Research consistently shows the health benefits of taking vacations, such as improving productivity, reducing stress, and improving mental health. Taking a vacation is essential to employee survival. This is because time off work is essential for well-being, sustained productivity and high performance. Here are some additional reasons to start planning your next getaway.
First, increasing productivity helps employees just as much as employers. As mentioned, people who use all their vacation time are more likely to receive promotions and bonuses than their colleagues who give up vacations. Since vacations offer a break from the stress cycle, people generally return from a successful vacation feeling ready to take on the world again. Of those who didn't leave town on vacation last year, 68 percent reported the reason was cost-related.
In the end, those who took more annual leave were less likely to die from any cause, including heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Women who took vacations once every six years or less were nearly eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or suffer a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year. Buying a vacation package through an employee shopping program is an affordable way for employees to take a vacation. With an automated tool like Vacation Tracker, your team will never have to doubt their requests.
In fact, many people cancel or postpone their vacation due to actual or perceived work obligations. If you see an employee who is working more than they should, sit back and encourage them to take a vacation. Vacation time was roughly comparable in large companies and governments once employees turned 10 years old. One study found that three days after vacation, subjects' physical complaints, sleep quality, and mood had improved compared to before vacation.
According to another research study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, meditation and vacations seem to have overlapping effects. The report found that both meditation exercises and vacations were associated with higher levels of well-being and increased mindfulness. In fact, in a Glassdoor survey, vacations and paid time off proved to be more important to employees than wage increases. The study also reported that skipping even a year's vacation may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
These are just some of the studies and organizations that have found health-related evidence in favor of vacations.
