Earlier this week, I attended a BNC networking function where fellow attendees spanned various service and product industries: architecture, engineering, construction; legal; advertising; executive recruiters; management consultants; financial advisors; technology sales; social media consultants;…basically, the usual cast of characters in the white and gold-collar arena.
It was a beautiful night, which sparked my logical question: “How will you spend your vacation this year?”
Since summer is a traditional time for vacations–namely for families to jive with school schedules–I was surprised to hear that so few people were taking time off in 2009. Not only were they not planning to go away on a ‘regular’ vacation, but they also weren’t even planning to do the recently popular (thanks to the sky-high gas prices last summer) staycation.
Apparently, everyone is afraid to go on vacation for fear that they will lose their job upon return. And while I’d love to argue the opposite side–that a happy, well-rested professional adds more value to the company in the long run–I recognize that I don’t know the whole story. I’m not walking in their shoes, so I can’t know for certain if their company culture believes that ‘no vacation means more dedication’. Or, that ‘if I’m here visibly working, then I’ll also be here to defend my role if needed’. Yet recently, I’ve seen people get laid off whom I truly believe added significant and measurable value. So unfortunately, employment-at-will layoff decisions are hard to predict…even though ideally it would be cut and dried, based upon performance and value, period.
Listen, vacations are important for our mental, physical, and professional health.
One medicore solution for professionals who travel for business is to tag on a couple of days extra to a client meeting, provided the destination is worthwhile. It’s not optimum, but at least it’s something.
But what about those that have in-town clients and rarely travel for work? In that case, these people must improvise. And if at all possible, please try to have a relaxing staycation, at a minimum.
One thing is certain. It seems that a playcations are an excellent bet for everyone, regardless of the economy. It’s a year-round concept, it involves an attitude adjustment and creativity, and it reaps real rewards!
