Wish you weren't here.
| Author | Hayward, Cathy |
If you think that not taking all your annual leave makes you more productive, think again. Being tied to the desk can damage your health and relationships and, as Cathy Hayward reports, can cost your company money
Few people need to have the benefits of a holiday sold to them. Whether you prefer to sun yourself on an exotic beach with a cocktail at your fingertips, to explore historical ruins, or just to relax at home and tackle all those odd jobs around the house, almost everyone looks forward to a fortnight away from the normal office grind.
But new research from the Institute of Management shows that a quarter of Britain's managers are not taking all their annual leave, and more than half of those who do get away keep in touch with their office by e-mail or mobile phone. Most accept that an interrupted holiday is part of the job.
"It is worrying if this is a sign of a new brand of presenteeism," says Mary Chapman, director general of the Institute of Management. "Instead of the coat left on the back of the office chair, the mobile phone and laptop are taken on holiday as a sign that the person is still on duty."
Managers may think that working through annual leave or being constantly on call by choosing to forgo beers in the sun will do their in-tray (and their career) good, but in the long term going without your holiday could have the opposite effect.
"In the UK we are working harder and longer than ever before," according to Cary Cooper, BUPA professor of organisational psychology and health, and deputy vice-chancellor at Manchester School of Management. "We have the longest working hours in the EU and the second longest hours in the developed world behind the US. So, for the sake of our health and relationships, it is vital that we take all our annual leave and make the most of it."
Angela Baron, adviser to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says that a regular break away from work is good for health and productivity. "If people don't take a regular holiday there is evidence that, although they may be ok for a while, there is a cumulative effect and stress will catch up with them. Everyone needs time to think about something other than work and a chance to unwind," she says. "People are more productive a few weeks after a holiday than they were a few weeks before their break."
Norman Hodges, HR manager at Rank Leisure, agrees. "Staff need time off to recharge their batteries so they can perform well when they are...
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