It’s a cultural article of faith in many sectors that vacation time has a negative impact on productivity. The deeply ingrained work ethic is the lens many of us look through to arrive at this conclusion. But that lens is somewhat distorted. Recent research reveals that quite the opposite is true. More than 3/4s of HR professionals polled in a study conducted by Project: Time Off stated that employees who took most, or all their vacation time were more productive than colleagues who failed to do so. They also reported higher job satisfaction among members of this group and superior overall job performance. Think about it a minute. When people are tired and irritable, they’re not at their best. When people work through weekends and push vacations to the back burner, they can burn out. How useful are burned out employees? Not very. Human beings need time off.
The rollover model of vacation time assignment may seem like an advantage to employees. Unfortunately, when faced with a heavy workload, the rollover option can mean exhausted employees and heavy payouts when they burn out and leave, taking their unused vacation with them, as severance. With the “now or never” approach (where vacation time must be used in the year it’s earned), employees were much more likely to take all their vacation time, returning to work refreshed – and even regarding what they’re owed by the company. No payout. Of the “now or over” companies participating in the Project: Time Off study, 70% stated that employees in their model were more likely to stay on long term and return better results. Just over half the companies employing the rollover vacation model agreed. Sooner or later, companies will pay for employee vacations. It’s part of the deal. You either pay now, or pay later when those accumulated vacation days become part of a severance package, or employee retirement.
Even machines need a break for routine maintenance, every so often. When they don’t get that, they break down. Human beings aren’t machines, so the principle here is even more compelling when applied to your human resources. People need time off. The interesting relationship between vacation and productivity resides in the role of rest and retreat. The meaning of the word “vacation” is instructive in this discussion. It means to “leave (vacate) your daily routine.” In doing so, your perspective is refreshed, with body, mind and soul having been given the rest every human being needs to thrive.
Incentive Travel Group is an outsourced provider of incentive travel programming, planning and implementation. For more than 20 years, we’ve been creating effective incentive programs and supporting the corporate travel needs of businesses like yours. Our outsourced solution frees your human resources to pursue your organizational goals, bringing top-level expertise and experience to your incentive and corporate travel programming. For logistical excellence, creative incentives and an extension of your existing human resources, contact ITG. Discover the ITG edge.
