Did you know that 55% of US workers don’t take their vacation time? According to Project: Time Off, that’s 658 million unused vacation days in 2015 alone.
In the age of unlimited vacation days and companies who offer generic “paid time off” instead of traditional accrued paid vacation days, workers are less likely than ever to take the time off allotted to them. From an employer’s perspective, it may seem that a workaholic employee is nothing but a boon. That’s more work that gets done for less money, right?
But think again. Overwork and over-stress can lead to fatigue, illness, and just plain bad morale. A happy worker is a productive worker, and taking vacations is associated with increased happiness.
Letting an employee take vacation time is only a small part of what you can do as employer to make sure your employees are happy and productive. Creating a work environment where time off is supported and encouraged will encourage the employee to actually take that time. And if you’d like to make your employees even happier, studies show that active investment into your employees’ support and satisfaction create a more productive workplace. Creating a workspace that encourages collaboration, support, mission-driven purpose, and mindfulness has been shown to increase employee happiness at work.
So next time you’re thinking about cutting corners and discouraging time off or fun time in your office, think instead about the long-term benefits of loyal, happy, and healthy workers who will, in the end, increase your bottom line.
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