In Defense of Mini Vacations

The nonstop demands of child welfare work (and just life, am I right?) can take a toll on our well-being and drain our battery. That’s why the Romans invented vacations. (True!)

Taking a real break from work helps us to recharge. Research shows that vacations improve our physical and mental health while also boosting our performance at work. And you knew that without the research…

I am working with an organization right now that has a cultural norm of not using all their available vacation time. Even to the point of losing that time because it has not been used! I was flabbergasted when I became aware of how pervasive this norm is within the agency. Maybe it is at your workplace too?

Google told me that nearly half of US workers take less time off than their job allows, leaving an average of 9.5 days of paid time off on the table! That makes no sense to me—how about you?

I asked folks within the agency why they didn’t use their vacation days and the answers were mostly that they worried they might fall behind at work or they felt bad about their coworkers taking on more work in their absence. Laudable reasons for sure, but still… Is this a culture that treasures well-being, resilience, and living a balanced life? Does it make sense long-term?

The good news is that it’s not necessary to take a long vacation to get many of the benefits. In fact, taking shorter breaks throughout the year may be more beneficial for your mental well-being and performance than taking one long vacation.

My wife changed jobs at the beginning of the year and started with no vacation time (she accrues a little each month). Which means that no long family vacations are on our horizon. Since I would rather give you my arm than lose any vacation days to nonuse, I decided to try many short vacays rather than a long one.

I did it a variety of ways: enjoying a day off midweek, scheduling a Monday or Friday off to make a long weekend, or even just working a half-day now and then. You know what? I love it. And for me, I find this style of shorter time off more of a break than one longer vacation. Give it a try!

Even if you have limited PTO available, the benefits of short recharges are undeniable. Look at your calendar now and pick a few long weekends in the next quarter or two. You’ll have something to look forward to and can return to work restored—which will be good for you and good for the work you do.

Let me conclude with general vacation guidance, supported by my 44 years in the workforce:

• Take ALL your vacation time; you have definitely earned it. (And it’s part of your compensation package!)
• NEVER work on vacation—it defeats the whole purpose of taking time off.
• If you are taking a long vacation, try these suggestions:
  • The last day (or two?) of work before you leave, schedule NOTHING. Instead, use this time to tie up all those loose ends. That keeps you from having to work during vacation and helps you go into your vacay more relaxed.
  • Your first day back from vacation should be a secret—only your supe should know you are back. Nothing scheduled at all for this day except responding to the 1,269 emails that came in while you were taking care of yourself on vacation!

Thanks for listening and taking care of yourself!

Dan

Sources: Smith, D. D. (2023, September 5). How taking short vacations can improve your well-being at work. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/short-vacations-work-well-being-1823344; Horowitz, J. M., & Parker, K. (2023, March 30). How Americans view their jobs. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/how-americans-view-their-jobs/; Qualtrics Experience Management. (2022, March 29). Here’s why some workers don’t feel rejuvenated after taking vacation. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/going-back-to-work-after-vacation/; Packer, J. (2020). Taking a break: Exploring the restorative benefits of short breaks and vacations. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2020.100006