Employees Aren’t Taking Vacations, and That’s a Bad Thing

Burnout is a major problem for US industries, and few organizations have a handle on it. A new survey, though, has revealed one major factor in the burnout epidemic—people simply aren’t taking any time off. The study conducted by Eagle Hill has found that 42 percent of the US workforce hasn’t had any time off in the past 12 months. While that might sound like good news to managers and leaders that are hyper-focused on productivity, the fact of the matter is humans aren’t robots. Without adequate rest, employees are more likely to report higher levels of stress, and the quality of their work begins to decline. So what should leaders do? Simply put, encourage employees to rest and recharge. But this isn’t as simple as forcing people to unplug. It should be leadership’s goal to create a culture where the well-being of employees is prioritized over productivity, and where taking time off is a viable option. “Employees really need time to disconnect from work, especially as we continue to see high burnout levels across the US workforce ... and ideally, employees should fully disengage from work rather than constantly checking email and responding to messages,” said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. “It’s not just employees who benefit from taking time off. When there is time to rest and take a break from job pressures, employers are far more likely to have an engaged workforce at its peak performance.”