Fierce Tip of the Week: Take a Vacation

It is that time of year. Winter has melted away, and the sun is out. Start thinking about a break or a trip you want to take this year. Do you want to spend time in your own town? Sail in the Caribbean? Climb a mountain? Lay on a beach in Hawaii?The opportunities are endless.So I ask: Are you really going to take advantage of your paid time off? Many people don’t. A few months ago, I read a Forbes article that highlights that very fact. More than forty percent of American workers who received paid time off did not take all of their allotted time last year, despite the obvious personal benefits, according to “An Assessment of Paid Time Off in the U.S.” commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group, and completed by Oxford Economics.Why do people not take the time? There is a laundry list of whys. Too much work to do. No one to delegate to. No money to dedicate to vacation. The list goes on and on…The thing is: Not taking time off seriously puts a dent in companies’ productivity and energy. And in turn, impacts their bottom lines.So what should companies do? Encourage managers to talk about vacations with their teams and take time off. In a Fierce survey we conducted, 83.4 percent of respondents have never discussed vacation policies with their employers. The conversation needs to happen.This week’s tip is to take the matter into your own hands and plan some time off for yourself. Focus on a time where you can really disconnect – this means not checking email and text messages related to work. Do something fun or adventurous or relaxing. You get to choose.I will be heading to Thailand in June. Where will you go this year?

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