July 11, 2011

Why your summer vacation is the key to your 4th Quarter BizResults

To life a line from an R.E.M. song: Take a break Driver 8. 

My wife and I just decided to block out 7 days, hit a resort and go offline.  It's a hard decision to make, given the economy and the constant call of work (and all the gadgets to bring it to us anytime/anywhere.)  First of all, it's important for us (rest/recharge/reconnect) and related to my career, it is critical to my performance during the crunch time months of October through EOY. 

The 4th Quarter is usually a sprint of sorts, where we make up lost ground, plan for next year and finish our year with a bang.  To be successful, though, you've got to have some gas in the tank to have the 'legs' for it.  That's why taking time off is critical, especially now when the network chatter is lower and you can actually do it. 

A recent research paper in the Consulting Psychology Journal indicates that our summer vacation increases our productivity through renewed creativity.  The researchers point out, though, that this is not a time to develop new skills or explore new career paths - that's not a vacation (that's a break from your routine) and you don't get the reduced stress/increased productivity results. 

As part of the findings of the Vacation Matters Summit, I learned that companies can save money giving people longer summer vacations (seriously).  When Cincinnati based Jancoa increased the annual vacation time from 2 to 3 weeks, the productivity increase was so sharp, the need for overtime work evaporated.  Now that's some strong business results. 

One note: If you go on vacation, don't check email or be a slave to social media.  It's too easy to wag your smart phone down to the beach or pool and stay "at work" while in shorts with suntan lotion on.  If you don't CUT IT OFF, you won't get the results.  One study pointed out that if you do check email and graze on work during vacation, the positive results wear off within a week.  

 

Posted at 10:15 AM in Business Effectiveness  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)

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Maybe it's high time for some companies which still have that Industrial Revolution mindset to catch up on these research findings and start giving its employees the much needed (for both parties) break. I always felt that taking such breaks increases my productivity so it's nice to know that science agrees.

Posted by: Apartment in pattaya  |  February 10, 2012 at 06:13 PM

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