Over the past several years, one recurring theme in the workplace has focused on work-life balance. Taking time off work is one way for dutiful and hard-working — and sometimes over-worked — employees to accomplish this. It allows employees to clear their heads and avoid burnout to foster long-term well-being and professional success.
Suppose you are like many employees and contractors. In that case, you might worry that taking time off will ruin your schedule or put your employer in a bind. Still, research reveals that leaving PTO, vacation, or otherwise available time on the table is potentially harmful to employees’ physical and emotional health.
5 Reasons Taking Time Off Work Is Important for Everyone Involved
Vacation time, PTO, and sick time exist for a good reason. Everyone needs a break from the daily grind. Keep in mind that your good health is vital to your employer or clients. If you aren’t healthy, you can’t stay productive for long.
Here are five reasons that taking time off is a crucial tool in your kit for long-term professional success and essential personal health, happiness, and contentment.
1. It Gives You a Chance to Reset
After months of working on a demanding project or looking at your computer screen for several hours a day and days on end, your brain might feel cluttered. It’s easy to suddenly realize you have worked — or thought about work — every day for the past several months. Whether the work has become overwhelming or office politics are a factor, taking time away offers you some perspective and a chance to reset and look at everything more objectively.
2. You Can Set Clear Communication Boundaries for a Specified Time
It’s so easy to blur the lines of work and personal time these days, since most workers have multiple devices turned on, keeping them at their sides 24/7. This reality means that you leave yourself open to emails, text messages, and productivity app notifications at all times.
When you take an official break from work, you can also set the proper communication boundaries with your employer, clients, and team members. It might take some adjustment to get used to not receiving a constant influx of work communications. Remember to resist the temptation to respond beyond a quick reminder that you’re enjoying well-earned time off work.
3. It Is an Organic Path to Better Work-Life Balance
For several years, employers have strived to provide a better work-life balance for personnel. The availability of PTO and vacation time is one way that they foster this essential human need, so it’s up to you to take it and run with it.
Employers should understand that their employees need to find a healthy way to combine work and home life. Taking time off is a clear path to identifying what you need to better ensure that your personal life doesn’t become eclipsed by your work life. With that, you’ll find it easier to return to work and focus on your tasks with a more balanced perspective.
4. You Can Boost Your Focus
If you have felt distracted or disengaged from work, some time off can help reignite your passion for your work and provide renewed focus. Think about your daily routine and how, in those moments, you feel stressed or overwhelmed.
The chances are good that you typically get up and take a brief walk to the break room or outside the office. You probably feel better, more refreshed, and ready to focus once more. Imagine how taking several days or a week or two away from the whole office will feel.
5. It Can Help Improve Your Relationships
Perhaps you have felt a little tightly wound, stressed, and even short-tempered at work recently. You probably realize it on some level — your co-workers may, too. Taking time for yourself can help rejuvenate your positive attitude, making you want to repair or rekindle satisfying work relationships. Take heart that most workers reach this point sometimes and need time to step away.
More importantly, in many cases, taking time away from the office can improve your relationships.
Are You Ready to Start Taking Your Well-Earned Time Off Yet?
Hopefully, you are ready to start setting aside valuable time for yourself after reading through these fantastic benefits. Taking time off is essential for your survival and overall happiness. Prepare to launch your leave time management strategy and pencil in everything you want to do or not do while away as soon as possible.
Author bio: Debbie Sabin is President of Hour Timesheet, a provider of software tools for small to medium businesses that are looking to improve workflow processes related to payroll, billing or real-time reporting of their workforce. Sabin has over three decades of experience designing, implementing and supporting employee time tracking software.