The Harvard Business Review, recently published the article, “Are the People Who Take Vacations the Ones Who Get Promoted?” by Shawn Achor.
The premise is this:
Too many people limit their happiness and success by assuming that taking time off from work will send a negative message to their manager and slow their career advancement. But new research, says that the exact opposite is true. Taking a vacation can actually increase the likelihood of getting a raise or a promotion.
Achor then lists four reasons why it makes good business sense to take a vacation. My personal favorite was No. 2, where explains that “to be truly engaged at work, your brain needs periodic breaks to gain fresh perspective and energy.” He follows up with this knock-out punch:
But not all vacations are created equally. Consider research that shows that the average vacation yields no improvement in people’s levels of energy or happiness upon returning to work. In these cases, it wasn’t the time away that caused the negative or neutral impact, it was the travel stress. In a study of over 400 travelers from around the world, Michelle Gielan from the Institute for Applied Positive Research and I found a strong negative correlation between travel stress and happiness. However, we also found that 94% of vacations result in higher levels of happiness and energy if you 1) plan a month in advance and prepare your coworkers for your time away, 2) go outside your city (the further the better), 3) meet with a local host or other knowledgeable guide at the location, and 4) have the travel details set before going. Smart vacations lead to greater happiness and energy at work, and therefore, greater productivity, intelligence and resilience.
At Andavo Travel (the vacation travel division of Christopherson Business Travel), we are a network of experienced travel agents who specialize in reducing travel stress. Let us handle the stressful travel planning, arrange for a local host or guide at your destination, and figure out those travel details before you leave. This just leaves you the task of preparing your work/company/coworkers for your time away. We can send you on a “smart vacation” so that you can return to work happier and more productive – and hopefully ready for that promotion!
