How much vacation time should you use?
Posted on September 18, 2012 by Cara Cogswell, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
How you can best use your vacation time
How much of your vacation time have you used this year? According to a CNN Money poll taken in May of 2012, 57% of Americans do not use all of their vacation time. While you may wear your lack of vacation time usage like a badge of honor, representing your dedication and ambition, not taking your vacation time may actually cost you and your employer in the end. Not taking regular vacations dramatically increases both men and women’s chance of heart attack (in women up to 50% greater risk) as well as almost double the rate of depression (according to “Take Back Your Time”).
While the effects of the unhealthy impact of stress are well documented and understood, we appear to still be living in the dark ages in terms of making the connection between adequate vacation time and self care, stress management, burn out control and the effects of all the above on general health and well being. While “work/life balance” is a common buzz phrase that you hear companies use, the statistics of how many companies walk the talk is quite surprising. Americans are steadily working more hours every year and the average private sector company only offers about 9 vacation days with 6 paid holidays per year (according to David Moberg). However, depending on your companies paid time off policy, you may end up utilizing much of that time for “non-vacation” related reasons. Doctor’s appointments, family obligations and personal issues may require you to use vacation time for reasons other than an actual vacation. Also, considering that 57% of Americans are not using all of their days, it appears that Americans are essentially workaholics with no love for their time off.
So how much vacation time is enough? While there is no rule for how much vacation time is “enough”, many European countries average quite a bit more vacation time than we do. Italy having the most average vacation days with 42 days per year, France with 37 and Germany with 35 (Poll conducted by: Take Back Your Time). This makes our 9 look a little wimpy. According to Alberto Alesina, Europeans report being happier and having less stress than Americans. While America may be home to some of the stingiest time off allotments, there are a couple of companies that appear to understand their employees true need for “work/life balance”. IBM and Netflix both offer unlimited time off and Google offers unlimited sick days (Quora). This is to be used at the employees discretion and the employee is trusted to use their time off responsibly and to not fall behind in their work. This allows the employee almost exclusive control over how they decide to balance their personal and work lives. This also takes into consideration the individuality of the employee and their needs. While some workers can tolerate high levels of stress, others require more time to breathe in between stressful periods.
So what can you do if you aren’t fortunate enough to work for a company with generous vacation time but don’t want to leave the country?
1. Use all of your vacation time! Even if this is frowned upon where you work or you don’t feel you truly need it, take it anyways. 2. Try and limit the amount of time that you use your vacation time for errands or miscellaneous appointments or obligations. Try and work out with your employer how you can get the time off without using vacation time. Some employers allow employees to “comp” time, or work extra hours that can be taken off later, usually within the same week or pay period. 3. Consider the value of benefits when job hunting. Even though a job’s salary may seem very lucrative, ask about benefits and the expectation of employees to work late or on holidays and weekends. Sometimes a salary sounds good until you break down how many hours you are working and put an hourly wage to it. A good health plan and a decent amount of time off can be extremely valuable and can save you an extraordinary amount of money in the long run. Also, consider that the benefits an employer offers are often a reflection of that company’s culture. A comprehensive benefits package typically shows that a company values and cares for their employees. 4. If you really need time off, ask. If you are feeling burnt out or are beginning to feel that you are not effective in your job due to the long term effects of stress, try approaching your boss about taking some time off. Some companies will allow a leave of absence (although not always paid) for these types of situations. You may also find out what your companies policy is on taking medical leave if you believe it has become that serious or find yourself facing health problems due to job related stress. If you are not able to get time off to relax and regain your stamina it may be a sign that it is time to look for a different job.