Can taking a vacation really be good for business?

Sheryl Baumeister,
Human Resources Manager

I'll bet you've seen the commercial with the cute kids who encourage us to take one more day of vacation - with some help from MasterCard. After hearing that more than 400 million vacation days go unused in America each year, one kid says, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

So, is this a credit card marketing ploy to get us all to run up debt, or does taking a vacation offer real advantages for you and your business?




Four in ten U.S. workers are leaving paid time off days on the table at the end of the year. At Trigard, every November/December presents a challenge to get the vacation hours whittled down below the “rollover” number. Some organizations don’t allow rollover and employees have to “use it or lose it, making the end of the year even more critical.”
 
As it turns out, taking a vacation can actually help your physical health. The stress of working any job can take a serious toll on your heart. Taking a vacation every two years compared to every six will lessen the risk of coronary heart disease or heart attacks.

Count on being more productive upon returning from vacation. Human beings aren’t designed to expend energy continuously. Rather, we’re meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy.

One of the biggest benefits of taking vacation is how much it affects familial relationships. Family vacations increase family bonding, especially when a lot of the activities have to do with talking about memories or even sharing stressful moments together.

When you step away from the problems and stresses you’re facing, you’re bound to get a better perspective and come out with a more satisfying answer. Working all the time and getting things done might make you think you’re the king of the world, but your brain is feeling something different. Vacations can help you reset your mind.

Starting to feel a little burned out? That’s a perfect reason to take a vacation – especially because slowing down and stepping away will actually help reignite your passion and dedication. Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.

One of the main benefits of vacation time is that it can improve your mental health. Feelings of calm arise and relieve the stress, which allow the body and mind to heal in ways that couldn’t if it were under pressure.

So, as the chorus of adorable, heart-string-tugging children say in the commercial, “We’re not asking for much, we just want one more day.” Be sure you're taking it - and encouraging your employees to do the same!

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.