For many employees, remote work has made it easier to plan and take summer vacations. Yet, despite this increased flexibility, many still struggle to disconnect from the workplace.
While vacation comes with many benefits, 74% of remote workers felt that they were unable to fully disconnect while away, according to a recent report from Harris Poll, commissioned by Ceridan. However, when employees do take time off, almost half of those surveyed felt increased job satisfaction and productivity upon their return.
"With remote work, it's always on. You've got your office set up in your home environment, and because of that, workers find it more difficult to disconnect," says Michelle Bonam, Ceridan's vice president of organizational effectiveness. "What we're gaining in flexibility, we're giving up in this ability to disconnect. We feel like we should always be there and always be on call and ready. We translate that to taking time away."
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For employees who are already experiencing burnout, this inability to completely unwind can have dire consequences. Symptoms of burnout aren't just tied to mental exhaustion and increased detachment, but can even adversely impact one's physical health: burned out employees are 63% more likely to have a sick day than those who aren't and are more than twice as likely to be in search of another job, according to the American Psychological Association. However, there are a
Bonam believes that it is important for employers to "normalize time away" by talking to their team members and emphasizing how vacation time can improve physical and mental wellness. To her, it's crucial that employers tailor vacation policies according to an organization's specific culture and teams.
"There will be something for everyone, but not everything is for everyone," she says. "When you look at the totality of the programs, it still has to work with the rhythm of your business, and it has to work with the type of job that you have."
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Curiously, Bonam has found that implementing an
"What we're actually finding is that people are taking less vacation, because in some ways they feel even more guilty about taking vacation because it's unlimited," says Bonam. "One of the things that we do quarterly is use our software to really keep an eye out and ensure that people are taking time away to recharge because it's important for overall productivity and health."
Outside of encouraging logging off during vacation, there are a variety of policies workplaces can implement to help people disconnect from the "day-to-day" and create a greater sense of work-life balance. Ceridan has implemented company-wide "wellness days," designated time in which employees can unwind, and "Focus Fridays" in which they limit internal meetings.
In the end, Bonam feels that communication and feedback is key in developing effective vacation strategies.
"Listen to your employees, then listen to your leaders," Bonam says. "Really understand from their perspective what their needs are, what they feel like they need in order to drive the business and look for ways to bring those two together."
