Corporate Vacations: Best Practices

Vacations in Corporate America can be difficult to navigate. Even in more casual settings, corporate culture is very hierarchical and more senior professionals are going to get priority when it comes to scheduling adjustments. 

Effectively taking a vacation starts with your work product and your work brand. The first is a matter of doing good work and working hard. The second is a matter of being known as a hard worker who does good work.  

Once you are known to be a hard worker, the vacation will seem "earned" or "deserved". 

The next step is providing notice. I notify my team about my vacation days by email in 3 month blocks, i.e. "These are my days for August, September, and October." These days include anything from long weekends to full length trips abroad.

Black, Corporate and Greek: Part 2 (Networking)

The Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) network is as much a professional network as it is a social network. First and foremost, the brothers or sisters of your organization are potential mentors, colleagues, recommenders and clients. Then there is the larger Black Greek community whose members may serve the same functions. In the corporate world, there are so few of "us" that we look out for each other, especially amongst fellows BGLO members.

**Those petty differences that we chant about on the yard do not matter in the office.**

So how do you get connected?

1. Join an alumni/ae chapter. "Join" means show up to chapter meetings, pay dues, and support a few programs. We're not in college anymore. Family and careers come first, but chapter involvement may be a good career move as well as fulfilling the pledge you made when joining.

2. Wear your sorority/fraternity pin to networking events. It's an easy conversation starter and much more subtle than wearing a line jacket. The pin should fit the occasion and pair well with the outfit you are wearing.

3. Bring your BGLO up in conversation. Let's be clear, this should only be done if it is on topic and highlights your leadership or service experience. Randomly dropping your BGLO out of context without anything to further the conversation will be unhelpful and awkward.

4. Go to Convention/Clave/Cave (whatever they're calling it). Go to the national and regional meetings of your organization and make an effort to meet new people while you are there. These trips are often expensive and time consuming, but they are also fertile ground for professional networking.