When Traci Stathis' client mentioned he was soon going on a two-week vacation to Florida, she supposed he wouldn't be available to review drafts or give feedback on their brochure.
“Oh, that will impact our time line then,” said Stathis, a senior consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton who provides contract support for the Department of Homeland Security. But she was quickly corrected. “No, I'll be on vacation. I'll be easier to get a hold of,” her colleague replied.
Perplexed at first, Stathis found his claim to be true. “It was ironic; his reason for being more responsive while on vacation was because he wasn't stuck in meetings all day and could check his BlackBerry,” she said.
This situation is apparently typical in much of corporate America. The Florida vacationer is among most U.S. adults who don't resist the urge to check work email and voice mail while on vacation. It could be worse—he could be with the 25 percent who don't use vacation time at all, despite the need for respite to regroup, recharge, and avoid burnout.1
Even with the fewest number of vacation days in the world according to many surveys—the United States averages fourteen per year—it's a wonder some still go unused.2 People fear job security, explains Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “There's a push for productivity,” he says, “and that can make people really avoid taking a vacation. Some people just figure they'll relax when they retire.”
A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
Basking in the sun, however, can be far more beneficial than never taking time for a reprieve.
Since Jon Blaser left corporate life in 2006 to start his own firm, Blaser Tax Consulting, and achieve greater work–life balance, he's taken two cross-country family road trips. The 1996 Marriott School macc graduate felt at ease about taking the extended vacations because he communicated with his clients and finished his work before leaving town. Blaser, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, took his laptop with him in case clients needed him, although he didn't intend to work. While he may not have been catching waves or lounging on the oceanfront, each getaway provided opportunities for rejuvenation and relaxation.
It's that mental relief that is so beneficial, says Ben Chan, MD, a psychiatrist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “Taking regular breaks from work can help keep stress levels low and prevent workplace burnout,” he explains.
The most immediate psychological benefit of vacation, Chan says, is catching up on sleep. “The sleep debt accumulates over time. People are so stressed that they don't have time to relax and sleep well.” Then, he adds, they're amazed when they go on vacation and can sleep ten, twelve, or even fourteen hours a night. “Our bodies require sleep. It helps with memory, concentration, and being alert.”
Physicians and psychotherapists say both rest and play are important; they actually compare sleep deprivation to lack of vacation.3 Both can negatively impact reflex time, resilience, and the ability to avoid infection. Lack of vacation or recreation can also impact one's ability to process information effectively and to clearly see the big picture. And this probably goes without saying, but those needing a vacation tend to be crankier and more critical of those around them. Sound familiar?
Stress at work can also lead to physiological changes: higher blood pressure and an increase in stress hormones.4 The body is constantly subjected to these responses if one works all the time, says Harvey Simon, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.
A vacation, whether to a tropical location or a relaxing lodge, provides a break from the main sources of stress and burnout, says Toby Anderson, a social worker who provides counseling in stress management, anxiety management, and psychology in Richmond, Virginia.
From a mental health standpoint, Chan asserts that vacationing is clearly a necessity. “It helps recharge your batteries,” he says. Plus, he points out, vacation days are given for a reason. “I think it is a problem when people brag about how many unused vacation days they have. It's like a bravado: ‘I worked 100 hours this week.' It's kind of like, how hard can we push ourselves?” It's important to find balance, he notes. As alluring as the time off may sound, Americans, on average, use only ten of the fourteen available days of paid leave. This makes for a grand total of approximately 574 million unused vacation days each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.5
The reasons for not using up vacation days vary. Some blame it on the “system”—the requirement to schedule a vacation ahead of time. Almost just as many say they're too busy at their jobs to leave. Still others, about 10 percent, say they'd rather have the payout for unused vacation time.6
According to Harprit Singh, founder, president, and CEO of Intellicomm Incorporated, there are others factors that influence why workers don't take the much-needed vacation. His company specializes in communications systems that allow people to travel and still stay connected to work issues. Hence, he frequently interacts with people who desire to take time off but don't think they can leave and still fulfill the details of their jobs.
Singh, who earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1994, believes people avoid taking vacation for both personal and professional reasons. “There is the question about planning. People have a tendency to stick to routines, so even a vacation for some people is a disruption,” he says. Others believe they need daily face time in the office in order to be seen as hard workers deserving of promotions, he adds. And as of late, Singh says, the job market and the fear of losing jobs cause people to push taking a vacation even further down on their priority list.
But, Singh notes, “the biggest reason people don't take vacations is that employees fail to realize the value of vacation. Although not true for everyone, in general people do not make vacations a priority.”
FAMILY BONDING TIME
Among the many benefits of taking a break, Chan says there's even a psychological perk to being with family, noting that it's the awesome, quirky, or unique family vacations that are most memorable. “Meaningful interactions with family are very beneficial long term.”
That's one reason Jon Blaser's family camped out and prepared their own meals along their cross-country treks to Idaho. “As crazy as it may seem, the best part of our trips was the excitement of getting to the next campground. It kept the momentum going,” Blaser says. For a family of seven, camping got everyone out of the car and moving around rather than stuffed in a hotel room. Plus it's a lot easier on the family budget: the price for camping in a state park was $20 a night, compared to the cost of renting two hotel rooms. “We found camping very cost-effective and, most importantly, very memorable.”
Others recall trips that likewise united the family. For years the Perkins family took the occasional weekend trip to the beach but never ventured out on what they would call a “real” vacation. “Longer vacations were always reserved for family visits,” Kelli Perkins says, “and that's just not vacation.”
Then last March, her mother offered her family a week at a timeshare in Orlando, Florida, home of Disney World. The timing was impeccable: Kelli's husband, Pat, was under an extreme amount of stress at work, and they both had reached the point of burnout. Kelli jumped at the chance to escape from the cooler weather of their home in Virginia to the Sunshine State.
Pat, who owned his own financial firm and was partner in a carpet cleaning franchise, had to take work with him. “Having your own business means there's no one else to do the work,” Kelli says. On the trip, Pat would work in the mornings and at night after the children went to bed—a compromise, she says. “Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to go.”
The break was beneficial not only for Pat, who was pulling sixty-hour workweeks, but for Kelli as well. “The stress of work can affect the whole family,” she says. “You can feel it at home.”
For her, it was nice to have a change of scenery and build fun family memories. “I would say I had a little vacation glow,” she admits. Most importantly, she notes, it was good to reconnect as a family and get out of her routine. Kelli can identify with a study conducted by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services that found that women who take vacations are more satisfied with their marriages.8
“My big realization was that we've been missing out,” she says. Seeing the value of a family getaway, the Perkins family hopes to establish a vacation fund and slate a “real” vacation on the calendar each year.
Tips for Surviving the Family Road Trip
- Listen to books on tape.
- Watch DVDs.
- Provide new toys every couple of hours.
- Have plenty of snacks on hand.
- Bring coloring books, crayons, and stickers for younger children.
- Bring bubbles in the car for “emergency” situations.
- Expect frequent stops.
- Play car games (for suggestions, see parents.com/family-life/travel/road-trips/family-road-trip-survival-guide/).
- Clean as you go, but don't worry too much about “road-trip” car—you can always just roll down the windows.
- Try not to worry too much if a child misses a nap or eats french fries twice in one day.
—Suggestions provided by Jon Blaser and Kelli Perkins, both parents and family road trip survivors
Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
Leaving on vacation means actually leaving work—or does it? Not necessarily, according to a survey of advertising executives by the Creative Group.7 Of those surveyed, 13 percent said they never check in while on vacation; a whopping 47 percent may be throwing their towels on the sand, but they're still checking in at the office on a daily basis.
Chan believes that taking a step away from the office gives you a fresher perspective when you get back. The psychiatrist emphasized that taking a break from a project can actually help. “With improved rest and improved sleep, one is better able to brainstorm new ideas,” he says.
How is it done? If possible, it's important to leave work where it belongs—at work—and to make days off count, says Elizabeth Scott, who provides counseling and coaching in effective stress management for stress.about.com. But how does one do that without losing the feeling of job security? Scott offers these suggestions:
- Tie up as many loose ends as possible before leaving.
- Don't offer to be in contact while away. Take your cell phone for emergencies but check messages only once a day, and leave the computer at home.
- If you feel it's important for you to be reachable while you're away, limit your availability to, for example, five minutes a day or one day in the middle of the trip. This will ease the anxiety you may feel and enable you to deal with emergencies.
- If you're having trouble leaving work behind, remind yourself that you owe it to your job to be your best self and that it will be easier to be more productive during the rest of the year if you take care of yourself now.
SOME SUN IS BETTER THAN NONE
One doesn't have to become a total beach bum to reap the benefits of a vacation. Depending on work and life circumstances, it may not always be possible to take a full-fledged vacation. In fact, Anderson says that for some people, scattering shorter vacations—perhaps long weekend retreats—can be equally rewarding. The more frequent the breaks, the less buildup in the stress of a job, he says. “The key is spending time away doing something different.”
A “staycation,” or a vacation where one relaxes in his or her hometown, has become a popular alternative to the traditional vacation, Scott says. “It provides a wonderful break without as much expense as an out-of-town trip. If you take a staycation, be sure you make yourself unavailable to your job and other life responsibilities, or it won't work,” she advises. She suggests staying in a hotel or other lodging facility if it will help to really “break away” from it all.
A staycation can include day trips to local attractions like a beach, museum, theme or water park, festival, or concert.9 Chan says having that extra day to spend with family or to accomplish tasks that have been put off repeatedly can be immensely rewarding.
The concept was adopted in Egypt, where a national holiday is in place to remind people to stop. In fact, the name of the holiday is Sham El Nessim, or “Smelling of the Breeze.” The day celebrating the rite of spring is typically observed by taking time to relax and spend time with family outside, often by picnicking along the Nile River.10
In addition to taking trips and spending time with family, Scott says, it's important to take regular mental vacations. “Meditation, exercise, or even breathing exercises are good choices,” she says. Lastly, maintaining supportive relationships both at work and at home and having at least one hobby can help one to maintain a better work–life balance as well as help to stave off burnout.
Whether you're after bronzed skin or simply seeking an opportunity to relax and regroup, the value of vacations—long or short—is extremely high, providing a way to escape the stressors of work and life, prevent burnout before it starts, and return to work with a fresh outlook.
Oh, and don't forget to pack the sunscreen.
Worldwide Views of Vacations
Gina Cabrera, who has lived abroad most of her life, has seen the way other countries treat vacations—and it's not lightly. “I definitely think vacations are viewed differently in other parts of the world,” says Cabrera, a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State in Cairo, Egypt.
“In countries such as France and Egypt, vacations are not an option; they are part of the yearly routine. A must!” she says. Almost everything in France shuts down during the month of August, she explains, and all government workers—or “fonctionnaires” as they are called in French—take the whole month off to go on holiday to the beach. “It is not a question of ‘Should we take the time off?' or ‘Do we have enough money?' or ‘What will happen to my office if I leave?'” she says. “The questions are, ‘Where are we going, and what day are we leaving?'” Of course, she adds, “fonctionnaires” are permanent employees, and therefore job security is a given.
Vacation in Egypt is viewed much the same way, Cabrera notes. Egyptians work half days for the whole month of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month dedicated to prayer and to fasting from sunrise to sunset. At the end of Ramadan, Cabrera explains, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr. “The government in Egypt grants all employees a week off of work to enjoy the end of the monthlong fast. Egyptians look forward to the break from the daily routine and fully enjoy relaxing with friends, family, and good food,” she says.
Cabrera, who has now lived in both places, observes that people in both France and Egypt seem to live life to the fullest. “They are able to leave work far behind and enjoy their days off with family and friends when they take vacations. Of course, the government might not work as efficiently during the month of August in France. Perhaps things slow down a bit in Egypt during the holy month of Ramadan,” she says. “But in the end, people are happier because they have the time to enjoy themselves and relax. They can return to work renewed with energy and look forward to the next mandatory vacation.”
Other countries have also slowed down on time put in at the office. Japan long held the lead for number of hours worked, but the United States surpassed it in the mid-1990s and has since pulled even further ahead.11 The report, provided by the International Labor Organization in 2001, found that Americans added almost a full week to their work year, working 137 hours—or about three and a half weeks—more a year than Japanese workers.
“It's unique to Americans that they continue to increase their working hours, while hours are declining in other industrialized nations,” says Lawrence Jeff Johnson, the economist who oversaw the report. “It has a lot to do with the American psyche and culture. American workers are eager to make the best impression—to put in the most hours.”
Average Number of Vacation Days Received Annually12, 13, 14
- United States: 14
- Australia: 20
- South Africa: 21
- Great Britain: 24
- Korea: 25
- Germany: 26
- Spain: 30
- Brazil: 34
- France: 36
_
Article written by Jennifer Mathis
Illustrations by Daniel Chang
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Mathis can vouch for the value of vacations, having recently traveled to Europe with her husband, Michael. She is a freelance writer and editor living in Mechanicsville, Virginia. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism in 2000 and her master's degree in 2002, both from BYU.
NOTES
- career-advice.monster.com/vacations/The-Importance-of-Vacation/home.aspx
- forbes.com/2007/08/02/vacation-work-summer-forbeslife-cx_avd_0806health.html
- career-advice.monster.com/vacations/The-Importance-of-Vacation/home.aspx
- forbes.com/2007/08/02/vacation-work-summer-forbeslife-cx_avd_0806health.html
- imakenews.com/signal/e_article000617059.cfm?x=b7JrnqF,b5pGHBh2,w
- imakenews.com/signal/e_article000617059.cfm?x=b7JrnqF,b5pGHBh2,w
- findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070826/ai_n19490663
- stress.about.com/od/workplacestress/a/vacations.htm
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staycation
- mideast.blogs.time.com/2007/04/09/smelling_of_the_breeze/
- query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE5D91130F932A3575AC0A9679C8B63
- forbes.com/2007/08/02/vacation-work-summer-forbeslife-cx_avd_0806health.html
- infoplease.com/ipa/A0922052.html
- cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/work.life.balance/chart/
