Take a Vacation! Please!

I hear people say that they are envious of the Europeans who have four to six weeks of vacation a year but in reality, many Americans don’t even take the time off that their jobs allow, even when vacation days are paid.

Since the Unites States was born, we’ve prided ourselves on our work ethic. From management to hourly employees, people are working more than ever but according to a report on global competitiveness by the World Economic Forum, our productivity is behind both Sweden and Switzerland, countries that have considerably more vacation time. So perhaps the key to productivity is not the amount of time spent working but the quality and for that I think taking time off is very important.

I’ve been reading that people are afraid of the amount of work that piles up while they are gone or think that not taking time off will put them in good graces at the office but as a business owner, I can tell when my employees are overworked and really need a break. Often, they become more irritable, fatigued and less efficient.

At I. Buss, I’ve put quite a bit of thought into having backup personnel.  For example, if my production manager is taking a week off we have a substitute person to step in, so he doesn’t come back to tables full of orders to cut.  And though everyone wants to seem invaluable or irreplaceable, it’s become extremely important to me to have someone else who can do another person’s work for nearly every position in my company.  This does not make employees any less valuable, but to the contrary, it makes for a much more efficient and less stressful work environment.  Vacations are important and people have to feel they can take them without dreading their workload when they come back.

I have actually had employees who have asked me if they can work their vacation week and take the extra week of vacation pay. Though I do understand there are extenuating circumstances at times, I’m generally not in favor of this because I really feel it is crucial for my employees to get away. Even if the employee does not have the finances to travel somewhere, a week at home away from the office and not having to deal with work truly helps a person to recharge and come back to work refreshed and more focused.

If one of my hourly employees really needs extra money, and he or she is industrious, there are other ways he/she can earn it.  I feel coming up with a creative solutions to earn is more valuable than working through a vacation week. For example, I have had employees work with me on the weekends reorganizing our inventory. This is a great example of how overtime is helpful to both the employee and the company.  Often, five hours of uninterrupted work on the weekend is like two full days of interrupted work during the week.

While I expect hard work, my employees need to be appreciated and rewarded for their labor and I want them to take their allotted time off. Having a well-rested staff that feels they are being treated well makes for a better working climate for everyone, and ultimately, a more productive company.