Are you one of those people who struggle to switch off from work during vacation? You’re definitely not alone. Research indicates that 54% of individuals continue to work while on vacation. While blending work and vacation (a.k.a. “workation”) can have its perks, it’s crucial to disconnect to prevent burnout, especially when you only have a limited number of paid time off days each year.
The Movchan Agency study reveals that 34% of people work while on vacation because they love their job. However, worryingly, 26% do so because their boss demands it, and 29% fear losing their job.
Vacations are intended to be a time to recharge, but you may feel guilty about working instead of relaxing with your family. At the same time, you might also feel guilty about not working when you’re supposed to relax, leading to constant worrying. You worry about missing meetings, replying to emails late, and overthinking any constructive feedback you receive. Just one email can throw you off track. Besides, you are overwhelmed before leaving because you need to ensure nothing gets missed during your absence, and when you return, your inbox and to-do lists are overflowing. What’s the point of the vacation?
The Impact of Not Taking Holidays
While Nadya Movchan, founder and CEO of Movchan Agency highlights that “These statistics are lower than those published in previous years, which stated that two-thirds of Americans worked during their vacations”, the numbers are alarming. Some 63% feel anxious if they don’t check their work emails while away. As a result, 70% of people have experienced mental health issues due to overworking.
Being constantly available may seem like a path to success, but it’s a recipe for burnout and declining productivity. Failing to disconnect from work during vacations can seriously affect physical and mental health, creativity, decision-making, and overall job performance.
What you can do while you are on vacation is to organize your schedule for the following week and keep your backlog up-to-date and prioritized. Writing down your ideas and timeboxing your to-dos can help release your anxiety. I use Google Tasks and apps like Sunsama to help me organize my schedule.
The Benefits of Taking a Vacation
Taking vacations has lowered stress levels, improved heart health, and enhanced overall well-being. An experiment in a small company has shown that by enforcing vacation time in a company, creativity increased by 33%, happiness levels rose by 25%, and productivity increased by 13%. Benioff actually came up with the idea of salesforce while swimming with dolphins,
A Harvard Business Review article highlights the benefits of taking vacation time for physical and emotional health:
Increases positive emotions and reduces depression
Even if you are not far away, you are just spending some time in nature reduces negative rumination and improves overall psychological well-being.
Improves sleep
Sleep problems may increase with work-related stress and anxiety. Research shows that this lack of sleep can result in negative moods such as sadness, anger, frustration, and irritability, which can, in turn, result in more difficulty sleeping. Vacation provides the opportunity to reduce or eliminate this sleep deficit. According to the American Psychological Association, getting even 60 to 90 minutes more of sleep a night can improve both memory and concentration.
Reduces stress hormones
Taking a vacation can help reduce stress hormones and allow your immune system to recover, making you less prone to getting sick. If stress hormones stay chronically high, you are more susceptible to illnesses like heart disease or cancer.
Improves physical health
Engaging in physical activities like hiking, biking, swimming, or even just relaxing or getting massages can improve heart and respiratory health, build stronger bones and muscles, improve circulation, flexibility, and immune response, and decrease muscle stiffness and joint inflammation.
Increases connection with your higher self
A different environment, free from the usual daily distractions of emails and to-dos, can help you better connect with your values, desires, and intuition, helping you make better decisions about your future in the long term and and achieving better alignment with your purpose.
The evidence is clear: failing to disconnect from work during vacation can directly impact health, creativity, and productivity. Both employers and employees must acknowledge the value of taking genuine time off. Encouraging vacations is not just a bonus; it’s essential for sustaining a healthy, engaged, and creative workforce. To fully experience the advantages, employees should disconnect and rejuvenate, returning to work with renewed energy and new perspectives. Get ready to bring your A-game! What groundbreaking idea will you unveil after your well-deserved vacation?
