|
 |
Do Employees Need a Vacation from Their Vacation? June 1, 2009 (SmartPros) The economy isn't the only source of workplace strain these days. A new Randstad Work Watch survey of full-time employed adults reveals an unexpected, perhaps surprising, cause of employee stress - taking time off for a vacation. It’s not going on vacation, it’s coming back
When asked what they found difficult about taking time off from work for vacation, 77 percent of those who find something difficult about taking vacations stated it was the first day back in the office after vacation. An even higher number of Generation X and Mature employees agreed with this sentiment. The last day in the office before vacation was selected as the next most difficult thing. Interestingly, Generation Y employees, more so than any other, seem to find it hard to relinquish their responsibilities.
% Who Think Something Is Difficult About Taking Time Off For Vacation
 A big part of preparing for time out of the office revolves around making sure an employee’s roles and responsibilities are being managed while he or she is out of the office on vacation. The Randstad survey disclosed that 43 percent of full time employees who have a boss and/or co-workers find preparing them to be stressful; this jumps to 55 percent for Generation Y employees. Perhaps coming as no surprise, neither Boomers (64 percent) nor Matures (74 percent) find it stressful to prepare a boss and/or co-workers for their time out of the office.
How a boss and/or co-worker are prepared revealed some interesting results. While respondents overall seemed to prefer face-to-face meetings and providing a contact number (55 percent each) over sending an email updating the status of projects (43 percent), this trend varied by workforce generation. % Who Prepare A Boss and/or Co-Workers For Vacation
 So what can be done to alleviate some of the stress – millions of emails, a desk piled high with reports and paperwork and a full voicemail inbox – that comes with the first day back in the office from vacation? “It’s really a matter of organization and priority setting,” stated Eric Buntin, managing director for Randstad US. “Many of today’s employees may very well have more on their plates than ever before, but the pressure to pick up right where you left off before vacation is more times than not self-imposed. Unless you have a mandatory deliverable or immovable deadline, your first day back in the office can be quite productive if you use your time wisely.”
Buntin suggests the following tips for making your first day back from vacation productive and stress free:
Additional interesting Randstad Work Watch survey findings include:
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
