Too Many Americans Skip Their Vacation. Americans are among the hardest working people in the world, and we receive the fewest vacation days from our employers.
So why do Americans throw away an estimated 415 million vacation days every year by skipping their vacation? If you are in a leadership role at your place of work, not taking time off from work can prove to be more harmful than beneficial for you or your organization.
Here are four reasons why you should be going on vacation:
1. Revive your productivity, and with it, your team’s
We all know that small breaks throughout the day help us over the short term, but we must take longer breaks from work to sustain and even build our creativity and productivity. Being away from your work environment for an extended time will help you gain a fresh perspective on your work and provide you with the opportunity to pursue your other interests.
By skipping your vacation, you can harm the organization’s morale. It creates frustration and resentment and makes the rest of the team think that if the boss isn’t taking a vacation, they might have better not take one either.
2. Vacation time is part of your compensation; it’s not a job “perk”
Remember when you applied for the job? Weren’t you allotted a certain number of vacation days per year as part of the compensation package? Vacation time is part of your remuneration for doing the job; it’s not a “perk.”
It’s a return on the investment of your time and expertise in helping your organization to reach its objectives. Would you not accept a monetary bonus at the end of the year? Of course, you would! That’s how we need to think of vacations.
3. Serve as a role model for others in your team
Whether in a leadership role or as an employee, you must take a vacation! Employees will look to their leaders for guidance on what is allowed and what is frowned upon.
What you model at work will determine what your employees do. Even though the workloads may be building on your desks, taking time off work is essential to maintain your effectiveness in your role.
4. So whether you’re in Bora Bora, Paris, or Hawaii, show your team they can manage without you!
While we all like to think that we’re indispensable, the reality is we need to encourage the company’s growth and overall morale. Taking time off from work will encourage team members to develop strategies and abilities to help them learn how to hold down the fort while you’re away.
We need our leaders and employees to bring their best efforts to reach the organization’s goals. And the best way we can encourage this is to make sure everyone takes their vacations so that they might bring a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to attain their shared goals.
Hopefully, this will encourage you to understand why skipping your next vacation is so not worth it!
In a world with thousands of destinations, resorts, and cruise lines across all seven continents, we help families, friends, and couples celebrate life by having unique cultural travel experiences.