It is now August, and we are coming into summer holiday time for most UK employees. I hope some of you have got some time off to relax and recharge after a disruptive 18 months due to Covid.
Perhaps you have experienced the state of languishing, which the New York Times recently stated was potentially the dominant emotion of 2021. Languishing is described as a “sense of stagnation and emptiness” and as though you are just muddling through your days. If this is the case, maybe think about making sure you get some time off. Let us dig a little deeper into the research behind why holidays are so good for us.
First of all, the neuroscience bit. One of the most important parts of holidays is being away from work and not thinking about work, and this is really key – the not thinking bit, where you switch off and forget about the daily work to-do-list of tasks & just enjoy the moment – this is what gives the brain proper time to switch off and recover & replenish from a stressful time. If we don’t get that time to switch off entirely, then unfortunately – the replenishing effects of a holiday simply won’t take place.
This can be harder said than done – but if you can, try to make sure you turn off all your work email notifications on your phone and make sure you have clear instructions on your Out of Office – message to communicate that you are away. If you do need to do some work during your holiday, make sure to set specific timed boundaries on how and when to do it and don’t forget to let people know of those times and manage those expectations clearly beforehand.
Studies have also found that doing something meaningful to us, learning a new skill or hobby and getting a break from our normal routine, prolongs all the positive effects of a holiday. There are also studies to show that being outside of your normal environment, helps with this – so if at all possible, the best effects of holidays when you leave your house and again, give your brain a chance to rest from the normal routine. Even if you have a week booked off work and you will be at home – are there any experiences or places in your hometown that you have never been to? A new restaurant that’s opened up? If you can trick your brain to experience new things, despite being at home – this can really help in order to make that feeling of relaxation last longer.
And finally, how can organisations work on their employee engagement when it comes to the topic of annual leave?
1.) Make sure to make the annual leave request process as simple, straightforward and swift as possible. One of the things that can really disengage staff, is if they feel that the company is making it difficult or dragging their feet with their annual leave requests.
2.) Remind managers to encourage employees to take annual leave and create a culture where the organisation recognises that holidays are a productivity boost and will have benefits as much for the organisation as the individual. If employees feel that companies are happy for them to take holidays, they feel valued and motivated to return to work & put in that extra effort that comes with an engaged work force.
3.) Does your company have a problem with burnout? If your company has a culture that does not reward taking breaks and burnout is high, one first step is to make sure senior leaders act as role models for change. If senior leaders are seen as taking healthy breaks from work & taking annual leave regularly and encouraging staff at all levels to do so, this can start to shift culture.
And if you are reading this and you are don’t have any holidays coming up, it might be useful to know that studies show that planning and anticipating an upcoming holiday can have many health benefits too, so time to start dreaming.
@Elin
Is your organisation doing enough to make people feel engaged when it comes to internal communications around holidays? Maybe you’re already doing it – we’d love to hear from you!
