Perhaps this blog topic is just a marketing scheme to get
people to consider taking a trip or perhaps it is inspired by the fact that as
I write this I am sitting on a dock, drink in one hand and computer on my lap,
watching the sun go down while I feel more relaxed than I have in months. The fact remains however that work related
stress and burnout affect a large percentage of our population and the
tried-and-true method for dealing with these feelings is to simply take a
break. Everyone needs a vacation.
Employers are under no legal obligation to provide workers
with a light at the end of the tunnel also known as “vacation days”, paid or
unpaid, whether you work on a salary basis, commission or get paid an hourly
wage. Yet many companies offer employees
vacation days and holiday time and this isn’t just to lure you in like a moth
to a flame and trick you into accepting their job offering.
Studies and doctors agree that taking the occasional
vacation is actually good for your mental and physical health. There have been strong links found between
vacation time and longevity. According
to the Framingham Heart Study research project, people who go on vacation just
once a year decrease their risk factors for heart disease by a whopping
20%. Aside from the direct health
benefits; time away can also improve your leadership skills and will help put
your work in perspective.
Companies realize that rested employees with outlets for
their stress and time off are healthier overall and become stronger assets to
the business with better problem solving skills and creative, cost saving
solutions. In fact, some companies even
demand that their employees use the available time off. Case in point: I was recently at a point
where I had gone almost a year without taking a vacation and my employer
started sending me not so subtle e-mails reminding me how many days I had
available.
And now that I have spent eight days sitting in the sun down
by the water with a book and sunscreen, doing absolutely nothing work related,
I find myself more focused on the task at the hand. And despite the pile of work I know will be
sitting on my desk and the flood of e-mails that await me upon return, I know
that I can handle it and approach it in a less frantic and stress free manner
while still meeting my deadlines and exceeding the company’s expectations.
Everyone needs a vacation now and again, whether you go to
Thailand and ride elephants or go to your cottage and blame the bad cell phone
reception for not being able to check your voicemail. Your work will wait, your company will
survive without you, and you will return more relaxed, focused and healthier
than you were prior to your trip.
And if your employer hesitates, just tell them that it is
per doctor’s orders.
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