The best-kept secret about vacations is that you don’t need to plan a budget-busting two-week trip abroad to combat workplace burnout and feel refreshed.
That appears to be good news, considering the Center for Economic and Policy Research reported last year that most American workers have about 15 days of annual paid leave at their disposal.
The importance of how employees make the most of their downtime factors into the research of Rachel Williamson Smith, an assistant professor of industrial and organizational psychology at LSU.
Turns out quality is better than quantity. “There is some research that has tried to compare a long weekend versus a two-week vacation,” Smith says. “The effects are pretty similar once employees go back to work.”
The most critical thing for maximizing time off is not how many days off you have, or what you do with them, but actually leaving work behind. However, many workers apparently find that difficult. A recent poll conducted by NPR found that 30% of workers from a variety of fields admitted to doing a “significant amount of work while on vacation.”
“Essentially, what a lot of research seems to suggest is that, in general, vacations help employee health and well-being, but there is not any research to suggest that specific activities make a difference,” Smith says.
Surfing in California or hiking in Tennessee won’t benefit you any more than a “staycation” in Louisiana. The idea of what constitutes a true vacation is unique to each individual.
Leaving the office for a while can help with focus, creativity and overall performance, and those benefits can be extended by adequately preparing before going, Smith says. Planning ahead can help make sure that you don’t come back to an overwhelming avalanche of emails and tasks, souring the good vibes you racked up while off work.
Read the full story from the The Network for some ideas for how to detach from work. Subscribe to the free monthly, e-newsletter for professional women here.
