Survey Says Americans Vacation Less, Check In with Work More
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you go on vacation to get away from work?
Maybe I'm naive or maybe I've just seen things done the right way, but taking a vacation means you are taking a break from work. A successful break, to me, means not dealing with or checking in with the office during the time that you're gone. I think it's good for your health and can actually make you a better employee when you return recharged.
Am I alone in this?
America we need to take our vacations and turn off our phones while we're on them. A recent survey conduced by Accoutemps has found that Americans are only taking nine days off throughout the year, on average. That's one day less than we took in 2017. What's worse is that during the time that we are away, 56 percent of Americans say that they check in with the office. That's an increase of 2 percent from 2017.
So let me get this straight. We're taking less days off from the office and really those days don't even count because we are still connected to the office. It seems like insanity, right? I mean, what's the point of vacation if you're not going to "vacate" the office physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.?
For what's it's worth, I understand that there are some people who simply can't do this hands-off approach because it actually adds stress. I get it. Sometimes it's hard to let go or delegate or maybe this vacation is coming during an important time in your company. And knowing everything is going smoothly helps you relax.
However, I will continue to take vacations in remote places or on cruise ships when cell service and Wi-Fi don't exist, thank you very much.