Have you seen the TV ad with the kids talking about how their parents don’t use all their vacation time? “Just one more day!” “They’re PAID vacation days!” It really made me stop and think. So when I saw an article earlier this week from US Travel Association titled--Japan Wants Workers to Take More Vacation — Here’s Why We Should All Follow Suit, it really got my attention. All I had to see was the ‘take more vacation’ part and I was immediately drawn into it.
It seems Japan’s parliament is looking to slash on-the-job hours and push its workforce to take more time off. There seems to be a huge problem with overwork-related issues in Japan, with workers clocking an average of 173 hours in overtime each year and that’s leading to unprecedented stress. And Japan isn’t the only country with an overwork issue…seems we Americans leave roughly $224 BILLION worth of paid vacation time on the books. That's BILLION...with a B. It was also noted that taking a time-out is good for your heart and actually reduces risk of mortality. There was a study highlighted from Psychosomatic Medicine that showed men who skipped out on vacation 5 years running were 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack. And yet another article went on to say that women who take a vacation once every 6 years were 8 times more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than women taking 2 vacations per year. Wake up, people…What’s wrong with us?! We work hard all year and earn this time, so let’s use it! The article went on to state that we’re “becoming a nation of work martyrs, coming into the office when we’re sick, wear unused vacation days like a badge of honor, and feel like we have to be seen at our desks early and often.” Don’t get me wrong, there’s something to be said for soldiering through a day when you don’t feel so great and there are times where you absolutely have to come in early and stay late, but there has to be a good balance of the two.
So what’s the lesson here? We have weekends and vacations for a reason. You have to have a diversion from your work life and find time to relax, reconnect, and recharge your battery. It can be the full-blown pack-the-car or hop-on-a-jet getaway or the ever-popular ‘stay-cation.’ In fact, if you do plan to stay in your own backyard for your holiday, there are lots of resources out there to help you plan some fun things to do or try some new activities you’ve had on your bucket list for a while. There’s no better place to start making those plans than with a quick visit to the Event Calendar. Just this weekend alone, you’ll find anything from a daylily festival, berry picking, hanging out with alligators, an art walk, improv theatre, a burger cook-off, even The Rat Pack in concert. How’s that for some variety?
So when it’s quitting time, turn off your computer, inhale and exhale, and go enjoy your weekend or your vacation. You’ve earned it!