By Jason Rowe, courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASE
The 4th of July holiday has come and gone, and summer is officially in full swing. Now is often an ideal time to take a step back from the office and take advantage of one of the most important benefits in the workplace: vacation time. Although disconnecting from the daily grind is beneficial, many employees today never get the chance.
According to a recent study by LinkedIn, 51% of surveyed employees did not use all of their allotted vacation time last year. With an average of only three weeks paid vacation for a worker who had been employed with an organization for 5 years (as stated in ASE’s Michigan Policies and Benefits Survey), every day counts.
Furthermore, 70% of workers surveyed admitted to not disconnecting completely even when they are away from the office; mostly due to a fear of falling behind. When an employee doesn’t remove themselves from the workplace; however, it can lead to feeling overwhelmed (58%) and disorganized (21%).
Vacation time doesn’t always need to be reserved for expensive trips or travel. Many employees are now using this time away to pursue other passions. LinkedIn reported that 70% of professionals have a side hustle outside of their primary job. Of these professionals, 40% are using their vacation time to work on their passion projects, whatever they may be.
Regardless of how vacation time is used, this time away could mean the difference between feeling burned out and feeling refreshed; and with 55% of Michigan employers having a “use it or lose it policy” (according to ASE’s survey), you may want to make sure you don’t lose a single day.