If your employees are griping about more holiday time, it is in your best interest to accommodate them. Likewise, if you have employees that make up the 20 percent of global benefits, concludes the study of 143 full-time employees.The study's an important reminder of the importance of vacations to worker well being, and associated productivity, at a time when the workplace is workers — primarily senior level — who claim to be too busy and stressed to take holidays, pack suitcases and send them on their way — for a week or two. Vacations have a positive effect on job satisfaction, retention and professional well-being, according to a study conducted by the University of the Rockies. After 10 to 14 days, however, the benefits of vacations do not add any additional seeing an alarming increase in those postponing vacations. In the United States, those Ot taking a vacation has increased a concertingly 31 percent to 34 percent, from 2008 to 2009, according to Expedia's annual Vacation Deprivation survey.
Employee Productivity
The statistics are confounding given that over one-third of workers report that they are more productive following a vacation, concludes the Expedia, which are conducted in 11 countries by Harris Interactive. In fact, any activity that provides a disconnect from work, including vacations, can have a positive impact on worker job satisfaction, organisational commitment and long-term productivity, according to a recent study Enhancing Worker Productivity and Performance in the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
Employee Productivity
The statistics are confounding given that over one-third of workers report that they are more productive following a vacation, concludes the Expedia, which are conducted in 11 countries by Harris Interactive. In fact, any activity that provides a disconnect from work, including vacations, can have a positive impact on worker job satisfaction, organisational commitment and long-term productivity, according to a recent study Enhancing Worker Productivity and Performance in the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
Health and Employee Performance
The health benefits of vacations should not be overlooked. Numerous studies have found strong correlations between workplace stress and illness. In the European Union, for instance, 350 million sick leave days are lost annually due to workplace stress, at a cost of €20 billion, according to the Fourth European Working Conditions Survey 2007. A study in the European Heart Journal found that British civil servants who worked three to four hours of overtime a day had a 60 percent higher chance of developing heart disease.
Lessening the Workload
Vacations will not be fun, fun, fun for the whole office unless they are properly planned for. Without advanced planning, vacations can result in increased stress and lower productivity. A higher workload can create additional stress for office mates. A fair allocation of work and a proper briefing on, and handover of, tasks will alleviate stress on those left holding the office together.
References
Dr. Jonathan H. Westover, Andrew R. Westover, and L. Alan Westover. "Enhancing Long-term Worker Productivity and Performance: The Connection of Key Work Domains to Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment" International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 59.4 (2010): 372-387.
The health benefits of vacations should not be overlooked. Numerous studies have found strong correlations between workplace stress and illness. In the European Union, for instance, 350 million sick leave days are lost annually due to workplace stress, at a cost of €20 billion, according to the Fourth European Working Conditions Survey 2007. A study in the European Heart Journal found that British civil servants who worked three to four hours of overtime a day had a 60 percent higher chance of developing heart disease.
Lessening the Workload
Vacations will not be fun, fun, fun for the whole office unless they are properly planned for. Without advanced planning, vacations can result in increased stress and lower productivity. A higher workload can create additional stress for office mates. A fair allocation of work and a proper briefing on, and handover of, tasks will alleviate stress on those left holding the office together.
References
Dr. Jonathan H. Westover, Andrew R. Westover, and L. Alan Westover. "Enhancing Long-term Worker Productivity and Performance: The Connection of Key Work Domains to Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment" International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 59.4 (2010): 372-387.
"Overtime work and incident coronary heart disease: the Whitehall II prospective cohort study." European Heart Journal. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq124.
