Take a break!
With summer just around the corner, consider this a PSA to get planning for your next vacation. Year after year, mountains of paid vacation and personal time off go unused by American workers. Data from the U.S. Travel Association shows that a staggering 768 million vacation days went unclaimed in 2022 alone. (I assume they’re still adding up the unused days for 2023.) Based on the 2022 totals, each private-sector worker left an average of 10+ days on the table.
Some may view still view unused vacation time as a badge of honor – a reflection of hard work and dedication. But the truth is, endless hours at the grindstone with no break come at a tremendous cost to individuals and their employers. Research links chronic overwork, stress, and lack of sufficient rest to a host of mental and physical health issues. Burnout, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and weakened immunity are just some of the potential consequences when employees don’t use their hard-earned time off.
Even if workers avoid acute health crises, working incessantly takes a toll on life satisfaction and personal relationships. How can you nurture bonds with family and friends? Pursue hobbies and personal growth? Recharge your mental and emotional reserves? Eventually, the unrelenting grind wears people down.
The hit to workplace productivity and engagement is also substantial. Numerous studies show that burned-out, overwhelmed employees are far less focused, creative, motivated, and resilient. They’re more prone to making costly mistakes, safety lapses, and bad decisions. It’s not exactly a winning formula for companies counting on a thriving, high-performing workforce. There are also opportunity costs of workplace burnout, fueling higher employee turnover and absenteeism. Estimates suggest U.S. businesses lose over $300 billion annually in costs for hiring and training new staff to backfill those who leave due to burnout.
You can’t solve every issue by encouraging your team to take a vacation day (and taking time away yourself). Still, it’s an enjoyable way to improve productivity, combat burnout, and strengthen physical and mental well-being. Vacation, anyone?