Today I delivered a customer service workshop in Chicago. When we broke for lunch, three of the attendees invited me to a vegan bistro. Of course, I was thrilled to join them!

Over lunch, one of the ladies told me, “I almost never take my vacation time. I prefer just to cash out and get a lump sum payment.” The mother in me couldn’t keep quiet. I had to offer this young lady advice.

There’s nothing wrong with a cash payout, for sure. I just wanted to make sure this young woman knew about all of her options and benefits with vacation time. What followed was an enlightening conversation between the four of us, and as we were getting up, the ladies said my remarks would help them make the best choices for their respective vacation benefits.

So, I thought, why not transcribe what I shared with the ladies. Perhaps, it might help some of you too, even though this is not my usual customer service focus.