Taking a vacation from work is absolutely necessary

The first blog post I put up on this site was about how Americans tend to reluctant vacationers and how we work more and relax less than our European counterparts. The post dealt with the fact that Americans are notorious for not using all (and in some cases any) of their vacation time, while Europeans typically use most or all of theirs. This happens despite the fact that the American worker typically gets much less vacation time than his counterpart elsewhere in the world. And when we do take vacations, we typically check in with the office at least once while on vacation.

The current high prices for everything from corn flakes to gasoline along with the weak dollar have given birth to a new assault on the American vacation: the “staycation.” The staycation (which in my humble opinion is a direct result of our current economic condition) happens when the American worker uses up his vacation time, but simply doesn’t go anywhere. Instead of renting out that cabin by the lake for a week or two or taking that vacation to Canada (which, by the way, used to be substantially cheaper than the US) many American families are opting to take their vacation—at home.

Vacations are an essential part of working life, as they give us the opportunity to depart from the usual day to day grind and to recharge and renew. I remember being shocked to the core when I met a guy in New York City who had worked every day for ten years straight without taking a single sick, personal, or vacation day (3,650 consecutive days—beat that Cal Ripken, Jr.!). Though I was impressed, I certainly did not envy him.

When employees fail to use their vacation days and to temporarily disconnect from the workplace, they run the risk of becoming burned out at work. Work begins to occupy more than its required share of an employee’s life, stress levels increase, and the resultant health problems begin to take hold. In short, it is downright unhealthy to forgo vacation for work. And in my opinion, a “staycation” really is little more than a series of sick or personal days, because when you fail to get fully away from your daily routine (your home routine is likely to remain in tact), you deprive yourself of the recharge you need to start fresh at work when you get back.

I’m not saying that you need to fly to Europe to fully unplug from your daily routine and enjoy your vacation. In many major US cities you only have to travel a short distance (60 miles or so) to escape from the daily grind and discover something new with your loved ones. The key in taking a vacation, in my opinion, lies not so much in the physical distance from your daily routine as it does in the mental distance. My suggestion to all of you who are in the same boat as I am (where the hell can I fly to for 200 bucks these days?) is to take a week and go somewhere inexpensive where you can build a memory with your family that doesn’t involve work at all. Don’t call, don’t email, don’t IM work, and most importantly, don’t care about what is going on in the workplace while you are gone.

I used to tell my employees who would get stressed out during the workday, “Hey, you don’t need this—take a break, go take a short walk, get something to eat, or just relax in the park for a bit. The work will be here when you get back.” When take a vacation, do your best to make it a true vacation where you don’t even think about work while you’re gone. After all, it’ll be there when you get back.