Take a Break

June 11, 2015  by in Business Strategy, Industry   

By Sheila Long O'Mara

In the last week, two magazines featuring cover stories dedicated to the importance of taking time off and taking a break from all things work have been delivered to my mailbox.

One publication—Time—questions who killed the summer vacation. The other—Inc.—zeroes in on the importance of shutting down and getting away from it all. I’m sure if we subscribed to Psychology Today that publication would also have a number of dedicated pages about how employees and managers are much more productive when they’ve had time to recharge their batteries.

And, just now, an e-mail with the subject line “you need a vacation” pinged. Oh, how very true that is.

The headlines captured my attention because this is the time of the year when schools are winding down for the summer, families are making travel plans and everyone is dreaming of long days out of the office. While the calendar says it’s still spring for a few more weeks, the unofficial start of summer is here for most of us.

But what does that mean for a business? How do we keep the wheels still turning while so many associates and partners want (and need) to take time away?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American worker had 4.9 unused vacation days in 2013. During that same year, the average number of vacation days that weren’t carried over was 1.6 days. Want another staggering statistic? The average employee did $504 worth of work because of unused vacation days. Some folks did much more and some did much less.

Here in the U.S., we are the only economy that doesn’t require employers to provide paid holidays or time off. The ONLY one. How can that be?

Study upon study reveals that employees are much more productive when they’re allowed to unwind and recharge. However, in today’s hurry-up, ping-filled world, it’s more challenging to escape.

I suppose we could blame the first-generation BlackBerry. Those black, Pop-Tart sized phones we all toted around 15 years ago. Today, iPhones and Android devices are so ubiquitous and allow us to check e-mail and voicemail with an easy swipe of the finger. Toss in texting and very few of us can truly shutdown.

As we dive into the summer months, keep in mind that you’re more likely to get the best out of your employees if they’re given time away. Most will return with a new zest for what they do, which in turn will be better for your business.

Happy summer!