Working abroad for a while?

January seemed to last 160 days instead of 31. And once you've nibbled through that first month, it's still a long wait for summer. With a bit of bad luck, you might only be sitting on the terrace in May. The wind dances incessantly around your house, storms pass each other faster than Usain Bolt's team during the 2016 Summer Games, and you might see it as a gift from Mother Nature that your basement has turned into an indoor swimming pool, but your idea of pleasant is something else.

You just want to get away. Quickly and for a long time. But your vacation days are already filled, so what should you do? Well, this.

1. Inquire if you can sublet your house
That's nice to wave away burglars and good for an extra financial boost, because there in paradise, a lot will have been gifted by God, but for a house, you will still have to pay.

2. Look at countries without time difference
This makes it much easier to stay in touch with colleagues and you don't have to get out of bed at three in the morning for a Zoom meeting. Moreover, it will help you convince your manager, as that is also a task that deserves attention.

3A.  Convince your manager I
They won't be waiting for you to leave them and the rest of the team under the suspended ceiling. First, make a list of why you think you deserve this. For example: you have no children, so you've never had maternity leave, and you would also like a period of refreshment. You also feel that you need it. You feel that you are a bit in a creative vacuum because you've been working at the same company for quite a while and you would love to stay there, but you do notice that you occasionally need a change. Now you know that they can't miss you in the department and that's okay for now, but if you could work from abroad for a while, that would be great. This way, they feel a bit that there is a chance that you will open doors and windows for another position if they don't grant you this.

3B. Convince your manager II
Show that working abroad will not have negative consequences for the company. You have chosen a place without a time difference, so your working hours are the same as those of the rest of the team. You are available for consultation during office hours and you can just ‘zoom in’ during meetings.
Then show the benefits. You have more inspiration, you will use your time much more efficiently, and because there is a bit of guilt, you will gladly take on that extra task. And did you already mention that you haven't claimed any travel and parking costs of course you calculated how much that saves.

4. Then something very important
For heaven's sake, please don't post too much on Instagram and TikTok about how great it all is. Don't rub salt in the wounds of everyone who is struggling under the fluorescent lights. Take lots of photos of your workspace, of your Zoom sessions, of the times you clock in and out, and if there's a rain shower in Camps Bay or wherever you have landed: grab it with both hands. Post it, make TikToks out of it, a vlog for my part. Do a nothing-is-what-it-seems and play the washed-away winterer. Only then is there a chance that they will grant you this again next year.

No sources, but wonderfully inspired by Japke-d. Bouma in NRC