Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
Kicking Back
May 31,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on June 2012
Talk about starting the day off righthow about a quick massage? Michael Nermon, president of Ergo Customized Comfort, which has a sleep store in Irvine, Calif., believes a relaxed, re-charged staff does a better job interacting with customers, especially those shoppers who might have had a bad experience in other stores.
In our showroom, we have these state-of-the-art massage recliners, and I insist they spend the first part of their day in one of those getting relaxed, Nermon said.
The mood fits the environment in Ergos showroom.
Our specialty is bedding, Nermon added, but its almost a spa-like atmosphere.
Theres no avoiding stress in retail. Its a people business, and depending on your customers (and staffs) personalities, situations can arise that would get under anyones skin. Economic uncertainty makes business owners inherently nervous. Vendors and service providers all feel that heat as well, so b-to-b relationships can be tense.
This month, Home Furnishings Business takes a look at coping with stress and recharging ones mental and physical batteries. We talked with a lot of furniture retailers about what they do to give themselves a break, and looked around for resources that we hope will help you manage your and your employees stress load.
These pages are a bit more lighthearted than usual. We hope youll have fun reading them and, with summer here, find some things you might want to pursue to get the most out of your spare time.
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
Are you to busy to ever get away from work? A better question might be: Can you afford not to?
More than a third of respondents (34 percent) to an online poll at About.com said they take a vacation once every couple of years or never. Twelve percent said they get away once every two years or so; 25 percent once a year; and 28 percent several times a year.
Wellness coach, author, health educator, and blogger Elizabeth Scott, who has training in counseling, family therapy and health psychology, manages About.coms stress management content.
Scott noted that when people do take vacations, they often take work along with them.
Why take vacations?
A good vacation can help us to reconnect with ourselves, operating as a vehicle for self-discovery and helping us get back to feeling our best, Scott wrote on the site,
noting that vacations stave off burnout. Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.
Vacations can actually improve health and overall well-being, as well.
Taking regular time off to recharge your batteries, thereby keeping stress levels lower, can keep you healthier, she said. One study found that three days after vacation, subjects physical complaints, their quality of sleep and mood had improved as compared to before vacation. These gains were still present five weeks later, especially in those who had more personal time and overall satisfaction during their vacations.
Spending time enjoying life with loved ones helps maintain relationships, always good for anyones sense of well-being.
In fact, a study by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services found that women who took vacations were more satisfied with their marriages, Scott said.
She added that the same study indicated a bottom-line benefit for business owners: Vacations can help with job performance.
The psychological benefits that come with more frequent vacations lead to increased quality of life, and that can lead to increased quality of work on the job, according to Smith.
A vacations benefits can last as well. Scott cited research indicating that a
good vacation can result in fewer stressful days at least five weeks after coming back to work.
The bottom line is that taking a good amount of time away from the stresses of daily life can give us the break we need so that we can return to our lives refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes, Scott said.
TIME AWAY
No Vacation Nation, a 2007 study from the Center for Economic Policy Research, showed almost one in four Americans had no paid vacation or holidays.
Unlike many industrialized countries, especially in Europe, there are no government requirements for paid time off. The study noted that several nations have additional stipulations to ensure workers take their allotted leave each year.
Its doubtful anyone wants to see government mandates for vacation in this country, but some business owners might want to make getting away from the job on occasionboth for themselves and their employeesmandatory.
The reason? Your health. The State University of New York and University of Pittsburgh study examined the associated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) with not taking vacation. The research had a 12,000-plus sample, and covered a nine-year follow-up period.
Its conclusion: The frequency of annual vacations by middle-aged men at high risk for (coronary heart disease) is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and, more specifically, mortality attributed to CHD. Vacationing may be good for your health.
MAKING PLANS
A survey last year from the Family Business Initiative at the University of Vermont found that among respondentsbusiness owners in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts74.5 percent are planned on taking a vacation last summer, while 23.5 percent were not taking a vacation, and 2 percent were not sure.
Among the respondents reasons for not taking a vacation:
¢ Staff reduced due to economy. Cannot leave work at this time.
¢ Summer is the busiest time of the year and I would prefer to be here. I take my vacation in the Fall or Winter.
¢ Im in construction, we make hay while the sun shines. Especially after the past couple slow years.
¢ We take very few vacations. Occasionally in the spring we may go to Florida to visit my wifes brother; otherwise, we are homebodies.
Some of that might sound familiar.
Especially for family businesses, the Vermont study found several benefits to vacations. First, taking time away from work helps to separate family issues from business issues.
Time away from work also allows employees to feel empowered and trusted.
The study noted vacation time should not be seen as a reward for work completed but a recharging for work to come.
It also cited research estimating that that 70-90 percent of doctors visits are stress-relatedat a cost more than $300 billion each year. Those who cant reduce their stress levels, take time off, or achieve calmness are also those more likely to suffer long-term effects from a trauma.
So why didnt the business owners in the Vermont study want to take time off? Their leading concern by a narrow margin33 percentis their worry that an important customer or client will not get good service.
Twenty-seven percent are concerned that they will miss an important new business opportunity. Some lack trust in their employees, and are unwilling to leave the business with the babysitter.
Another concern was that in a tight economy, taking a vacation might send the wrong signal to employees and create resentment.
The Family Business Initiative report noted that time away can take different forms. For example, a family-owned business might schedule family meetings outside of the office or even state. That would include scheduled meeting time with a set agenda and forum for discussing issue, but also downtime to still enjoy each other as family.
For vacations, the report has several suggestions. First, plan way ahead of time, and prepare employees for the owners absence. Also, make sure to define rules for contact in case of an emergency.
Second, disconnect yourself. Todays technology makes it tempting and easy to keep working when maybe you should be relaxing. Empower the people left in charge to fulfill the responsibilities youve given them. Look at time away from work as an exercise in succession planning. Let the next generation really be the boss. An added benefit is that as they develop, you can build up to more time away.
Third, discipline yourself to stay on vacation while on vacation. And dont overdo ita packed schedule of things to do that you cant complete might leave you dissatisfied. But stay occupied enough to keep your mind off work.
The cost of travel is increasing, but that doesnt mean you cant get away for a staycation with your family, or perhaps planning a trip to somewhere not too far from home.
Even if you cant get out of town, find ways to guarantee yourself some quiet time. Youll thank us laterhave a great summer! HFB
4 Ways to Leave Work @ Work
No matter what you do, you still cant seem to find a way to embark on your dream vacation, leaving work worries and everything behind for a week or maybe two. Mental health professionals agree that downtime is imperative to remaining productive and energized while on the job. That said, Dr. Jeffrey Brantleys book Five Good Minutes in the Evening offers a variety of ideas on how to unwind at the end of the work day.
Here are four to help leave work at the store or office. Yes, they may sound a bit on the new age side of stress relief, but hey, they could make all the difference.
1. Release nagging thoughts. Thoughts from work infiltrate our homes during the most mundane of tasks. Brantley suggest taking a minute to close your eyes, breathe and pay attention to the thoughts. From there, he says make a conscious effort to tell the thoughts now isnt the right time. Slowly open your eyes and move back into your evening.
2. Unravel like a thread. Visualize youre a spool of thread unraveling from job stress. Breathe and focus on the present. At the first rotation of the spool of thread, youre unwinding your tiresome list of worries. On the second spin, youre unraveling the burdensome thoughts and things left undone at work. With each unraveling, you are loosening from the spiraling thoughts and returning to a place of serenity.
3. Enjoy a dose of humor. The author suggests creating a mental or written list of everything that makes you laugh. Scheduling humor may seem odd, but many of us are out of practice and need help. Rent a new comedy; call a friend who makes you laugh; find a Web site that publishes funny jokes; or watch TV shows with goofy behavior.
4. Act like a tourist on the commute home. Dont let the drive become an routine managed on autopilot. Before leaving work take a few mindful breaths. Picture yourself as a tourist who has never visited the place you see daily. As you drive or ride home, be curious about the sights around you. See how many new and interesting things you notice along the way.