Why sometimes you need to make your staff take a holiday

HOLIDAY SEASON IS fast approaching and no doubt the leave-request forms are already starting to pile up.

While it may feel like things slow down during the ‘silly season’, recent research reveals that employees may not be tuning out as much as they should – and that could potentially be very bad for business.

A survey conducted by Regus found that, instead of resting, 39% of employees continue to work up to three hours a day while on holiday.

Perhaps this shouldn’t come as such a surprise. Advances in technology, in the way we are constantly dialed into our work through our mobile phones, along with the hangover from the downturn that staff are still keen to justify their roles, have made working while on holiday, or at least checking emails, fairly standard practice.

While at first glance this might seem like a coup for employers, the reality is that it may cost you in the long run. Here are some examples of why:

Staff burnout

Even the best of us need a break every now and then. If your workers are unable to switch off and relax, then it’s unlikely they’ll reap the energising benefits of being on holiday.

Instead of coming back fired up and ready to work, they tend to be less motivated and more easily distracted. So-called ‘vacation deprivation’ can increase mistakes and resentment towards co-workers. Ultimately, this all translates to a drop in productivity.

Increased sick leave

Stress-related illnesses are among the leading causes of employee absenteeism in Ireland and the UK. Figures from across the Irish Sea show that 30 million employees took time off work with stress, anxiety or depression in 2013. Workers who don’t take a break can eventually make themselves ill.

And it’s not just about mental well-being either. A study conducted by the University of New York on 13,000 middle-aged men at risk of heart disease showed that those who went without a vacation for five consecutive years were 30% more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Legal risks

Under health-and-safety legislation, employers have a duty to ensure, as much as reasonably possible, the welfare and safety of their employees at work. If there is a culture of working while on holidays, or if employees feel pressured into not using their annual leave entitlement, then an employee may have grounds to take action against your company if an incident occurs.

Additionally, under common law, if it is believed that you failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of such an employee, they may have grounds to bring a personal injury claim against you.

What you can do

Regardless of an employee’s reasons for working while on holiday or choosing not to take time off at all, you as an employer must take action to encourage it as much as possible.

Here are some measures you can take to foster a culture in which staff switch off when on leave:

Communicate company policy

Make sure all staff are aware of their holiday entitlements. This information should be clearly communicated in their staff handbook, but it is also worth relaying the information through email, staff newsletters, weekly briefings or whatever other means you use to engage with your workforce.

This provides an opportunity to emphasise the value you place on employee downtime. HR automation software, such as HRLocker, can also be useful in providing employees with a visible diary so they can coordinate their holidays and take ownership of their time off.

Lead by example

As employers, we are often the main culprits for not taking our designated vacation time. After all, we are the steam that turns the wheel and keeps the business moving forward. However, the example we set tends to trickle down through the company as directors and managers follow the lead and their subordinates copy them.

If you want to maintain a culture where staff feel comfortable taking holidays then you need to show that you too are happy to leave the office behind, even if it’s just for a few days.

Manage workloads

One of the main reasons why employees work while on holiday is to stay on top of their workload. In fact, ‘leavism’, when employees use their annual leave just to catch up on work, is a growing concern.

Be reasonable in your expectations when distributing work to your employees. Regular management meetings and one-to-ones, where possible, with workers helps establish an open dialogue in which employees feel valued and employers can gauge their capacity.

Establish a process for handing over ongoing work when an employee is scheduled to go on holiday so that it is shared out equally and all employees, particularly those taking leave, are confident it will be managed effectively.

David Bell is CEO at The HR Department.

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