Asking for a sabbatical 51.1.2-> 40

[mulberry]

Hello,

I have been unhappy at my job for a long time, though for many reasons it is a better place to work than any other I have encountered. Part of that is because my boss offers very flexible working schedules. She also agreed about a year ago that if I needed to take an extended leave, she would be understanding.

I now have the opportunity to travel for one month this fall with my partner. I am going to ask for a five week sabbatical, but I'm nervous that now that I'm actually asking for it, my boss will say no. I'm planning to ask that two weeks of it be vacation time (which I have accumulated since I haven't traveled in close to a year) and and the rest unpaid.

I asked Yi, "What would be the best course of action for me to take to insure my boss agrees to my sabbatical request?" and received 51.1.2 into 40.

I was relieved to see 40 (Deliverance), but quite apprehensive about 51 (Shock). I used to receive 51 often as a teenager and young adult (I was fortunate enough to be raised by parents who used the I Ching, so I got started young) but now very very rarely see it-- in fact, I don't think I've gotten 51 in years. I know it is not entirely negative, but I'm not sure how to interpret it in this context. I assume the request will be shocking to my boss-- although a possible leave of absence has been on the table for years, I've never requested one and maybe she thinks I never will.

Line 1 is rather reassuring because it gives me the intuitive sense that I will get what I desire (the chance to travel). But Line 2 makes me think she won't say yes right away or there will be some complication/catch to the whole thing. It's not out of the realm of possibility that she would use this request as an excuse to fire me; I'm not worried about that so long as I can collect unemployment insurance. I'm more worried she will hedge my request against me to make me quit.

I want to ask her this week, as she spends all of August on vacation and I can't leave asking until September.

Thoughts? I appreciate any insight anyone has very much. I promise to write an update on how it goes as well.

Thank you!

 

[kash]

I'm inclined to agree with your interpretation of this. There may be some complications involved, but the lines themselves are good. If you lose anything, it will only be temporary. So I'd go ahead and ask her.

 

[ginnie]

Five weeks is a long time to take off in the world-of-working-for-a-living, but based on this reading I'd go ahead and ask her anyway, because nothing is to be lost by asking.

 

[mulberry]

I understand that five weeks seems like a lot, but in the specific context of my job and relationship with her it is not. A year ago when she hired me full time (after working several years as a "contractor"), we agreed that I could at some point take a leave of absence. Also in the past three years I have worked about 6 months total as the sole employee, doing two jobs, after she fired other people or they left. There is finally a second person here who is reliable, and by November she should be fully trained.

Anyway, I went ahead and asked her yesterday and she said yes immediately. I was very surprised and thanked her. At the same time, she started crying and told me repeatedly how much she relied on me here and how she doesn't know what she and my co-worker will do without me for a month because I keep everything together, that she is dreading me being gone. I found this rather shocking.

The I Ching shows itself to be uncanny again-- I'm not sure whose perspective Yi was showing me with 51.1.2. I think it was more showing my boss's-- she was shocked, and at the same revealed that she is actually more dependent on me than she necessarily shows herself to be usually. (That brought to mind 51.2-- fears of me leaving, though I am not planning to for at least a year).

Thank you for your insights, kash and ginnie!

 

[Olga Super Star]

Interesting.
So you are the one that got shocked.
I wonder what line 2 meant here, is there anything you immediately lost that you got back after the seventh day?

 

[mulberry]

I've never experienced the "seven days" as precisely seven, it's always functioned more as an indication of general time/delay. In this case, I think the seven days referenced the time I'd already spent waiting to ask and take the sabbatical after her initial indication she would be okay with it.