Vacation Break
Coming back from vacation...
Days of rest, of disconnection are essential to recharge your batteries for a new year.
If more companies knew how beneficial vacations are to productivity, many more CEOs would be lining up to make sure everyone gets their holydays.
A recent survey concluded that far from hampering performance, vacations increase productivity. Researcher Mark Rosekind of Alertness Solutions found that the holiday break effect can increase performance by 80%. The reaction time of returning tourists increased by 40% in their study.
Rest research has shown that some very important things happen on vacation as they rejuvenate brains and bodies.
With the removal of stressors, the body has a chance to recover from the chronic stress placed on the immune system, even helping us recover from the last stage of the stress process, burnout. Vacations have been shown to heal burnout by regrouping destroyed emotional resources, causing a sense of social support and dominance. Time away from stressors and immersion in recreation ?recreates? us, boosts positive mood, builds trust and connects us with others ? all of which contribute to the recovery process.
The holiday tradition was started by companies in the early 20th century as a productivity strategy. They found that employees returned from vacation refreshed and, as a result, worked harder. It is a lesson that has been forgotten over the years and especially in the present day, but it has never been more relevant than in the age of 24/7 information overload.
There is a belief that because we are no longer in the factory era, we don't need to take a step back. Science reveals just the opposite. Neuroscientists say that the brain gets tired long before the body. An overworked and stressed brain lacks the ability to focus, plan, solve complex issues - paying attention, one of the main productivity tools.
What about you, taking the opportunity to recharge or are you back?
Upper Team