Should an Employer Encourage Employees to Take Vacation Time?

Absolutely. One way to develop happier and healthier employees might be more basic than wellness and disease prevention programs --it could simply be encouraging employees to use their vacation time. Despite a growing desire to spend more time with family and friends, 63 percent of Americans still work more than 40 hours a week, and as a country hand back more than $21 billion dollars in unused vacation days to employers each year.

Respondents to an Expedia.com survey reported that they are taking less vacation time in 2003 than they did in 2002. Twenty percent say they feel guilty taking a vacation from work, and 12 percent report taking no vacation time at all. Because they are logging in so many hours at work, 7 in 10 Americans say don't they have a healthy balance between work and personal life. One in four say they would take a pay cut to have more time off to enjoy life outside of work.

Vacation benefits. Taking time away from work is no longer viewed as a luxury, but a necessity for stress management and good mental health. Eighty-four percent of survey respondents reported feeling rested, rejuvenated and reconnected with family and friends after a vacation. Also, 80 percent reported having a more positive outlook about their jobs when they take sufficient time away from the workplace.

To assist employees in enjoying a stress-free and work-free vacation, consider the following tips:

Encourage employees to give early notice for the dates they plan to take off to make sure all involved schedules will continue running smoothly;

Employees who have a big project and a great vacation planned for the same week, should expect one of the two to give. Encourage employees to schedule the travel dates before and after the big stuff to lighten their load and enjoy the time off;

Employees may feel irreplaceable for the work ahead, but cross-training a co-worker to share tasks enables them to take time off and creates a network. Next time a co-worker needs to take a vaction, the favor can be returned;

Employees should leave an alternative contact either via voicemail or an automated email response to let co-workers and clients know that they will be out and where immediate assistance can be sought. This will also assist employees in avoiding inbox overload upon their return; and

Asking an employee to check in a couple of times during a week off is one thing, but if you know that contact will need to occur more frequently during that particular time, work with the employee to determine both when contact is appropriate and when it is not.