More and more organizations are focusing on the importance of employee health, which includes encouraging employees to take paid time off (PTO) for vacation. From increased productivity at work to decreased health care costs, there are a number of positive impacts of taking time away from work. In this month’s update, we’ve curated five articles to help you understand what PTO policy is best for your organization and how to best encourage your employees to take time off to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
1) Unlimited PTO: Why not? from Medium
The first advantage of unlimited time off for your business is that you will have more motivated employees. Just like it’s great for the brain to take regular breaks of focused work, so it is good for the mind, body, and soul to switch off from routine.
Going on a vacation or just having time off work more often is one way to come back even more motivated and do your best job. That’s how employees see it too.
Next, expect productivity to increase. Multiple studies suggest that workers who have holidays more often are more creative, get more done in less time and don’t struggle with concentration.
2) Your Employees Aren't Taking Time Off, and It's Hurting Your Business. Here's Why You Should Force Them Out the Door from Inc.com
More than 700 million days of paid time off go untapped every year by American workers. Wonder why employees are stressed? Here's why you have to turn that around.
Stress in your workplace? If you can't cut it with a knife, you can probably at least see a little of it lurking in the dark corners. It's a fact: If your employees are doing great work--setting and meeting deadlines, inventing new ways of doing things, and generally killing it in your area of expertise--they are, on some level, suffering for it.
That's why businesses give their employees paid time off (PTO) as one of the basic perks that come with a full-time job. But people just aren't making use of that time off the way they should.
3) How to Get Over "Vacation Guilt" and Actually Enjoy Your Time Off from The Muse
Forty percent of Americans leave unused paid vacation time on the table every year. Why? People are afraid of being replaced or they’re afraid of their work piling up while they’re gone.
These fears are understandable, but most of the time, they’re not grounded in reality. They’re what psychologists like me call irrational fears. They may feel true, but generally, they’re not.
4) This Is the Number One Reason Why People Don't Unplug From Work While on Vacation from Forbes
Summer is well underway, and it is prime time for travel and vacations. And yet, most people won’t take advantage of the plum opportunities at hand.
According to a new study from LinkedIn (MSFT, -0.33%), most employees said that success in their careers really means being able to spend time with their families and disconnecting from work. But nearly 70% of employees still don’t disconnect from work email or communications while on vacation.
5) WHY YOU NEED A VACATION FROM WORK [IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!] from Business Administration Information
In a nutshell: Don’t feel guilty about taking a break! Vacation days can make you a more productive and healthy person
If you’re like most Americans, you’re not using all your vacation days. Project: Time Off, a research project trying to shift the conversation about employees taking vacations, says Americans left 705 million vacation days on the table last year. (Project: Time Off, perhaps not coincidentally, is sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association.) In addition, less than 50 percent of workers used all their vacation time.
