The Secret to Happier, Productive Employees

The Secret to Happier, Productive Employees
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
pexels.com
pexels.com

If you gave everyone in your company an unlimited amount of time off, there’d be no one in the office, right? Well, not so fast. It turns out that some of the most prolific and engaged companies out there also have the best vacation policies, which means that a great vacation package could actually make employees want to be at work.

Read on to discover why a better vacation policy could improve your company’s bottom line, and 5 ways to start making changes today.

Vacation: Better for Your Bottom Line, Better for Employees

It probably comes as no surprise that employees are more relaxed when they’re on vacation. But studies show that workers who take vacation are also happier, more productive, healthier, and more engaged at the workplace in between breaks.

The opposite is true as well; workers who don’t take vacation days tend to be less successful and more disengaged.

According to Project: Time Off, employees who use fewer than 11 vacation days are less likely to have received a raise or bonus in the last few years than those who took at least 11 days. Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, reports that employees who take time off tend to think more positively, produce nearly 40% greater sales, and experience 3x as much revenue and creativity.

Overall, rethinking your vacation policy can benefit your bottom line and the productivity and happiness of your employees, from Baby Boomers to Millennials. Here are 5 strategies to start making these necessary changes at your workplace today.

  1. Demonstrate trust

Trust and empowerment—those two words aren’t usually the first ones that come to mind when thinking about your vacation policy… but maybe they should be. Companies who don’t give vacation time or deter employees from taking it often do so because they don’t trust their employees to take time off and still get their work done.

But this way of thinking puts employees under a cloud of suspicion before they’ve even done anything wrong. Not an ideal way to retain the best workers, right?

Consider a company like VMWare, which is considered by many to be a top company. It offers unlimited time off so that employees can take vacation when and how they see fit—a testament to how much their trust their workers and value their wellbeing.

Trusting your employees to do their jobs and empowering them to enjoy life outside of work is the first step toward them trusting you in return, which can build beneficial relationships. So give employees the leeway to do their jobs and take vacation time. They might just surprise you!

  1. Ask employees for feedback

Each workplace is different. A vacation policy that works for one office might not work well for another.

For instance, CarMax—a company that consistently ranks on FORTUNE’s “Best Companies to Work For” list—provides tiered vacation benefits based upon each employee’s tenure. The longer they stay with the company, the more vacation time they are eligible to accrue every year. This creates a highly engaged team that feels taken care of by their workplace, and in turn, wants to provide better service for customers.

And we already discussed how VMWare boasts an unlimited vacation policy.

Find out what fits well for your workplace by first asking employees what they’re looking for. How could you demonstrate your appreciation for their hard work every day? Then, go from there to nail down a vacation policy that appeals to the majority of your workforce.

  1. Don’t tie vacation to sales

Some companies base their vacation policies on the number of accounts landed by sales or how much money marketing saved in their quarterly budget. When you step back and think about it, this not only puts additional pressure on one or two teams, but could also ignite frustration or resentment from employees in other departments.

Another downside to this type of vacation policy? It’s all about the company’s bottom line.

Sure, we can all agree that performance is important; after all, your company is a business. However, stripping employees of “rewards” like vacation time isn’t the best method of motivating your workforce. You will probably end up alienating employees rather than improving performance.

  1. Get everyone on board

Many employees who leave vacation on the table do so for at least one of these reasons:

  • They’ll return to an overwhelming amount of work
  • No one else can do their job
  • Their boss doesn’t support using vacation time (Project: Time Off reports that 80% of employees surveyed said they would be more likely to take time off if their boss supported it)

Even if you do have an existing vacation policy, employees might not be taking advantage because they feel that the company or their reputation will suffer. Take that pressure off by getting everyone on board with vacation time, from senior leadership to entry-level employees. If managers champion paid time off, the rest of your workplace will follow suit.

  1. Prioritize culture

All work and no play grinds employees down. It’s difficult to run at top gear all the time! Think of bodybuilders—they grow lean muscle not by working out 100% of the time, but by interspersing their workouts with rest periods to let their bodies recuperate and gain strength.

The same concept applies to your employees’ mental and physical health. If you want to build a workplace full of employees who are at their best and ready to break through new sales goals, then you have to prioritize culture. Show employees that you care and they’ll return the favor.

Of course, creating a great place to work comes down to more than just paid vacation time… but it sure is a good place to start.

Millennials care about company culture more than any other generation.

Ask about my talk “Millennials & the Workplace: How to Have a Collaborative Conversation.”

About Kirsten Asher

I am Kirsten Asher, a professional speaker and trainer for organizations looking to position their Millennials for success, unify their cross-generation workforce, and align employees with their company vision. I have had the pleasure of speaking at organizations like Lululemon Athletica and the National Association of Professional Women. I also coach motivated professionals, helping them define their DASH and launch their goals. Find more information at liveyourdashnow.com or email me at Kirsten@liveyourdashnow.com.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot