By Nick Hopkins, CPA, CFP®
Partner, Director of Tax Services
Now that the kids are back in school and summer is winding down, hopefully you and your family have already found some time for a vacation. Unfortunately, many people haven’t. In fact, surveys show that many workers feel afraid to take all of their allotted time off, fearing they’ll be seen as giving less than a full effort.
Even when they do take vacations, people take their laptops and smartphones with them to work remotely or check in. In this age of connectivity, people are often unwilling to “unplug.”
This is a mistake. Not only do workers deserve vacations, their supervisors should encourage them to take them – for the good of the employees, and the health of the company.
Vacations are more than just time away for the office. The rest, renewal and rewards offered by them are key to keeping people working at their highest potential. When we’re checking our iPhones every 20 seconds or emailing with colleagues, it creates an information overload that doesn’t allow us to recharge our batteries and reflect on important goals and plans.
This is especially true with business executives, many of whom work 55 to 65 hours a week or more. Over a long period of time, physical and mental health wear down. People return from vacations with a refreshed mind and body.
Vacations also allow us to step back from the daily grind of the workplace and think about the broader picture. Take the time to reflect on the things that are really important in life. Ask the big questions: Am I living the life I want? Am I treating my family and friends well? Is my attitude in the office a positive one? Do I encourage others? What do I need to change to become a better spouse, parent, partner and manager?
I like to bring a book or two with me on vacation, generally something inspirational or enjoyable, to help me see things in a new light.
Not working doesn’t mean you can’t think about work. Indeed, some of your best ideas for the business may come when you’re out of the thick of things. Perhaps you realize you haven’t had as much face time with key customers as they deserve. Or an idea for a new product or service line will materialize.
If you’re a leader in your organization, getting away also serves another purpose: allowing you to see how well the company functions in your absence. If you can’t get away for a week or two without the place falling apart, that’s an indication that you haven’t done a very good job of developing the management team. You want the “next person up” to able to take over in the short term with minimal disruption in the operation.
A lot of times, an executive returns from vacation and will be pleasantly surprised by how well things were managed while they were gone. In a family-owned business, this can help you measure how well prepared the next generation is to come on deck and eventually take over.
Even the downside can have an upside. If a glaring problem occurred while you were away, it allows you to see who stepped up and who didn’t in a crisis. This will help you make long-term decisions about your personnel – who needs training, who is ready for a higher level of responsibility, and who needs to be shifted to another role.
My advice to you is to minimize your technology use when you go on vacation. Resist the urge to constantly check email, or return non-urgent phone calls or texts. Spend time with your family, refresh yourself and step back for a well-deserved breather.
If you do this regularly, and insist that your employees do so as well, you will find that your team has the high energy and morale necessary to take your organization to the next level of success.
Call Nick Hopkins at (317) 608-6695 or email [email protected].