by Ellyn Shook
As chief HR officer for a professional services company, I’m focused on providing our clients the talent they need when and where they need it. Doing this means I often spend time analyzing key data — from chargeability and payroll costs to talent supply/demand forecasting and retention. Then there’s a metric many might be surprised to learn I also keep a close eye on: vacation time used.
Why? Certainly, a company’s balance sheet can benefit from employees using their paid time off. But to me, the advantages lie in innovation and productivity.
I’ve been giving this some thought as I prepare to head on my vacation this week. There is no shortage of research that shows the strong correlation between downtime, creativity and productivity. When the brain takes a prolonged rest, creativity goes up – enabling fresh ideas, better and faster problem solving and ultimately, increased efficiency and productivity.
I emphasize prolonged rest because the length of time away from work matters — to both employers and their employees. Short breaks like long weekends – while important — are not enough to give the brain time to relieve stress and recharge. In fact, research in the field of positive psychology – the study of well being – shows that the highest levels of employees’ health and well being occur in the eighth day of a vacation. In addition, the research points to a decrease to health and well being to employees who work during a vacation.
All this argues for taking breaks and disconnecting. Unfortunately, in today’s high pace, globally competitive, 24×7 connected world, it’s easier said than done to take a true break from work or enable your employees to completely unplug.
That’s why I was especially moved to hear Arianna Huffington speak earlier this year during Accenture’s International Women’s day event, where she introduced her book, Thrive. Through her book she’s started an important dialogue around the importance of well being, including the link between well being and productivity in the workplace and a company’s bottom line.
I also found it refreshing to learn that Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project, encourages his employees to take longer vacations to enable higher performance. He also has written about his own experience truly disconnecting while on vacation, and offers great tips for taking vacation – including taking every day you are given and not settling for only three or four days off.
Unlike most developed nations, the United States – where I reside – does not mandate businesses to provide vacation time. Of those U.S. employees who do get vacation, four in 10 do not take all the days they are provided, according to an Oxford Economics analysis published earlier this year. That equates to 429 million unused days per year! I wish employers and employees in the United States would take a cue from their European colleagues. During the summer of my ex-patriate assignment in France, I followed the French custom of taking a prolonged vacation in August, as did my colleagues. While I did occasionally check in, having all of my colleagues on vacation at the same time gave me a sense of permission to take a true break, and enabled me to return to work recharged to participate in what would be one of the large workforce programs of my career.
In my last blog, I talked about the importance of career capital. One of my pieces of advice was to make your career part of your life, not your whole life. Taking time away from work to switch off and recharge – whatever that means to you – is part of that, and you and your employer will be better for it.
There are three pieces of advice I would give anyone who is challenged to either take time off or to stay disconnected while on vacation:
- Be confident that you have developed your team to handle critical situations in your absence
- Pass the mantle by giving your team members the opportunity to step up while you are out. You are providing the opportunity for a stretch assignment for a short period, it’s a form of recognition your team will be energized by
- Be a role model for the importance of recharging
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Ellyn Shook is Accenture’s chief human resources officer, responsible for the company’s talent strategies and programs. In this role she leads a global team of human resources professionals responsible for recruiting, learning and development, compensation, benefits, equity programs, engagement and retention, and employee relations. She is also a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee. Prior to assuming her current role in March 2014,