I Need a Vacation!
Posted on September 19, 2011 by Gail Danneman
How many times have you thought about how much you need a vacation? If you find yourself thinking about taking a vacation constantly, maybe you should stop thinking about it and take it as a sign. You may in fact actually need a break from work. We all need a break now and then and often a break can give us just the rest we need to continue working hard.
A vacation from work does not mean you have to be lying on an exotic beach. While I certainly wish every vacation meant a beach and sun, these types of vacation just aren’t always in the budget. One of my favorite places to take a break is my parent’s house. For me, taking a break or mini vacation is best when surrounded by people I enjoy spending time with. I enjoy vacations from work or school where I can catch up on things I haven’t had time to do because of my hectic schedule. I know many people that do scrapbooking weekends or do a weekend in Chicago or another big city. These are just some ways you can get away.
Why should you take a vacation? There are some people who rarely use vacation time. While some employees feel they are demonstrating commitment to the organization, in the long run they could be negatively impacting his or her work performance. Taking a break from work can actually improve one’s health. Vacations have even been shown to increase creativity when an employee returns from vacation.
Many employees fear taking vacation from work because of what they will return to. For example, the endless number of phone calls, emails, and mail can really overwhelm someone the first day back from vacation. Is this reason enough to skip vacation? Definitely not. As long as you return to work and don’t let the piles of work stress you out, you will be just fine.
While I am not an advocate for working while on vacation, smartphones have allowed a unique opportunity for employees to stay on top of emails and phone calls while on vacation. If you fear the long list of emails and phone calls to return when you get back, reply to some on vacation. However, keep in mind that behavior sends a message to the person you are responding to. The message is this: no matter if you are on vacation or not, you will respond.
Before you go on vacation from work you should set a strategy. Before you leave for work and projects and tasks are fresh on your mind, jot down what needs to be completed once you return. This will help keep you on task and reduce stress when you return. Before you go on vacation, decide whether or not you will respond to messages on your phone or computer. Stick with your decision. If you decide you will not respond to messages, this will help make the decision easier when you see a new message.
Finally, enjoy your vacation. You have worked hard to be able to take time off of work and you deserve to have a break. Try your best to put all things work out of your mind. Focus on doing activities you enjoy and spending time with people you love.
Do you let yourself have vacations from work? What do you do to remain calm the first day back?
About Gail Danneman
Gail received a B.S. in Psychology from Xavier University and an M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her research interests include: recruitment & selection, employee engagement, turnover, training, and succession planning.
