How many ambitious junior employees at your company let some or all of their vacation time go unused every year? Many determined workers vying to get ahead in the workplace are under the impression that taking vacation is viewed negatively by their superiors. But Shawn Achor, writing for the Harvard Business Review, says there is a business case to be made for heading off on vacation.
Here are some reasons why the people who do take time off are the ones who get promoted:
- Statistics Don’t Lie: The U.S. Travel Association’s Project: Time Off has found that people who take all their vacation time have a 6.5 percent higher chance of being promoted, compared with people with 11 days or more still on the table at the end of the year.
- Create a Positive Perception: Happier people are perceived as more productive. “In fact, when asked what vacation time benefit would motivate managers to talk to their employees about using more vacation days, the top benefit was increased personal happiness (31 percent), followed by productivity (21 percent),” Achor says.
- It’s Part of Your Pay: “If you’re a salaried employee, and if paid vacation is part of your compensation package, you’re essentially taking a voluntary pay cut when you work instead of taking that vacation time,” explains Achor. And if you don’t respect your worth, no one—or company—will.
