Not Taking Vacation Is Like Getting a Pay Cut (If You Get Paid Vacation)
It’s nice to be productive and become a super employee, but a day off is important in keeping you happy and preventing burnout. However, if you are an employee taking paid leave, this is even more important because giving it up is the same as working for free.
Sounds easy, right? You are paid to work a certain number of days a year, and when you work more, you lose. Sean Achor from Harvard Business Review explains the logic behind why you should take your time no matter what:
… it’s just economics. If you are an employee and if paid leave is part of your compensation package, you are, in effect, voluntarily cutting wages while you work instead of taking leave. Why would anyone do this? Four out of 10 employees say they cannot take vacations because they have too much work to do. But think of it this way: whether you take a vacation or not, you still have a lot of work to do. Life is finite and work is endless.
So take advantage of these days and stop working on what you need to have a day off . Some companies will allow you to cash out any unused vacation time, so it’s worth it in the circumstances, but if not, stop unnecessarily overworking yourself. Just make sure you plan ahead and make sure you don’t leave at a time when you know what matters too.
Are people who take vacations getting promoted? | Harvard Business Review