Are You Taking Vacation?

These first two weeks of July are among the most popular vacation weeks. Indeed, some industries and many individual companies are now shut down for well deserved vacations. Other companies are encouraging people to take their vacations now since business is so very slow. Much to the chagrin of some employees, some companies that previously allowed employees to keep working and swap their vacation time for cash are telling employees to take the vacation; it's that or a temporary layoff.

While I sympathize with those who need the cash and depend on cashing in vacation time to get that cash, the fact is that companies should be encouraging people to take their vacations and holidays too. Simply stated, we all need a break from work from time to time. To take a breather. Clear our heads. Refresh ourselves so we can go back to work with renewed energy and enthusiasm. At the extreme, a person who constantly works is very prone to "burn out," a condition that, while detrimental to our companies, is even more devastating to our own mental health.

So do what you can to make sure you take a vacation. Do what you can to avoid working every holiday. Indeed, take your lunch and other breaks as well. Oh I know some of you will tell me how busy you are and how much you have to do. But working through breaks and lunch, taking work home at night and on the weekend, working holidays, racking up lots of overtime and not taking vacations is a recipe for personal disaster. And, it often signals to others that you are a manager who is harried, out of control and unable to plan, delegate, utilize resources and effective time management.

And a final note for those of who have an employee reporting to you who demonstrates some of the workaholic behaviors described above. Your job as their supervisor is to make sure they take their breaks, have their lunches, limit their "take home" work, and be sure they take a reasonable number of holidays and a reasonable amount of vacation as well.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

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