Chief People Officer at Flimp Communications. Hands-on HR and business leader with two decades of experience spanning HR and operations.
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Even under normal circumstances, it's difficult to take a break. Employees often feel pressured to check in while they're on vacation to show they're still invested, even when they're not physically present. Well, right now, only a fraction of us can be physically present in the workplace, and a large majority of the workforce will be working from home through the summer. This leads to a dilemma for many in HR: The workforce needs a break more than ever, but they're also reluctant to use their time off because of lingering uncertainty. The threat of businesses going under and potential layoffs has many employees determined to show they're worth every penny of their paychecks.
Those of us in HR need to find ways to encourage workers to take their time off and make the most of it in this difficult and uncertain climate. By anticipating the challenges and concerns of the summer ahead, we can proactively work to address them. We can make workers comfortable enough to pause, take a breath and step back for a little while to embrace the calm that a much-needed vacation can bring.
Why Vacation Isn’t Top Of Mind
For workers, summer vacation usually means time away from the office, time spent with family. But after working from home while surrounded by family for so many weeks, taking PTO to stay at home with that same family may not be as appealing. Even if travel restrictions ease, employees may not want the expense. Those who haven’t exhausted time off reserves during the pandemic may look at the benefit of getting reimbursed for their unused time at the end of the year. Or, perhaps they're hoping to postpone vacation plans till late summer or early fall. That potentially means a greater number of people taking time off during a peak season for your business.
Now that school is over, some of the classwork juggling will ease up, but with it comes more unstructured time for working parents to contend with. There are limited opportunities for camps and child care, so workers are, yet again, forced to find a new normal. Perhaps they feel they should work more to make up for the time they spend with children during the workday. While parents balance the demands of blending work and home life, other co-workers had to rise up and fill the gaps. This has translated to longer hours, increased responsibilities and possibly more exposure to the public, impacting their physical and mental health.
These employees carry the bulk of the daily duties and need a break from the always-on schedule as well. Not taking time to decompress and step away — especially during a time already filled with heightened stress — is only going to lead to greater burnout.
What Can We Do To Help?
This is a place where your communication of time off and wellness benefits counts. Have personal check-ins with direct reports to remind them of benefits and ask about vacation plans. Survey employees to get a pulse check on their well-being and the kinds of plans they would feel comfortable making to recharge this summer. Are they looking for wellness resources to help them recharge? Are they in search of ideas for things to do with family? Are they looking for staycation day trip ideas to nearby points of interest? Based on your survey findings you can create a resource center with ideas such as mediation classes, virtual camps and digital activities some local public museums and libraries are organizing. Or perhaps they would enjoy other staycation ideas from co-workers, such as backyard camping tips, a spa day at home or options for online classes in cooking, woodworking, home decorating, gardening, etc.
You can also create an online vacation calendar for the departments or teams that are in need of a break. This will show them that others are taking time off and give them an idea of where the open weeks are for time off without coverage worry. Encourage those with the highest amounts of stress to take the first pick at prime vacation weeks.
One of the biggest things we do on vacation is break with routine and give our brains a chance to rest and recuperate from stress. Perhaps an indulgent day of sleeping late, ordering takeout and binge-watching a favorite show is just what your team needs for their mental health. A small act of self-care helps us rejuvenate and refocus. By breaking routine and changing things up, even for a short time, we can improve overall well-being in and out of the workplace.
Lead By Example
Lastly, don't forget to take your own advice. The best way to encourage others to take time off is to set an example and take a break yourself. You can't help others if you're burned out. Make sure your leadership team does the same. Without knowing it, they could actually be the ones perpetuating a culture of all work and no play. Give them strategies for encouraging those who need it most to take a break.
HR has been inundated the last few months with inquiries on everything from furloughs and layoffs to changing work-from-home and leave policies to questions about when and how everyone will get back to the office. When you feel things are in a good place, even for a little while, take a break to practice that self-care you have been preaching. When you get back, share stories of what you did to enjoy your time off; be an advocate for the productivity that can come from recharging. As others use their time, encourage them to share too. The more support for time off and vacation plans employees share with each other in these strange circumstances, the more you will foster an atmosphere where it’s OK to take time off. Yes, even during a pandemic.
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