United States, flying the

515
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,240
Speaker 2: Fiji is gonna take several hours. I'm speaking this into

516
00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 2: existence because I kind of want to go to Fiji,

517
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:24,840
Speaker 2: but you it's gonna take several hours to get there, right,

518
00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:32,040
Speaker 2: And so you don't want to be coming back from

519
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:40,080
Speaker 2: an amazing vacation fly back in at ten o'clock at night,

520
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,240
Speaker 2: and then you've got to be to work at eight

521
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:48,640
Speaker 2: am the next day. If you can avoid that, And

522
00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,960
Speaker 2: I want to be understanding that there are sometimes where

523
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:57,200
Speaker 2: we can't avoid it, right that, Like if you are

524
00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:03,200
Speaker 2: flying during high traffic times that sometimes the difference in

525
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,680
Speaker 2: the cost of the flight is worth it. Right Like

526
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:12,440
Speaker 2: I think about when I fly home for Thanksgiving. Typically,

527
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:16,280
Speaker 2: because of the price of flights around a Thanksgiving holiday,

528
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:22,600
Speaker 2: I might be flying back that Monday or Tuesday and

529
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:27,040
Speaker 2: going right into the office. I typically don't advise that

530
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:32,440
Speaker 2: for folks, but I know that during the Thanksgiving holiday,

531
00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:35,400
Speaker 2: at least for me, because of where my family is

532
00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:39,440
Speaker 2: and where I currently live, that could be a three

533
00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:43,320
Speaker 2: hundred dollars price difference in my flight. If I fly

534
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,520
Speaker 2: home on Saturday, if I fly back to back to

535
00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,400
Speaker 2: California on Saturday or Sunday versus flying back on Monday

536
00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 2: or Tuesday. And so for me, then it's really weighing

537
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,320
Speaker 2: those options. Right, I don't have a buffer day because

538
00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:07,720
Speaker 2: I'm saving three hundred dollars, So then that following weekend,

539
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,160
Speaker 2: I know then that that means and because of the

540
00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:17,400
Speaker 2: way the schedule works in academia, I'm back in the

541
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,960
Speaker 2: office that whole week, right, So then that means that weekend,

542
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,600
Speaker 2: I am not planning anything for that weekend so that

543
00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,120
Speaker 2: I can truly give myself that space and time to

544
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:35,040
Speaker 2: rest and restore. And so it's really looking at your

545
00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:38,960
Speaker 2: situation and being strategic.

546
00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:40,920
Speaker 1: Yes yes to all of that. Do The other thing

547
00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,080
Speaker 1: I would add to is, if you do find yourself

548
00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:45,400
Speaker 1: in a situation where you don't have that buffer day,

549
00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,840
Speaker 1: try to plan your schedule accordingly. So I know there

550
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:51,920
Speaker 1: was a time where I had a vacation and then

551
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,320
Speaker 1: I came back the next day and maybe any presentations

552
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:57,800
Speaker 1: or big meetings in the morning, I moved all them

553
00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:59,760
Speaker 1: things the next week because I'm like, I need more

554
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,680
Speaker 1: time to prep. You don't want to come right back,

555
00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,920
Speaker 1: and then you're like, you got this big presentation and

556
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,280
Speaker 1: a client meeting or whatever it might be. So I

557
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,680
Speaker 1: think that's also something to keep in mind. And then

558
00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:11,640
Speaker 1: something else before we move on. Just make a note

559
00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,719
Speaker 1: of this, like if your job is pressuring you to

560
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,480
Speaker 1: prove that you're sick enough, just know that that is

561
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,600
Speaker 1: a toxic work culture, right, Like you shouldn't be having

562
00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:23,359
Speaker 1: to prove yourself or provide information. That's just usually it's

563
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:25,319
Speaker 1: a violation of your privacy, right, So it makes you

564
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:29,239
Speaker 1: double check the privacy policies and the employee handbook and

565
00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,719
Speaker 1: all that, and also use your resources to understand, like

566
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,280
Speaker 1: if you're being treated fairly, because I have heard about

567
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,720
Speaker 1: people being in toxic work environments where their their needs

568
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,560
Speaker 1: and yeah, their needs and rights are definitely being taken

569
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:46,279
Speaker 1: advantage of. So something else to keep in mind, lady, Yes, and.

570
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:49,239
Speaker 2: So then that takes us too. So we've spent this

571
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,759
Speaker 2: first half kind of talking about like PTO, right, but

572
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 2: that's not the That's While that will is one of

573
00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:01,879
Speaker 2: the more common benefits that we think about in terms

574
00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:07,160
Speaker 2: of our jobs, there's also lots of other benefits that

575
00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:15,480
Speaker 2: we often don't pay attention to. So PTO and medical

576
00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:20,719
Speaker 2: dental vision, those tend to be the things that we

577
00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:26,800
Speaker 2: all look for when we're seeking a new job, right, lady,

578
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:31,799
Speaker 2: there are lots of other things that we might have

579
00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:37,160
Speaker 2: options for or access to that we aren't taking advantage of.

580
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:45,000
Speaker 2: Most employers typically have an open enrollment period towards the

581
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:50,400
Speaker 2: end of the year, right, where you can access all

582
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:55,840
Speaker 2: of information about all of the benefits that are provided

583
00:35:55,920 --> 00:36:00,000
Speaker 2: to you, make your selections, and then they start January

584
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:04,760
Speaker 2: one of the new year. Right we're recording this episode,

585
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,960
Speaker 2: we're in quarter one of the new year, so that

586
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,319
Speaker 2: means that more than likely you might not be able

587
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 2: to make any changes for this year. However, book mark

588
00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:24,000
Speaker 2: this episode set a reminder for yourself for early October

589
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:31,000
Speaker 2: to check with your employer around what are some of

590
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:35,239
Speaker 2: the additional benefits that you might not be accessing that

591
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:38,360
Speaker 2: you can only access you can only make changes to

592
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:44,719
Speaker 2: during open enrollment. And then as you listen to some

593
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:50,279
Speaker 2: of these other optional benefits that employers provide, there are

594
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,200
Speaker 2: some things that you could take advantage of right now.

595
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:59,880
Speaker 2: So one of the things that people don't talk about

596
00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:06,680
Speaker 2: that employers are starting to provide access to. So we

597
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:14,200
Speaker 2: talked about we mentioned medical dental envision benefits right for

598
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:19,359
Speaker 2: those of you that have pets. A lot of employers

599
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 2: now are providing pet insurance. Now, granted it is something

600
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,680
Speaker 2: that you do have to pay for, but if you

601
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 2: have a pet, and if you have multiple pets, this

602
00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:36,840
Speaker 2: is a benefit that could be could be beneficial. It

603
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:40,600
Speaker 2: could save you hundreds of dollars on VET bills over

604
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:44,600
Speaker 2: the course of the year, So check that out. Legal benefits.

605
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:52,000
Speaker 2: There are a number of employers now that provide access

606
00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,840
Speaker 2: to legal services. So whether it's you need someone to

607
00:37:55,920 --> 00:38:00,400
Speaker 2: help you with the state planning or may maybe you're

608
00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:06,680
Speaker 2: filing for divorce or whatever the legal issue might be

609
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:13,400
Speaker 2: that you're experiencing, your employer may provide legal benefits that

610
00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,040
Speaker 2: you have access to, so be sure to check that out.

611
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:22,080
Speaker 1: Oh girl, Okay, I'm so excited about this topic, right,

612
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,040
Speaker 1: the hidden perks, because Lady, I think that when we

613
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,319
Speaker 1: maximize these benefits, it can also lead to a fuller life. Right. So, Doc,

614
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:30,920
Speaker 1: I'm already talked about some of the employee assistance programs

615
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,239
Speaker 1: I know. At some of the companies I've worked for,

616
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,160
Speaker 1: they offer free mental health support. And so even though

617
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:39,680
Speaker 1: I already have a therapist, I saw an email from

618
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:43,800
Speaker 1: the job talking about I had fifteen sessions for coaching

619
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:45,879
Speaker 1: and mental health and baby, I'm about the map out

620
00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:47,759
Speaker 1: of plan. Okay, what topics do I want to talk

621
00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,040
Speaker 1: to these people about or how do I want to

622
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:52,400
Speaker 1: get a fresh perspective on something that I may already

623
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,719
Speaker 1: be getting support? One, so I think capitalizing on that

624
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,320
Speaker 1: is definitely super important. Another benefit, what are they called

625
00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:03,799
Speaker 1: employee fertility program? So I think Carrett was one program

626
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,120
Speaker 1: or one offering that a company I worked for had

627
00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,200
Speaker 1: where they would help out with fertility benefits, including freezing

628
00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:13,000
Speaker 1: your eggs. That's something you're interested in. I know plenty

629
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,200
Speaker 1: of women who use that benefit. Also, family planning that

630
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,319
Speaker 1: was another one. And when it comes to the employee

631
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:24,080
Speaker 1: assistance programs or epas, they also sometimes offer like meditation

632
00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:27,000
Speaker 1: apps or stress management tools, or life coaching and things

633
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:31,680
Speaker 1: of that nature. We also have tuition reimbursement and learning stipends.

634
00:39:31,719 --> 00:39:34,799
Speaker 1: Sometimes you can get paid to level up your skills.

635
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:37,719
Speaker 2: And so what I would say with that one too

636
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:42,560
Speaker 2: is a tuition reimbursement and learning sipends, particularly if you're

637
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:47,640
Speaker 2: working on a at a university, is figuring as when

638
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 2: you are negotiating your start for these jobs, ask about

639
00:39:54,160 --> 00:40:00,000
Speaker 2: those benefits up front, right, Yes, and it varies by employees.

640
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:06,719
Speaker 2: Some universities offer only a discount, right, and that discount

641
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:12,640
Speaker 2: is only provided to you. Some universities offer a tuition

642
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:20,880
Speaker 2: reimbursement where they cover tuition completely. Right, So you can

643
00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:23,400
Speaker 2: you can get a degree one hundred percent for free

644
00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:28,960
Speaker 2: if you agree to stay employed with them for X

645
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,879
Speaker 2: amount of time, right and so and so. If that's

646
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:35,239
Speaker 2: the case, you want to find out, Well, what happens

647
00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:41,440
Speaker 2: if let's say that they agree to pay for my degree,

648
00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:45,040
Speaker 2: but I have to stay employed with them for five years? Okay,

649
00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:47,839
Speaker 2: Well what happens if I leave before the five years

650
00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:52,960
Speaker 2: are up? You want to inquire about that. Some universities

651
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:59,359
Speaker 2: offer tuition reimbursement for your family members as well. Some

652
00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:07,279
Speaker 2: in universities even offer tuition reimbursement or tuition matching for

653
00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:11,560
Speaker 2: a sister institution for your children. So I know, like

654
00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,680
Speaker 2: I think of like the like a lot of Jesuit universities,

655
00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:19,960
Speaker 2: they will if you're employed at a Jesuit university, they

656
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:24,960
Speaker 2: may offer that benefit that your child could attend a

657
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:30,920
Speaker 2: sister institution and get a discount on their tuition at

658
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,280
Speaker 2: that institution. And Jesuit schools are private school so tuition

659
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:38,120
Speaker 2: ain't cheap. That could be a huge benefit for you

660
00:41:38,239 --> 00:41:41,080
Speaker 2: and your family, but you have to ask about these

661
00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:48,520
Speaker 2: things up front. Most employers, also, in particularly like corporate employers,

662
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:57,120
Speaker 2: offer learning stipends or professional development. They may call it

663
00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:02,120
Speaker 2: different things, but the goal is it's some money that

664
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:08,680
Speaker 2: they are offering you to keep you engaging informed in

665
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:13,600
Speaker 2: your role. So it may be that they say, if

666
00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:18,680
Speaker 2: your job requires licensure for whatever it is that you're doing,

667
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:24,920
Speaker 2: they may cover those licensing fees. Or it may be

668
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:29,720
Speaker 2: that they say, we know that in order to stay

669
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:35,920
Speaker 2: up to date on information, going to conferences is what's important,

670
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:39,800
Speaker 2: so they may pay for you to attend certain conferences.

671
00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:44,719
Speaker 2: So inquire about what are the what options they have

672
00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:46,160
Speaker 2: in that regard.

673
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:49,799
Speaker 1: Oh Dom, I love that we're having this conversation because

674
00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,319
Speaker 1: I think about all of the benefits. Like you know,

675
00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,040
Speaker 1: when you start a new job and you have that

676
00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,000
Speaker 1: conversation with HR, are you looking in the portal and

677
00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:59,239
Speaker 1: there's so much there. There have been many years where

678
00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:01,839
Speaker 1: I did not realized on all that was available, right,

679
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:03,719
Speaker 1: So I'm glad that we're having this conversation because another

680
00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:06,800
Speaker 1: thing it makes me think about our discounts on travel,

681
00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:10,160
Speaker 1: gym memberships and more. So, definitely check your HR portal

682
00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:12,720
Speaker 1: lady and ask around because a lot of large companies

683
00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:17,200
Speaker 1: often have corporate discount programs with major brands airlines, hotels.

684
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,239
Speaker 1: Need the local businesses that you can tap into, and

685
00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:22,839
Speaker 1: so I know I've I've used some of the gym

686
00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:25,399
Speaker 1: benefits and got like a reduced membership. You can get

687
00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:29,080
Speaker 1: like sometimes discounts on laptops and rental cars, movie tickets,

688
00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:31,560
Speaker 1: all kinds of things. I've seen all the things. In

689
00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:35,200
Speaker 1: addition to commuter benefits as well, some companies offer pre

690
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:39,120
Speaker 1: tax deductions for transit or gas or parking, and so

691
00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:41,760
Speaker 1: definitely look into those as well. I think asking around

692
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:44,800
Speaker 1: could be really helpful because sometimes when you're looking through

693
00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:47,440
Speaker 1: the HR portal, it can be a little overwhelming with

694
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:51,480
Speaker 1: everything that you see there. Another thing is stock options

695
00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:53,480
Speaker 1: and profit sharing, So if you work at a company

696
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:56,399
Speaker 1: that offers these, make sure you understand how to take

697
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:58,360
Speaker 1: full advantage of that so that you can set yourself

698
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,080
Speaker 1: up financially for you know, just a good place in

699
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:03,200
Speaker 1: the future. And then dom I know, we also had

700
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,279
Speaker 1: a couple other options. I think you're a bit more

701
00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:06,600
Speaker 1: well versed on what are those?

702
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:13,560
Speaker 2: Yes, so the flex spending and health savings accounts. Now,

703
00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:16,400
Speaker 2: I'll be honest, I don't know the exact difference between

704
00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:19,680
Speaker 2: those two. What I know is that both of those

705
00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:24,759
Speaker 2: are used for covering health care expenses. Right, So do

706
00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:27,520
Speaker 2: your research on what your employer offers and what the

707
00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:31,399
Speaker 2: difference is between the two. Some employers offer only one,

708
00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:36,120
Speaker 2: some employers offer both. What I know for sure is

709
00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:42,520
Speaker 2: that it is pre tax benefits. Right, So let's set

710
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:46,719
Speaker 2: and so each year, the IRS sets what the maximum

711
00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:50,640
Speaker 2: is for the year, right, I think right now the

712
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:53,520
Speaker 2: maximum is like around three thousand dollars for the year

713
00:44:55,120 --> 00:45:00,120
Speaker 2: most employers. What that looks like then is that you

714
00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:02,640
Speaker 2: you can set aside. If you set your maxes, say

715
00:45:02,680 --> 00:45:08,400
Speaker 2: the maxis three thousand dollars, you can set three thousand

716
00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:13,920
Speaker 2: dollars from your salary that will go towards covering health

717
00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:20,600
Speaker 2: care expenses. That gets deducted from your paycheck every month.

718
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,360
Speaker 2: But you have access to that three thousand dollars. The

719
00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,239
Speaker 2: benefit of it is you have the access to that

720
00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:29,120
Speaker 2: three thousand dollars at the beginning of the year, so

721
00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:35,880
Speaker 2: January one, and that is pre tax income. So that

722
00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:40,080
Speaker 2: it reduces your taxable income, which is a benefit for

723
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:46,040
Speaker 2: you right and it's used to cover health care expenses

724
00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:51,200
Speaker 2: if you have children. Some employers also offer a dependent

725
00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:56,399
Speaker 2: care account where you can reduce your taxable income by

726
00:45:56,480 --> 00:46:02,640
Speaker 2: setting aside money to cover child care expenses. Check with

727
00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:05,640
Speaker 2: your employer to find out what those benefits are at

728
00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:09,600
Speaker 2: your job. But that is a huge benefit if you

729
00:46:09,719 --> 00:46:14,399
Speaker 2: think about so now, the things that are covered under

730
00:46:14,440 --> 00:46:23,520
Speaker 2: these have expanded, so feminine hygiene products, prenatal care, treatment

731
00:46:23,640 --> 00:46:29,880
Speaker 2: for acting exema, sunscreen. There are lots of things that

732
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:34,560
Speaker 2: are covered under these expenses. Your co pays when you

733
00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:39,799
Speaker 2: go to the doctor. These things are covered and it's

734
00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:46,160
Speaker 2: pretax income or pre tax benefit. So I would definitely

735
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:49,879
Speaker 2: talk to your HR office to find out exactly what

736
00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:53,480
Speaker 2: benefits are offered to you from your company in that regard.

737
00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:57,640
Speaker 2: But it's a huge benefit that can help you. I

738
00:46:57,719 --> 00:47:03,919
Speaker 2: know I've gotten cold medicine, flu medications like things like that,

739
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:08,840
Speaker 2: like my sunscreen, lots of things that aid in my healthcare,

740
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:15,279
Speaker 2: prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, like things that are necessary for

741
00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:19,080
Speaker 2: my overall well being. I've been able to use an

742
00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:24,560
Speaker 2: FSA account to cover those expenses. The other thing that

743
00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:28,319
Speaker 2: people don't often talk about that we need to be

744
00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 2: having conversations about is retirement. So a lot of employers

745
00:47:34,719 --> 00:47:39,879
Speaker 2: offer retirement benefits. Find out what your employer offers. Some

746
00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:45,320
Speaker 2: employers offer matching. Some employers have four or one case,

747
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,720
Speaker 2: some have four or three bs, some have other forms

748
00:47:48,719 --> 00:47:51,760
Speaker 2: of retirement accounts, some have a combination of all of those.

749
00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:58,960
Speaker 2: It's important to know what your employer offers and to

750
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:03,600
Speaker 2: figure out talking with a financial advisor to figure out

751
00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:06,440
Speaker 2: what is going to be best for you based on

752
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:12,360
Speaker 2: your current situation. Someone who is fifty needs a different

753
00:48:12,440 --> 00:48:16,279
Speaker 2: retirement plan than someone who is twenty five, and so

754
00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:20,759
Speaker 2: talking with your financial advisor to figure out how best

755
00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:27,719
Speaker 2: to maximize what benefits your employer offers for planning for

756
00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:28,600
Speaker 2: your retirement.

757
00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:32,520
Speaker 1: All right, y'all, we didn't cover it a lot. So

758
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:35,800
Speaker 1: we talked about PTO and vacation hacks, we talked about

759
00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:38,479
Speaker 1: sick days and mental health breaks, and we talked about

760
00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:41,480
Speaker 1: hidden work perks you might be missing. So now what

761
00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:43,000
Speaker 1: we're going to do is we're going to talk about

762
00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:46,120
Speaker 1: what to do if your job doesn't have great benefits.

763
00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:47,799
Speaker 1: Just a couple ideas, but of course we want you

764
00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:50,120
Speaker 1: to do additional research, and then Dom and I are

765
00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:52,360
Speaker 1: going to head on over to the after show and

766
00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:54,560
Speaker 1: we're going to talk about how to maximize your benefits

767
00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:58,200
Speaker 1: and schedule when working from home. Okay, so that'll be

768
00:48:58,239 --> 00:48:59,600
Speaker 1: in the after show. So if you want to tune

769
00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:00,920
Speaker 1: in to the after show, you can head on over

770
00:49:00,960 --> 00:49:04,360
Speaker 1: to her Space podcast click anywhere where you see Patreon

771
00:49:04,520 --> 00:49:07,600
Speaker 1: or Wisdom Wednesday, and you can support us on Patreon

772
00:49:07,719 --> 00:49:10,160
Speaker 1: and get access to the video content and after show.

773
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:13,399
Speaker 1: So let's jump into it, Dom, What if your job

774
00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:15,600
Speaker 1: does not have great benefits? Because I have worked plenty

775
00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:17,960
Speaker 1: of jobs that did not have good benefits, and there

776
00:49:17,960 --> 00:49:19,960
Speaker 1: were a couple of things that I did in a

777
00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:21,480
Speaker 1: couple of things you can do, lady. If this is

778
00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:25,080
Speaker 1: the case, no one. You can negotiate for benefits instead

779
00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:27,120
Speaker 1: of a salary. So if you can't raise your pay,

780
00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:29,800
Speaker 1: you can ask for PTO. You can ask for the

781
00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:32,640
Speaker 1: learning stipend or for remote days. And I know you

782
00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:35,680
Speaker 1: may be like, girl, what, but yes, when you're negotiating,

783
00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:37,880
Speaker 1: when you're about to apply for or you're applying for

784
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:41,640
Speaker 1: a job and they have chosen you, you can negotiate.

785
00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:43,920
Speaker 1: And I have done that before and I think the

786
00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,319
Speaker 1: best thing to do when you think about negotiation is

787
00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:48,960
Speaker 1: to figure out what is going to work best for you, Like,

788
00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:51,560
Speaker 1: be very clear on what you desire, what's going to

789
00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:54,680
Speaker 1: add more value to your lifestyle, right, even if someone

790
00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:56,919
Speaker 1: else doesn't value it. If you know that working home

791
00:49:56,960 --> 00:49:59,200
Speaker 1: on Fridays means the most to you because you can

792
00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:02,160
Speaker 1: do XYZ, then advocate for that right and ask for

793
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:03,719
Speaker 1: a little bit more, because the worst they can do

794
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:07,600
Speaker 1: is say no. So yeah, I'd say that's number one.

795
00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:11,160
Speaker 2: Yes, closed miles don't get fit. So the next thing

796
00:50:11,239 --> 00:50:17,000
Speaker 2: is finding the external benefits, right, so identifying where if

797
00:50:17,040 --> 00:50:19,319
Speaker 2: your company, let's say that you find a job and

798
00:50:19,400 --> 00:50:24,040
Speaker 2: they don't offer health insurance, we all need health insurance

799
00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:27,480
Speaker 2: and so or we all need a way to cover

800
00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:34,360
Speaker 2: our healthcare expenses, and so identifying resources like Freelancers Union

801
00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:42,759
Speaker 2: that offer health plans and figuring out how you can

802
00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:48,520
Speaker 2: get the outside resources to cover the things that your

803
00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:50,759
Speaker 2: employer is not providing for you.

804
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:55,560
Speaker 1: And lady, this is not an add by any means,

805
00:50:55,600 --> 00:50:57,360
Speaker 1: but it's just a resource that we found. So and

806
00:50:57,520 --> 00:50:59,560
Speaker 1: do your research to see if this works best for you.

807
00:50:59,600 --> 00:51:03,240
Speaker 1: But Freely Answers Union is a nonprofit organization that serves

808
00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:08,200
Speaker 1: and supports independent workers through advocacy, education and benefits. So again,

809
00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:09,759
Speaker 1: do your research see if that's going to be a

810
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:11,560
Speaker 1: good fit for you and your family and where you

811
00:51:11,600 --> 00:51:14,719
Speaker 1: are in your journey. And in addition to looking up

812
00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:18,000
Speaker 1: those resources, let's see a couple other things. One would

813
00:51:18,040 --> 00:51:20,200
Speaker 1: be side hustles, right, you can find a side hustle

814
00:51:20,200 --> 00:51:22,239
Speaker 1: that has great perks. I remember when I first moved

815
00:51:22,239 --> 00:51:24,759
Speaker 1: to the Bay Area, y'all, was driving for Uber and

816
00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:27,680
Speaker 1: lyft okay, and the perk for me was being able

817
00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:29,960
Speaker 1: to explore the city a bit more and like learn

818
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,279
Speaker 1: about where I was at when I was still trying

819
00:51:32,320 --> 00:51:34,560
Speaker 1: to find, you know, full time employment. So when you

820
00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:38,240
Speaker 1: think about companies like Starbucks or Ups or even Apple,

821
00:51:38,360 --> 00:51:41,480
Speaker 1: some of them offer health benefits even for part time employees.

822
00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:43,880
Speaker 1: So take a look at that see if that's an

823
00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:46,360
Speaker 1: option for you. You can also start some type of

824
00:51:46,400 --> 00:51:49,840
Speaker 1: online business for passive income. Right. So, I think that

825
00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:52,320
Speaker 1: we live in a world where the possibilities are really endless.

826
00:51:52,320 --> 00:51:54,880
Speaker 1: So get creative and think about, like, what's going to

827
00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:57,040
Speaker 1: make my life more fulfilling. I think that is the

828
00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:58,759
Speaker 1: goal right there, to kind of figure out what you

829
00:51:58,840 --> 00:52:01,360
Speaker 1: desire what you want, and then go out and build

830
00:52:01,360 --> 00:52:04,280
Speaker 1: that ideal life and the ideal arrangement for yourself.

831
00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:11,240
Speaker 2: And then tapping into community resources, right, so figuring out

832
00:52:11,560 --> 00:52:17,520
Speaker 2: what is available in your area, so mo and particularly

833
00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:23,839
Speaker 2: if you're in a larger city, there are resources like

834
00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:30,560
Speaker 2: free financial advising, free local mental health services, free small

835
00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:37,840
Speaker 2: business associations that provide grants, that provide career readiness opportunities,

836
00:52:37,920 --> 00:52:43,960
Speaker 2: and so tapping into what your local community has to offer.

837
00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:48,480
Speaker 2: And also because we live in a digital age and

838
00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:54,560
Speaker 2: things are so much as available to us online, doing

839
00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:58,160
Speaker 2: some searches and seeing what is out there that maybe

840
00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:01,880
Speaker 2: it's not local, maybe it's not right around the corner

841
00:53:01,920 --> 00:53:05,480
Speaker 2: from you, but it may be a resource that you

842
00:53:05,680 --> 00:53:11,759
Speaker 2: can access. It may take a little time, but that

843
00:53:13,520 --> 00:53:17,800
Speaker 2: twenty minutes that you invest in finding the local resources

844
00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:24,520
Speaker 2: could save you so much money, time and energy in

845
00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:25,360
Speaker 2: the long run.

846
00:53:26,680 --> 00:53:29,600
Speaker 1: Now, lady, we covered again, we covered a lot today.

847
00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:33,200
Speaker 1: But one of the things you'll notice, or you should

848
00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:35,400
Speaker 1: know if you are not a podcaster, is it sometimes

849
00:53:35,400 --> 00:53:38,160
Speaker 1: we record the episode and afterward we're like, oh, we

850
00:53:38,200 --> 00:53:40,520
Speaker 1: should have said this right, we forgot this point. So

851
00:53:40,680 --> 00:53:43,560
Speaker 1: what we're gonna do is We're gonna post a post

852
00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:45,920
Speaker 1: on Instagram and it's going to say how to maximize

853
00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:48,080
Speaker 1: your job benefits? Okay, and we want you to go

854
00:53:48,160 --> 00:53:51,680
Speaker 1: to our Instagram at her Space podcast and dropping the

855
00:53:51,719 --> 00:53:54,399
Speaker 1: comments what you took away from this episode or what

856
00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:56,720
Speaker 1: you would add. Is there something that we didn't consider?

857
00:53:57,080 --> 00:53:59,480
Speaker 1: Is there something that we forgot about for a certain industry.

858
00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:02,839
Speaker 1: Let us know so we can give our community more resources. Okay, lady,

859
00:54:02,880 --> 00:54:04,440
Speaker 1: So be sure to go do that, and then of

860
00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:06,640
Speaker 1: course join Dow and I on the after show so

861
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Speaker 2: Thanks for tuning into Cultivating her Space. Remember that while

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Speaker 2: this podcast is all about healing, empowerment, and resilience, it's

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Speaker 2: not a substitute for therapy. If you or someone you

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Speaker 2: know need support, check out resources like Therapy for Black

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Speaker 2: Girls or Psychology Today. If you love today's episode, do

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Speaker 2: us a favor and share it with a friend who

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Speaker 2: needs some inspiration, or leave us a quick five star review.

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Speaker 2: Your support means the world to us and helps keep

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Speaker 2: this space thriving.

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Speaker 1: And before we meet again, repeat after me. I am

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Speaker 1: Space Podcast