Do you support employees working during their time off?
If you thought the line between work and home was blurred before, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it invisible.
Not only are employees answering calls and sending emails at all hours of the day (and into the night), but they won’t even stop when they’re using paid time off (PTO). Two-thirds of Americans have already taken a workcation, according to a survey of more than 1,100 American workers by Passport-Photo.online.
Furthermore, 94% plan to workcation again in 2022 and into the future.
Read more: The pros and cons of combining vacation time with work
While workcations are no panacea, there are some reasons why they could be valuable to employees, particularly amid today’s turbulent times. “For one, they let [you] change up your environment. That in itself could make you more productive and help devise unorthodox solutions to problems you’re stuck on. On top of it, workcations often allow employees to disconnect, distress, and breathe fresh air after the workday, which is key to tackling physical or mental exhaustion,” said Max Woolf, writer at Passport-Photo.online.
Of course, the problem with workcation centers on potential burnout, which has been a major contributor to the Great Resignation. According to The Conference Board, a New York City-based think tank, more than 75% of workers in the United States cite concerns such as stress and burnout as big challenges to well-being at work. That’s up from 55% reported at the beginning of 2021. Furthermore, half of U.S. employees said workload-related pressure was harming their mental health.
“If companies want to keep their employees, they need to stress the importance of life outside of work,” said Laura DeCook, wellbeing specialist at Seattle-based Expedia Group. “The most effective way to prevent burnout is by viewing your employees as holistic human beings who have families and lives outside the office and may not be available at a moment’s notice.”
But what are the benefits of workcation? Find out here.
