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| Thursday, 16 June 2011 00:26 | |||||
It’s officially summer and as we know, this is traditionally the time to take days or weeks off for vacation from work. Sadly, in North America the pace of life is quickening by the minute and more people are increasingly becoming vacation deprived. The travel site, Expedia.com commissioned the Vacation Deprivation survey in 2010 and found that almost half of employees, or 47 percent in Canada, rate themselves as “very” or “somewhat” vacation deprived. The study indicated that both employees and employers play a role in the deprivation. Almost 25 percent of Canadian employees are not using all of their allotted vacation time and, on average, employees leave behind 2.17 days of unused vacation time per year. According to the study, the top three reasons Canadians do not use their vacation time are: not scheduling time off far enough in advance; work is their life and it’s too busy to get away; and lastly, their significant other is unable to take the time off from their job. In 2005, Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin found that women who don’t take regular vacations were two to three times more likely to be depressed compared to women who take regular vacations. In 2010, there was an article published in the Ottawa Citizen warning, “Depression among public servants is Canada’s biggest public health crisis.” According to the article, 30 to 40 percent of the disability claims in Canada currently are from depression. In addition, the World Health Organization also released data indicating that depression is forecasted to be the number two cause of “disability adjusted life years” (DALY) for all ages by the year 2020. Currently, depression is the second leading cause of DALY for both men and women aged 15 to 44 years. While these studies show that many employees find it challenging to make vacations a priority, it can be much tougher for business owners to take a summer holiday. In the 2011 the American Express OPEN Small Business Vacation Monitor survey of about 500 small business owners, 46 percent of small business owners in the United States are planning to take a summer vacation of at least a full week this year. The participants’ top two reasons for this are busy work schedules and affordability. Also, about a third of the small business owners stated that they fear their customers would not receive the level of service they are accustomed to while they are on vacation. About nearly a quarter felt that they would miss out on an opportunity if they go away, while 27 percent say they “feel guilty” for taking a vacation. According to a 2009 study, Canadian researchers Joudrey and Wallace reported that “active” leisure pursuits, such as golf, and taking vacations, helped to buffer the job stress among a sample of almost 900 lawyers. Vacations can also benefit family relationships. An international group of researchers led by Xinran Lehto from Purdue University found that family vacations contribute positively to family bonding, communication and solidarity. So, what are you waiting for? It does not matter which type of vacation you choose, whether you plan a short road trip down South or a family “staycation” in your own backyard, what we have to remember is that vacations give us a chance to recharge our batteries, change our life pace, change the scenery, and improve our attitude at work. “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~ Gandhi Sources:
Michele Majul-Ibarra is a compliance officer with Canada Post Corporation, specializing in Human Rights and Conflict Management. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Human Resource Management. She also has a professional designation, C.I.M. (Certified in Management) awarded by the Canadian Institute of Management through the University of Manitoba. Have a comment on this article? Send us your feedback
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