3 Reasons Skipping a Vacation is a Bad Idea
You would think that most people don’t need much encouragement to plan a nice vacation and embark on journey that spirits them away from commonplace surroundings and daily stress. Yet, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, “In total, Americans left 658 million vacation days unused [in 2015].”
The article goes on to mention that “222 million [of the 658 million unused vacation days] were forfeited because they couldn’t be rolled over or paid out in any way.” However, having a rollover policy for vacation days instead of a “use it or lose it” policy is no guarantee that more vacation days will be taken. It it isn’t uncommon for workers to retire holding tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid vacation days — and sometimes more.
Reasons to Take a Vacation
There are plenty of need-based reasons that understandably stand in the way of taking a vacation, such as a temporary lack of disposable income or being the sole caregiver for an ill relative. But if a person refrains from vacationing to appease the tycoon-ish ways of his or her employer, that’s not an acceptable reason. The vacation days should be taken; below are three reasons why.
- Supports Physical Health
According to a report in The New York Times, based on a 2000 study that observed 12,000 men for nine years who had a high risk for coronary heart disease, “Those who failed to take annual vacations had a 21 percent higher risk of death from all causes and were 32 percent more likely to die of a heart attack.” When we have health issues, we often try to implement healthier habits. Vacationing should be one of those habits.
- Supports Mental Health
In our capitalistic, work-driven culture, we like to think of ourselves as workers who can withstand lots of stress to capture the light at the end of the tunnel: a nice paycheck. However, unless the stress is released, it can lead to mental fatigue, anxiety, and a general sense of malaise, regardless of how much money we stuff in our pockets.
According to a 2009 study, Canadian researchers Joudrey and Wallace report that “Active leisure pursuits and taking vacations helped to buffer or ameliorate the job stress among a sample of almost 900 lawyers.” Whether you’re a lawyer who has a big caseload or a legal secretary who could use a second set of hands to multitask, vacation helps you de-stress.
- Boosts Job Performance
Can something that takes you away from your job improve your job performance when you return? According to Live in the Now — a web-based organization that promotes a holistic approach to good health — every additional 10 hours of vacation time employees took, their performance ratings from supervisors increased 8 percent. The rejuvenation received from vacations leads to greater productivity and creativity once people return to their job.”
Who We Are
Incentive Travel Solutions is a planner and facilitator of incentive-based travel trips that reward top performers with world class travel destinations and activities that create lasting memories. To give your hardworking employees the break they need, please call us today at (704) 540-1482 to start the planning process, or use our contact form. We look forward to helping you travel in style!
