Employees truly deserve paid vacations. They struggle through
stressful jobs most of the year, and productivity goes down if
they don’t get a break. From a corporate perspective, good
vacation programs boost the bottom line by reducing workplace
stress, absenteeism, health care costs, and accidents.
Following are fourteen ways company managers can de-stress
vacations, increase productivity, improve quality, boost
profits, and get the most from the corporate investment.
1. Wait until employees return from vacation to announce job
changes or promotions because the only thing they can do while
away is worry about the new opportunity.
2. Provide training and coaching on ways to budget for
vacations to avoid a vacation credit card crisis.
3. Have the payroll department double check accuracy to make
sure there are no last minute glitches in employee paychecks.
4. Distribute job responsibilities among employees, so people
don’t return to overflowing in boxes.
5. Provide in-house orientations on how to organize for
stress-free vacations
6. Negotiate with travel agencies for vacation packages and
discounts for employees.
7. Educate employees on the best ways to research the internet
for discounted travel, accommodations, and destination packages.
8. Allow an extra half-day for employees to prepare for
vacations – e.g., house and pet arrangements, servicing cars
and buying tires, purchasing luggage, etc. The expense to the
company is negligible and benefits are great through improved
productivity and reduced stress.
9. Counsel individuals two weeks before the vacation to make
sure they complete the company priorities.
10. Schedule time to talk with returning employees
(relationship building) to discuss their vacation and catch them
up on what transpired in their absence. Keep notes while they
are away so you’ll have a meaningful discussion instead of
“everything went as usual.”
11. Send special note, flowers, or fruit basket to the
employees hotel room to reinforce their value to the company.
12. Get employee input when establishing vacation schedules
and cooperate with those who need special consideration.
13. Require one to two week vacation periods for high-stress
jobs vs. allowing one or two day segments. It takes a few days
just to get away from the job; the remainder is for rest and
relaxation.
14. Provide safety seminars and negotiate discounted vehicle
safety checks for employees prior to vacations. Car problems
hundreds of miles from home stress both the families and the
bank accounts.
Remember, the purpose of the vacation is twofold – to benefit
the individual and to improve their performance at the company.
Since the company is paying for this break, it needs to be
structured to benefit everyone concerned.
The Leadership Edge: Controlling workplace stress and building
relationships will be key in keeping quality employees during
the upcoming personnel shortage.
Copyright 2010 – Dale Collie