Educating workers on the benefits of taking time off during holidays

Many companies don’t allow employees to roll over vacation days into the next year; if they don’t use them, they lose them. And if upper management doesn’t encourage employees to take their days off each year, employees may start to think they can’t or shouldn’t.

A total of 58 percent of Americans say they will use up their vacation days by the end of 2018 before they expire, a recent survey from Ipsos showed, lagging behind 20 other countries where using up vacation days is a higher priority.

Americans could be avoiding using all their allotted vacation due to feelings of fear, guilt, or pressure from the workplace, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. This means that education about the benefits of taking time off is important.

So why educate workers about the importance of taking time off this holiday season? Because it’s better for business. Here’s why:

Happier employees
Workers are always looking for the best workplace, benefits and salary possible these days. Instead of staying in the same role until retirement, getting that steady cost-of-living 3 percent pay increase each year, modern employees see how easily they can be bumped up in salary just by switching companies.

But benefits matter, too. Often employees will leave a position for one that offers a better work-life balance, even if the pay is the same.

Encourage workers to take all their vacation days this year and you may have happier employees.

Encouraging workers to use their vacation time this holiday season will show them that their happiness and time with family is valued, just as much as their work skills. And employees will feel like they can stay in a position longer if they have no complaints about work-life balance.

Workers are more engaged and productive
Breaks of any kind are important, Inc. stated, whether a daily lunch break, a 20-minute walk around the block, or a week-long vacation. Instead of requiring workers to come in around the holidays, encourage them to spend time away from work to think about other things and spend time with family and friends. Only then will they return to the office after the holidays feeling rejuvenated and ready to face their tasks head-on.

It’s good for the brain
When we’re overworked, we’re not as creative or sharp. Just like we need enough sleep to function, we need enough downtime away from work to be able to do it properly, Salon stated. If you start to work your brain too hard, it will cease to give you positive results, kind of like an overworked machine that finally gives up and requires a reboot.

This is another reason why this holiday season, it’s important to encourage workers to take all of their time off to fully detach from work responsibilities. You’ll have better employees for it who are more engaged and ready to think creatively.

These reasons for encouraging vacation time this holiday season are all related to one important outcome – well-rested, rejuvenated employees who are ready to work hard with positive attitudes about their workplace. So instead of asking them to work or even remain on standby over email, encourage them to truly unplug and relax with family. It’s good for business!