While most professionals say they are in it to spend time with their family and disconnect from work (53%), the majority of people (51%) did not use all of their allotted vacation days last year. Additionally, 70% of professionals admit that even when they do take vacation, they don’t break away. The number one reason? They don’t want to fall behind (56%).
So before you pack your bags this summer, check out our guide to help make the most of your vacation or whatever you’re in it for!
Perfect and Manage The OOO...
Even though most professionals still check their email on vacation, staying online may make you less productive. When people don’t take vacation, they feel overwhelmed (58%), disorganized (21%) – and only 3% feel creative at work. To avoid this burnout, vacation gives you the opportunity to sign off, unplug and experience the world around you to gain inspiration and maintain productivity. And the #1 feeling professionals report when they return from vacation? Refreshed.
First, work with your manager well in advance to choose the right time to take off and make sure you are aligned on expectations. Ensure you prep your team to handle your workload while you’re away, discuss your OOO point of contact to handle any urgent matters for peace of mind.
Walk the Walk: Don’t Bother your Colleagues
More than two-thirds (67%) of people say they would contact a colleague about work-related matters while the colleague is on vacation, so think twice before hitting send.
Allow your coworkers the same disconnect you crave and create a system so everyone can unplug. You cover them, they cover you. Set up a “last resort” plan if something urgent arises, plan to communicate via text versus email so you can avoid getting distracted following your inbox. And if you must get in touch, try your best to keep it the communication to once a day or wait until the end of the day to ensure you capture everything you need to communicate. Who knows, by the end of the day all might be resolved, and you can hit delete on that draft after all.
Side Hustle, Side Hustle, Side Hustle
Some people say that their idea of taking vacation is to pursue that side hustle. More than 70% of professionals have a side hustle outside of their primary job, and of these professionals, 40% are using vacation days to work on their passion project. Whether you’re in it to be your own boss (25% of professionals) or to follow a passion (36% of workers), vacation days can be the perfect time to pursue projects outside of your daily office routine.
While you don’t need to start your own business, think about what it is that excites you outside of your day-to-day. Try using some of your time off to explore LinkedIn Learning and online courses to learn a new skill that you’ve always wanted to master.
Tell us how you’re using your time off this year to find success using #InItTogether.
Methodology
This Censuswide survey on behalf of LinkedIn, was conducted online within the United States between June 22-25, 2018 among 2,169 U.S. adults aged 18+ who are either in permanent full-time employment or full-time self employed/freelance.