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As most of you know (or will someday know... or know too well), getting time off when you work in TV is next to impossible. You get to the office early, you work late, and aside from hiatus, you work through many a holiday, wondering why you ever quit your agency job when your agency friends get Martin Luther King, Jr. day off and you don’t. This blog entry is to tell you that you, too, can get days off.
Many assistants think that they can’t possibly ask for a random Friday or Monday off; after all, they’ve made a commitment to work through thick or thin, rain or shine, rebreak or rewrite. I think the main reasons assistants are hesitant to ask for time off is fear – fear that they will be fired and replaced, fear that their boss will be mad, fear of rejection… And, believe me, I was this fearful assistant in many a job… until I learned that NO ONE CARES if you miss a day. The old adage is true, after all: “You’ll never know unless you try.” We all know those assistants who say they haven’t had a day off in over a year (or two), like they are bragging, as if they deserve some kind of medal for making it through a whole season -- flu, missing relatives’ events, and all. But it’s their loss for missing the event they really would have rather been at instead of work. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that you asked for a day off. In a year or ten from now, NO ONE is going to say, “Ariel was a great writers’ assistant, but she missed that one Friday to attend her great-aunt’s birthday party.” NO ONE. In fact, they will probably be charmed by the fact that you went to wish your 90-year-old aunt a happy birthday in person. (Now, I am NOT advocating that you ask off for every little thing; you should discern what events to miss and not miss.) Plus, your writer bosses miss days ALL THE TIME… and I doubt they bat an eyelash as to going on a week-long anniversary cruise with their wife, or going to their kid’s open house. As an old boss once told me: “Do what you think you will most regret.” Will you regret missing that one day of work – or missing your great aunt’s 90th birthday?... That’s what I thought. As long as you ask in advance, you will be fine. If you are about to start a job and are supposed to be going on a trip in a month from now, be upfront. If the person really wants to hire you, he/she will, even if you have to miss a week. Another assistant, a PA, or an intern can always fill in. (Everyone wants to be a writers’ assistant -- you may as well give them a chance to try; many people would love to fill in for you. Plus, tell them that they can add it to their resume, too; see my first few blogs for more on this, “How to Find a Writers’ Assistant Job. ”) And if you have already been working at “x” place, ask for your day(s) off in as many days in advance as possible. If this is not possible, that’s okay, too; life happens. Next week, I’ll talk about excuses I’ve used to get out of work at the last minute. In the meantime… have a good day off! Questions? Concerns? Suggestions?
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