August is approaching and it is vacation time for many working individuals!
Depending on the type of organization, some may shut down the entire business for a few weeks and send everybody on simultaneous holidays, while in most other cases, people take their turns on vacation. There is, however, a small but not negligible part of the workforce who take no or very few days off work every year.
Officially, Europeans are entitled to 20-25 days of annual leave. In the US the average is 10-15 days per annum, whereas in China 5-15 days, depending on the working years accumulated.
But how much time off people actually take? And what are the influencing factors?
It largely depends on culture.
> The French, Germans and Scandinavians take as much as six weeks’ time off annually. On average, Americans use half of their annual vacation time allowance and many work remotely while on holiday, being frequently in touch with the office or their boss. The Chinese are very low on the holiday scale with not a single vacation day off in a span of three years being typical.
An organizational vacation-avert climate!
> One reason certain people confess to is the heroic comeback to over-flooded incoming trays and email inboxes and all sorts of things having to catch up with. This can truly be overwhelming but most people, who have been there, know that after the first couple of days have passed it is all back to normal.
> An associated reason is the fear that nobody can substitute vacation avert persons well enough so as to allow them to take time off and really relax, confident that the precious project or process will not be screwed up.
> Other people are also “saving” their holidays for a rainy day, that is in case something comes up and they need to spend some unplanned time off work. To provide for that, some companies have emergency time off schemes, even though they usually cater for unpaid leave.
A workaholic culture!
> A percentage of the working population that fluctuates with geography and culture, refrain from taking time off either because their boss would give them a hard time or because the boss would allow it but would think low of them. Depending on the country and the employment laws, they ultimately fear of being fired for not dedicating 100% of themselves to their job.
So for the employee, skipping time off work is the result of a cocktail of fear, guilt and competition.
> The “all work and no pleasure” scenario, however, has consequences on both the employee and the organization and these include:
- Burn out in the form of poor health and low productivity;
- Increased stress levels;
- Low motivation;
- Lack of inspiration and innovation.
> Employers and managers need to practically motivate their staff to take worthwhile vacations or a fair amount of time off work.
> Agreeing on an employee’s request for time off and approving his leave request is not enough.
Managers can practically encourage vacation time by:
- Taking time off themselves;
- Showing respect of personal time and time with family and friends throughout the year (e.g. avoid calling and emailing staff over weekends or putting assignments over weekends);
- Encouraging early vacation planning (once people have booked hotels or flights or have made arrangements with friends months in advance, it is more likely they do take the holiday when the time comes);
- Making use of shared calendars where people in the same team and department can view each other’s vacation dates and minimize overlaps well in advance. Shared calendars can also increase people’s appetite for vacations in the sense that as they gradually get filled up with other people’s holidays they may have a contagious effect to the population using them;
- Working around obstacles that could lead to cancelling ones holidays;
- Making plans for people substituting each other while on leave or putting their responsibilities on hold for a while;
- Demanding quality work and enabling quality time off. Companies that roll over unused paid annual leave time may have good intentions but they don’t encourage people actually taking the time off. It is rather a signal that it is ok to postpone it.
Taking time off is only one of many ways to improve work-life balance.
As a manager, take your allowance of days off and encourage your staff to do the same. Enjoy the sunny beaches, the snow-white mountain tops or the comfort of your sofa. Spend time with family and friends. Play games, watch movies, exercise, travel, sleep, rest. Return to work revived, plan your next holiday and get back to serious work, knowing that in six months’ time another adventure (or break) awaits you. It is part of the process and it is vital so that you avoid burning out.
29.7.2016