Gave Notice and Recieved a Surprising Response

[redseal]

That is a pretty good deal. I also work for a large corporation and often wondered if they ever would see a potential benefit for PR purposes. Interesting to hear that my thoughts actually happened somewhere!

[dudeijuststarted]

That is amazing. All of my employers have never heard of exercise and would be turned to stone by daylight so it astounds me that someone offered this to you.

I'm convinced my universe is illusory.

[garyfromboston]

Heck.... I'm only doing the Ga. section in April with a co-worker and plan on taking two GoPros and a dozen extra batteries to capture the experience. Why not do the same and share it with them?

[Obiwan]

The world is a VERY small place....never burn a bridge (unless it really needs burning and then nuke it)

[4eyedbuzzard]

Unless you can retire comfortably tomorrow, you'd be crazy not to grant them whatever "interviews" and journals/updates they asked for in return for supporting your desire to hike. Most employers wouldn't. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[egilbe]

Since this was started last year, I wonder if he ever went on his hike?

[Malto]

From the company's point of view, it's good public relations -- "hey, one of our employees is doing this cool thing" -- and it makes them look like a decent, caring employer (which they may well be ).

Your boss has provided some very useful information about your perceived value to the company. If you think you'd like to go back, or even just keep your options open, the interviews might be a good idea (can't really hurt), and there is no requirement that you return at the end.

Conversely, if you break an ankle on the fourth day out, it might be nice to have a welcoming employer when you get home, ya know?

absolutely agree with this. Your story should also be shared on future threads on whether and how to give notice for a thru. You may discover that you have a lot less stress on your thru knowing you have options. Every person I hiked with on my thru had the cloud hanging over their head on finding a job on their return.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Since this was started last year, I wonder if he ever went on his hike?

OOPS, missed that it was a resurrected thread.

[Puddlefish]

Tell your boss to contact me. For a small fee, I'll logo up like a NASCAR driver. No, not really.

However, everyone I've told about hiking the trail has been universally supportive, and quite a few have seemed a bit envious. Makes me wonder if the people at your company are a bit envious and trying to live vicariously through your hike.

[Puddlefish]

... and I missed that it was a zombie thread too.

[Harrison Bergeron]

Wow, why can't I get a gig like that?

Last year, my request to take a month off for a section hike went all the way to HR before they finally concluded that they couldn't keep me from going since I had the vacation days available and they'd already let a bunch of H1B's go back to India and China for a month. But suddenly it was a big problem when a 22-year employee asked for the same deal.

So they let me go, but followed it up with a brand new ruling from on high -- from now on, nobody can take more than two weeks at a time.

Buddy, you aren't going find a better outfit to come back to. Personally, I would have canned you on the spot when they offered you a job to come back to and you told them you weren't sure you even wanted it.

[egilbe]

Wow, why can't I get a gig like that?

Last year, my request to take a month off for a section hike went all the way to HR before they finally concluded that they couldn't keep me from going since I had the vacation days available and they'd already let a bunch of H1B's go back to India and China for a month. But suddenly it was a big problem when a 22-year employee asked for the same deal.

So they let me go, but followed it up with a brand new ruling from on high -- from now on, nobody can take more than two weeks at a time.

Buddy, you aren't going find a better outfit to come back to. Personally, I would have canned you on the spot when they offered you a job to come back to and you told them you weren't sure you even wanted it.

And on the next episode of horrible bosses....

[Gambit McCrae]

From the company's point of view, it's good public relations -- "hey, one of our employees is doing this cool thing" -- and it makes them look like a decent, caring employer (which they may well be ).

Your boss has provided some very useful information about your perceived value to the company. If you think you'd like to go back, or even just keep your options open, the interviews might be a good idea (can't really hurt), and there is no requirement that you return at the end.

Conversely, if you break an ankle on the fourth day out, it might be nice to have a welcoming employer when you get home, ya know?

I agree with this,

From the OP I would believe that you do not enjoy your job. Otherwise it would sound like the perfect situation to be able to come back to a job after a 6 month vacation.

[AO2134]

For the love of god, don't burn a bridge unless you absolutely have too. How could it cheapen the experience? To give an interview or three. I just don't see it.

[aruthenb]

This sounds like a dream, you get to go out and experience an AT Thru Hike with support from back home. During your roughest days on the trail, support messages from your co-workers will get you through.

Most importantly it gets others interested and informed about experiencing and preserving the AT.

[Rain Man]

I realize this is a year-old thread, resurrected, but really,-- "cheapen the experience"?

LOTS of hikers write whole books about their hikes. Does that cheapen their experience?

Not to me, it doesn't. But I'll stand by the adage of HYOH. Hope the OP did just that.

[Greenmountainguy]

A friend tried giving notice and was told to get out immediately. I know of someone who gave notice and security took him to the door and compelled him to abandon his (expensive) property in his office.
I had a similar experience to the first guy above..."we don't want to stand in your way, leave now."
You are far luckier in the job market than I.

[Boots and Backpacks]

My employer did the same thing. I gave them a 2 month notice, and the CEO talked to me about it. He asked that I stay in touch when I get close to finishing. I let him know when I hit the Whites, and 3 weeks later I had my old job back. Worked out perfectly.

[Skyline]

This isn't the first I've heard of an employer being supportive of a long-distance hiking sabbatical. But employers like yours are increasingly rare today, I think. You may want to think long about meeting them halfway. It doesn't mean you have to return to your old job. It's just the decent thing to do.

EDIT: Jack89, just realized this thread started almost a year ago, pre-Class of 2015. If you would care to update us I'm sure we'd like to hear how the hike went, and how you handled the job thing.

[Jack89]

I was given a heads up that people were posting on this thread again, so I figured I'd provide an update. I started my NOBO thru-hike on April 3rd and finished on September 26th. A truly wonderful adventure. I tried to make an entry every day I hiked on Trail Journals, here's the link if you're interested - http://www.trailjournals.com/Brian2015/.

When I returned I told myself I'd give myself a week or so to chill before deciding what to do with work. Before I left I told my boss that I didn't want to do the PR thing on my hike and wanted to keep it personal. He said he understood and said to look him up when I got back. I was only home for a few day after my hike when I got a call from him asking if I was going to come back to work. They hired an interim project manger while I was gone, and he was doing well, but I could have my job back if I wanted it. It was a difficult choice, because they're a pretty good company to work for, but I declined.

I talked to the client I worked with and he said the interim guy was working out fine and they would likely keep him on, so there was absolutely issues in that regard. He even bought me lunch and took me around to say goodbye to everyone. I didn't know it during my hike, but a lot of people followed me on Trail Journals and I had some fans at my old workplace. Both my former boss and client were more supportive that I could have hoped for. Great guys. I was called again a month or two later and offered a couple of different positions, but I've decided to try out the retired life for a while. I have a modest army pension that covers the bills, so there's no pressure to go back to work right away.