Most full-time jobs offer some sort of time off benefits. Assuming you have paid time off where you work, it’s important to use those days so that you don’t get burnt out, and so they you can enjoy things in life outside your job. Taking time off is an opportunity to spend time with your family, travel, hang out with friends, or even sleep in and binge watch Netflix.

Selena Rezvani is a leadership expert, and she believes that taking advantage of paid time off is essential, but she claims that there’s a right way to take time off and a wrong way to take time off. According to Rezvani, she used to take time off the wrong way. For example, she would still feel obligated to answer work calls or emails when she was supposed to be enjoying a break from work. 

Rezvani believes that employees shouldn’t feel bad about taking time off, and they shouldn’t ask for time off in a way that makes it appear that they feel like they have to have a good reason for wanting the time off. For example, when you ask for a day off work, you shouldn’t feel like you have to share that you want the day off to take you child to the doctor. You should just be able to take the day off without giving a reason.

Watch the video below for more of Rezvani’s tips about how to take paid time off the right way.

@selenarezvani My best tips for using your PTO at work.⏰ #paidtimeoff#pto#corporatetips#corporateadvice#careeradvice#careertok#corporatelife#corporateamerica ♬ BORN FOR THIS – Foxxi

A lot of people ended up asking questions after watching Rezvani’s TikTok video, so she decided to do a follow-up video to answer some of the most common questions. For example, she answered questions about what to do if your boss doesn’t respect your paid time off and insists on calling or emailing you anyway. Watch the video below to hear what she has to say.

@selenarezvani Tips to help you communicate & set boundaries when taking time off. #pto#paidtimeoff#takingtimeoff#corporatelife#corporatetips#corporateadvice ♬ Lazy Sunday – Official Sound Studio

Rezvani told Bored Panda, “It’s time to normalize using PTO regularly because more than half of Americans don’t take all their PTO in a year – compared to France where 90% of people take all their PTO.” She added, “When Americans do take vacations, 41% are checking into work while away, and a whopping 84% of executives have canceled vacations in order to work.”

So go ahead and ask for your well deserved paid time off. Even if you don’t think you deserve it, you do.

Do you usually use all of your paid time off each year? What do you like to do when you take a day off work?