Why You Need a Vacation.
(And your employees do too!)
Research by Project: Time Off, shows, ‘People who took fewer than 10 of their vacation days per year had a 34.6% likelihood of receiving a raise or bonus in a three-year period of time. People who took more than 10 of their vacation days had a 65.4% chance of receiving a raise or bonus.’
So why are American’s only taking about half of their allocated paid holidays? Especially, when taking vacation days is associated with higher levels of employee satisfaction and wellbeing?
Many American’s worry that they’ll fall behind in their workload or a co-worker will out-perform them, but again, research shows the opposite is true. Employees who take all their vacation days are happier and more productive at work and at home than employees who don’t use all their vacation days.
Still need convincing? Below are six reason to plan a trip, use all of your vacation days and encourage your team to do so too!
Something to look forward to.
Only 30% of US employee are actually engaged in their work. That means 70% of us don’t love what we do everyday. Planing and anticipating the fun you’ll have on your next vacation can help to make the day-to-day more manageable (and enjoyable!) because you have something to look forward to.
Planning a trip over the winter months (especially with your partner or friends) can be especially helpful in giving you and something fun to research and talk about — especially if you find yourself only hashing out work recaps and household logistics.
2. It boosts your creativity (and productivity!)
While having a routine can help you be more productive and focused — those same habits can eventually leave you feeling bored. New experiences and perspectives help boost your creativity and increase your problem solving ability — all by having more fun!
3. It gives you new perspectives.
Traveling can give you new perspectives not only on how people tackle basic life issues - what to wear, eat, sleep, work, bathe, and be — but can also help you expand your own perspectives about how you want to be in the world.
Photo by Trisha Bruecken
4. R&R is really ‘rest & digest’.
55% of Americans are spending nearly half of their day in stressful situations. That means the majority of their day is spent in the sympathetic nervous system— aka fight or flight. Spending the majority of our time in this part of our nervous system impacts our long-term health and can increase the risks of lifestyle diseases.
In order to ‘rest and digest’ we need to get into our parasympathetic nervous system, which allows for repairs to lots of different parts of our body to take place. The best way to get there, is to feel relaxed.
Most American’s say it take about 3 days to ‘unwind’ from work. So it’s really important to not answer emails, texts or phone calls to get the full benefits of going on vacation.
5. It’s literally the best way to spend your $$$.
Happiness experts agree that the best way to invest your money is to spend it on experiences. Travel is a great way to experience new places, ideas, cultures — and food! The reason? The joy that we get from buying something new only lasts for a little, whereabout when we spend money on experiences, we get to re-live those moments over and over again.
6. The benefits can be felt before, during, and after you take the trip!
Spending three days in the woods can boost your immune system by measurable amounts for months after. Planning a trip (and actually taking it) can help put our work into better balance with the rest of our lives and give us better perspective on what we truly value. So, plan a trip that allows you to actually disconnect, and you’ll reap the benefits in both your personal and professional life.