The Importance of Paid Time Off
”I’m so overwhelmed”
”I’m feeling very short-tempered”
“I’m really frustrated”
When I hear these kinds of statements from coaching clients, the first thing I ask is, “When is your next vacation?”
The response is usually something like, “We aren’t taking a big trip this year so I haven’t booked any time off.” Or, “It’s just too busy for me to be out.” Or, “I haven’t even thought about it. I don’t really take vacations.”
And my response is, “Guess what. We are scheduling you some vacation time right now”
It is amazing to me how horrifying the idea of taking time off is to so many people. And I get it because I used to be the exact same way.
Vacation-resistant clients are often the most stressed, overwhelmed, and short-tempered of my clients. So I start with baby steps. Together we identify an upcoming weekend and add a Friday and a Monday off. For many over-achievers, the idea of missing two days is enough to put them into their stretch zone.
I’ve found that for these clients, the night before the long weekend will provoke feelings similar to the feeling known as Sunday Scaries.
“Sunday Scaries is a widely acknowledged phenomenon characterized by a feeling of dread that shows up the night before you return to work or school. According to a LinkedIn Survey, 80% of professionals report experiencing Sunday Scaries.”
For vacation-resistent clients, that feeling is a result of being uncomfortable and unpracticed in shutting work down and relaxing than they are working.
I know the excuses:
“What will people think if I take a long weekend?”,
“There will be too much work to return to on Tuesday”
“But what if there is a last minute meetings? Can I just jump on from home?”
“I don’t know what I’d do”
“I have no where to go or no one to travel with.”
“I don’t want to waste the time.”
Most often, when the stressed, overwhelmed, and vacation-resistant client actually decides to trust me and take a 4-day weekend, they report that there were moments of discomfort but also moments they really enjoyed it. That’s when I know we are now ready to schedule an entire week off!
Together we brainstorm ideas about what they might do with the time off. One winery tasting room manager told me that she hadn’t taken a day off in over two years. We brainstormed options for her 4 day break and she decided to do a few tourist things in her own area with her mom.
Another client decided to tackle some projects around the house that had been bothering them.
It is incumbent on you to make time for yourself because most leaders will happily let you skip using PTO. Their focus is on keeping the work flowing. However, if you are a supervisor reading this and your team members are exhibiting sings of being frazzled, burnt out, resentful, or any any other negative symptoms, please take time to review how much PTO they’ve used. Meet with anyone who hasn’t scheduled vacation, and work with them to carve out a plan to use it.
If the success of your team depends on people not taking their PTO, you have a deeply flawed business model.
Time off helps the brain to rest and recharge. It helps the nervous system to settle. And it provides the opportunity to gain perspective. All of these are energizing, and benefits both the employee and the organization.
When is your next PTO scheduled?