Nine Reasons Why Employees Need A Vacation

At the end of the year, many companies encourage employees to take accrued vacation time. While you may be tempted to forfeit your earned days off, vacations are important for nine reasons.

• • Improve Productivity

    You might think that working longer hours make you more productive, but longer work hours actually decrease your productivity. Take a break and reboot. You’ll return to your job refreshed and ready to tackle your workload.

• • Enhance Decision-Making Skills

    When you’re overworked and tired, your brain gets fuzzy, and you may make poor decisions. Spend time relaxing as you enhance your decision-making skills at work.

• • Recover Creativity

    Your job may depend on your creativity, but your brain needs breaks to function at its creative capacity. While you recharge and focus on non-work activities, you may be surprised at all your new ideas.

• • Bolster Physical Health

    Overwork can affect your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness. It can also contribute to obesity and heart disease. While your health insurance covers medical care, add regular vacations to your wellness routine. They can bolster your overall physical health.

• • Reduce Stress Levels

    Stress affects nearly every part of your physical, mental and emotional health. It also prevents you from doing your best work on the job. On a vacation, you can unwind, relax and leave work behind as you refresh your brain, body and emotions.

• • Support Mental Health

    Long hours at work can increase depression, anxiety and loneliness. Take a vacation and surround yourself with activities and people you love. Your vacation can decrease depression and support your mental health.

• • Boost Energy

    It’s easy to feel sluggish, unmotivated and disengaged when you spend every day in the same way. Planning and anticipating a vacation temporarily boosts your energy, and that energy and excitement stays with you after you return to the daily grind.

• • Expand Your Perspective

    Every day, you’re surrounded by the same people, activities and tasks. Step away and experience new things. Whether you visit an exotic location, sit on your deck with a book or explore your hometown, your vacation will expand your outlook and perspective on life and on the job.

• • Invest in Your Family

    You may work long hours in part to provide for your family, but work can actually interfere with your family life. On vacation, you reconnect with your loved ones. Spend time enjoying each other as you remember one of the reasons you work.

Instead of avoiding vacation, see it as a chance to improve your job performance and your quality of life in nine ways. You’ll be glad you took your well-deserved vacation time this year.