{"id":1363,"date":"2018-06-05T10:39:27","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T10:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fruitionrecruitment.com.au\/?p=1363"},"modified":"2018-06-06T01:33:26","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T01:33:26","slug":"why-you-need-time-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fruitionrecruitment.com.au\/why-you-need-time-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need Time Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sand was hot underfoot, almost scalding\u2014a thousand tiny pinches at the soles of my feet. Like navigating hot coals, I uncoordinatedly hopped with random rhythm towards the water\u2019s edge, soon standing on firmer footing, wriggling my toes in the wet sand dotted with shells and small stones. My face to the sun, I was glad for the sunscreen I\u2019d applied as I felt the rays beat down but the breeze that caressed the overarching coconut trees gave gentle reprieve. The ocean that stretched out as far as I could see beckoned with each wave softly crashing onto the shore and was crystal clear yet had a turquoise hue. As I waded out further with outstretched arms until the warm glistening water lapped at my shoulders, I spotted a slow moving but beautiful yellow and black striped fish with a very long top fin float by, followed by a curious brown turtle no bigger than a dinner plate. To think I might have missed out on all this.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Aloha! I\u2019ve just this week returned to work from spending 10 balmy nights in stunning Hawaii. It was annual leave I was encouraged to take and only grudgingly agreed to, but it appears I\u2019m not alone in my reluctance to relax. According to a 2016 study by Expedia<\/a>,\u00a0Australians receive 20 days annual leave on average each year, but only take around 15 days. As staff forgo 25% of their annual leave, it therefore comes as no surprise that Expedia\u2019s research also found that 50% of employees feel holiday deprived.<\/p>\n

We all know the saying, \u2018all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,\u2019 but it can also make Jack bored and boring. Rather than position you well for praise come performance review time, not taking annual leave can actually be more damaging than beneficial for both employer and employee and impact productivity levels and staff morale (as well as a company\u2019s financial liability). By taking annual leave, Expedia\u2019s study revealed that a staggering 90% of employees felt less stressed and more relaxed. 89% felt happier and better rested, whilst 83% felt that they were more focused at work when they returned.<\/p>\n

Early in my career, a mentor shared with me his interesting view on the importance of taking breaks\u2014when referencing a colleague who was always working late and who never seemed to take their leave entitlements, I made comment about their impressive work ethic but was quickly corrected by this mentor who said when he sees someone consistently working after hours and not taking their leave, he didn\u2019t find it admirable but more a reflection of their poor time management skills and harmful to their mental health. Whatever your view, it was certainly food for thought that our well intentioned slaving away to advance our careers may in fact be doing the opposite.<\/p>\n

So why are we so reluctant to get out of the office? Is it down to a heavy workload? Is it the challenging economic climate? Is it the 6.6% unemployment rate in Geelong? Do you feel you can\u2019t take certain days off, or are you afraid of what your colleagues may think of you if you take time off? Is stockpiling your leave a financial safety net? Or do you fear that taking time off might affect a promotion or your job prospects?<\/p>\n

There are lots of reasons for finding it hard to take leave. But it\u2019s not an \u2018optional extra\u2019 or a \u2018bonus\u2019 but rather a legislative entitlement and important for your own health and wellbeing (as well as the health and wellbeing of relationships with your family and friends) that you take leave to recharge throughout the working year.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Allison Gabriel<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Virginia Commonwealth University who studies job demands and employee motivation, workers have a limited pool of cognitive resources and constantly draining them results in a decline in performance and decrease in productivity. Problem-solving tasks can become excruciatingly hard and lead to poor decision-making. Taking time off lets workers restore their cognitive resource pools, and when an employee is well rested, they can think and perform at their best. Furthermore, creativity can be enhanced when employees take time away from work to pursue ideas of their own. \u2018Workplace stress can lead to headaches, increased anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, increased drinking and reduced work performance and productivity\u2019, say Grant Cairncross and Iain Waller, the authors of the study \u2018Not Taking Annual Leave: What Could it Cost Australia?\u2019<\/a>. One \u2018area that is acknowledged as helping reduce workplace stress is the utilisation of holidays and annual leave\u2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important not to forget that time off allows you to rest, relax, recover, and rejuvenate. It encourages a healthy mental state, helps recharge creative juices, increases productivity, maintains our relationships with others and prevents stress related illnesses and accidents. We should work to live not live to work and its key to a sustainable and balanced lifestyle that you give just as much thought and attention to your personal life, as you do with your working life. So, make sure you spend those 20 leave days you get each year, because the cost of not doing so could be a high price to pay.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lauren Hogan
\nDirector People & Talent
\nFruition Recruitment<\/p>\n

How to maximise that annual leave and when to book (Victoria):\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

June 2018<\/strong>
\nSwap four days annual leave for a nine day break<\/strong>
\nWhen to travel: Saturday, 9 June \u2013 Sunday, 17 June<\/strong>
\nPublic holiday: Monday, 11 June (Queen\u2019s Birthday)<\/strong>
\nDays to book: Tuesday 12 June; Wednesday, 13 June; Thursday, 14 June; Friday, 15 June<\/strong><\/p>\n

September 2018<\/strong>
\nSwap four days annual leave for a nine day break<\/strong>
\nWhen to travel: Saturday, 22 September \u2013 Sunday, 30 September<\/strong>
\nPublic holiday: Friday, 28 September (Grand Final Day)<\/strong>
\nDays to book: Monday, 24 September; Tuesday, 25 September; Wednesday, 26 September; Thursday, 27 September<\/strong><\/p>\n

November 2018<\/strong>
\nSwap a day of annual leave for a four day break<\/strong>
\nWhen to travel: Saturday, 3 November \u2013 Tuesday, 6 November<\/strong>
\nPublic holiday: Tuesday, 6 November (Melbourne Cup Day)<\/strong>
\nDays to book: Monday, 5 November<\/strong><\/p>\n

December 2018<\/strong>
\nSwap seven days annual leave for a 16 day break<\/strong>
\nWhen to travel: Saturday, 22 December \u2013 Sunday 6 January<\/strong>
\nPublic holidays: Tuesday, 25 December (Christmas Day); Wednesday, 26 December (Boxing Day); Tuesday, 1 January (New Years Day)<\/strong>
\nDays to book: Monday, 24 December; Thursday, 27 December; Friday, 28 December; Monday, 31 December; Wednesday, 2 January; Thursday, 3 January; Friday, 4 January<\/strong><\/p>\n

PS: It also helps if you have an amazing travel agent to choreograph your annual leave adventures, and I am indebted to the incredible (and local) Kate Trickett<\/a> of Travel Counsellors for organising my time away in Hawaii. Dealing with her was such a breeze, I highly recommend her and you can get in touch with Kate here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sand was hot underfoot, almost scalding\u2014a thousand tiny pinches at the soles of my feet. Like navigating hot coals, I uncoordinatedly hopped with random rhythm towards the water\u2019s edge, soon standing on firmer footing, wriggling my toes in the wet sand dotted with shells and small stones. My face to the sun, I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy You Need Time Off - Fruition Recruitment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fruitionrecruitment.com.au\/why-you-need-time-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why You Need Time Off - Fruition Recruitment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The sand was hot underfoot, almost scalding\u2014a thousand tiny pinches at the soles of my feet. 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