Worried workers opting-out at vacation time

This is usually the time of year when employees start handing in vacation requests for time off during the summer, but this year is proving to be a little different.

Along with our bank accounts, Americans’ summer vacations are taking a serious hit because of the bad economy, according to a recent CNN article.

This year, employees are worried that taking a temporary vacation could turn into a permanent one. The risk of losing their jobs has more American workers choosing the office rather than some much needed time off.

But even when the economy was good, Americans still found it hard to take vacations. Studies conducted over the years have shown that we just don’t know how to let go of work and relax.

Expedia.com, the travel reservation company, recently released the results of their survey comparing the vacation habits of different cultures across the globe.

While we’re not as bad as Japanese workers, who are the least interested in taking vacations with about 92% of workers not using all of their vacation days. Over a third (34%) of Americans don’t take all the vacation time they earn each year.

Compared to French and German workers, of which 22% and 24% don’t use all of their vacation time, it sounds like most of us are in need of a nice long vacation.

Workers who continually opt-out of vacation time tend to be overworked, overwhelmed and on the verge of burn out. But the guilt some workers feel when taking a vacation can be just as bad.

How can managers help their employees feel comfortable that they’ll still have a job after handing in that vacation request form? Here are a few tips:

• Lead by example. The best way to show employees that it’s ok to take time off is to do it yourself. If they see that you were able to disconnect from work and relax, they’ll feel more comfortable using their vacation time.


• Suggest staycations. Taking a vacation closer to home is a great solution for the employee who’s stressed they’ll miss something big if they’re too far away. A staycation (vacation in your home town) can help employees find relaxation without traveling or spending too much money.


• Have a plan. Employees will be more willing to go on vacation if they know there isn’t a big project coming up. Plan vacations around big events and allow workers to delegate their tasks to coworkers they trust to get the work done.

Take a look at these related posts for more tips and advice on taking work-free vacations:

Work/life balancing act has more moms burnt out

Go on vacation without worrying about work, 6 tips

Work/life balance: Simply a matter of choice?

New employee vacation trend: Staycations

Go on vacation without worrying about work, 6 tips

Vacations are meant to be a time to unwind, leave everything behind and recharge your worn-out batteries. But when it comes to the office, the thought of leaving it all behind has become something much easier said than done these days.

As wireless technology and mobile devices continue to advance, it’s getting easier and easier to remain connected with the office when you’re gone. Those connections can be wonderful when you’re away on business or working from home for a few days, but they have no place in your vacation.

One in four workers will be keeping in touch with the office while on vacation this year, according to CareerBuilder’s 2007 vacation survey. Close to one in ten (9%) said that their bosses expect them to be getting work done or at least checking messages while away on vacation.

So, if a vacation is meant to be a time to unwind and disconnect, can you truly call it a vacation if you’re still logging work hours on your laptop?

When it’s time to go, leave work at work and out of your suitcase. Follow these six tips to stop worrying about work while you’re on vacation:

1. Have a plan. Let everyone on your team know the dates you’ll be away from the office in advance. If there’s something that needs to be worked on while you’re away, plan to have it finished before you leave or have someone else take over. Give at least one person on your team a copy of important information (e.g. contact names, phone numbers) they may need in your absence.


2. Inform clients. Instead of returning to a voice mail box full of disgruntled messages from clients, let everyone know that you’ll be on vacation ahead of time. Provide your clients with the contact information of someone else at the office they can talk to in case there’s a problem.


3. Clean up. Before leaving the office for vacation, take a few minutes to clean up your work area. Clearing your desk will help you make sure you didn’t miss anything important and your coworkers will be less likely to dump anything on a tidy desk while you’re gone. Remember that a messy desk will only add to any stress you feel when returning to the office.


4. Keep an open calendar. You may feel like you have to jump back into it right away, but resist the urge to schedule anything for the day you come back to the office. If necessary, block out time on your calendar for a long meeting with yourself, so no one can sneak anything in while you’re gone.


5. Leave the laptop. No matter how much you tell yourself you won’t use it, leave your laptop behind when packing for vacation. The temptation to check your email will be too strong if you know your laptop is tucked inside your bag. Your family and friends will appreciate it, too.


6. Lead by example. If you’re the boss, do your best to limit contact while you’re gone. Employees will feel more comfortable taking time off and enjoying themselves when their vacation time rolls around.

As difficult as it may sound, use your vacation time to have a vacation and leave work where it’s meant to be - at work. The more you enjoy your vacation, the more relaxed and recharged you’ll be when it’s time to get back to work. Along with your family, friends and coworkers, you’ll thank yourself for it later.

Why the happiest companies are so happy

It’s that time of the year again, about that time when most of us have started counting down the days until our upcoming holiday break. Whether it’s for a few weeks or just a few days, it will pass quickly and that first day back to the office will be a somber one.

But, what if you worked at a company where you looked forward to coming back after vacation? A place where you thought twice about taking a vacation because you enjoyed being in the office so much?

Business coach Gill Corkindale brought up those questions and others regarding happiness at work in an article I recently came across on the Harvard Business blogs. She explains how more companies in the U.S. and U.K. are taking happiness at work very seriously, despite the economic recession.

“As a business coach, I've noticed that more and more managers and leaders are expecting to derive more happiness and satisfaction from their work. They are often young, talented and successful people who view their jobs as routes to self-actualisation. Yet this shift in the purpose of work raises many questions: how much satisfaction are we entitled to derive from work? And should employers be expected to provide meaning and happiness as well as a job and salary?”

Companies are taking happiness into their own hands, and doing so with clear business motives in mind. In the article, Gill points out a research paper from a Wharton finance professor who found that U.S. companies with the happiest employees performed “notably better” financially than lower-ranked companies.

Moreover, happiness has been scientifically proven to extend our life expectancies, keep us healthier and improve productivity at work.

“Employee satisfaction is a very effective motivational tool and a powerful method of retaining key employees.”

One IT training company in the UK, aptly named Happy, has won a number of awards for being one of the most inspired places to work and for its strong focus on employee and customer relations.

Along with the power of play, happiness can help companies become a better and more enjoyable place for leaders, employees and customers to prosper. Here are just some ways Happy gets to be so happy:

• Create a positive work environment. In most companies, managers spend more time correcting employees on what they’ve done wrong than telling them what they’ve done right. Remember to tell employees ‘thank you’ for doing a great job from time to time.



• Freedom. It’s much easier to be creative without a manager standing over your shoulder watching your every move. Give employees your trust and the freedom to be creative in their everyday work.



• Outline clear expectations. Ensure that every employee under your roof knows what is expected of them and how to reach those expectations. Whether you use employee performance reviews or not, make sure employees are working toward clear goals.



• Feedback. “Feedback is crucial to job ownership,” says Gill. Make sure employees are hearing feedback from internal as well as external sources so they can take ownership in their work. Try using the 5 cent feedback experiment if you’re having trouble.



• Develop skills with training. Recruit talented people who show a positive attitude and then give them the training to develop their skills within the organization. Training is just one way to improve employee engagement and boost morale.



• Celebrate mistakes. “Saying 'I got it wrong' is a sign of responsibility and an indication of an honest and open corporate culture,” says Gill. “If people haven't made any mistakes, they probably haven't tried anything new.”

We want to know - What do you do to make your company a more enjoyable place to work? Would you use ‘happy’ to describe your office environment?

New employee vacation trend: Staycations

With high gas prices and a slowing economy, more people are opting out of expensive vacations and signing up for something closer to home – a staycation.

Hectic schedules sometimes make it difficult to explore the area you live in and high airline prices make it just as difficult to leave. Opting for a staycation gives you the opportunity to explore what your community has to offer, without having to book costly hotel rooms.

Time spent away from work, whether in the sunny tropics or on your back porch, can help you unwind and return to work refreshed. Vacations are an essential piece to the work/life puzzle that ward off burnout and allow employees to be more productive at work.

Vacationing at home comes with a risk - work. With technology readily available at home and no roaming fees, the temptation to get a little work done may be too much to handle while on a staycation. With any vacation the risk is high, a Career Builder survey released this year showed one in four workers will be staying in touch with work while on vacation this year.

Another risk of staycationing is the allure of the couch. It can be easy to fall into sloth mode, wasting your vacation in front of the television. But, there are some ways to pull yourself away from the appeal of a cushy couch and make the most of your time off.

Here are some tips on how to successfully staycation:

Treat it like a real vacation - make plans. Make a list of all the places in your area that you haven't explored yet and start checking them off.

Pretend to be a tourist. Don't be afraid to check out the "touristy" areas, maybe even buy a funny hat. It's easy to overlook all the little parks, museums and tours that can be found within close radius to home.

Put down the Blackberry and hide your laptop. Easy access to work can be tempting. Pretend like you're on a remote island in the Pacific with no Internet access or phone lines. Let your coworkers know that you will be unavailable for calls and email during your time off.

Save some money on your next vacation and become a tourist in your own town. Take a staycation and discover everything your community has to offer, you may be surprised what you find.