n. A vacation taken before starting a new job, particularly a paid vacation.
2014
The pre-cation policy flows from Atlassian's view that memorable perks and a livable workspace make for happy employees without busting the company’s budget.
2013
At 42floors, we heavily, heavily recommend that all new people take two weeks of vacation starting exactly on their first official day. What this means is that when you get a job offer from us, you'll pick a start date. And that’s the day we start your payroll. And that's the day you leave for vacation. … Precation doesn't solve everything, but it's at least a way to start off on the right foot.
2013 (earliest)
I did something new and took a "precation" — a much needed vacation *before* starting a gig, rather than during or after. I can't wait to go back but also to tackle new challenges as part of the Sponsorfied crew beginning this Monday.
Spending the weekend on the Gulf of Mexico. Tomorrow the beaches of Alabama, then Florida. Stoked for my SEC pre-cation.