Staycations give workers a perfect way to save money by staying at home for a vacation week to take advantage of local attractions with your family without having to book a hotel or a resort. This will give you an opportunity to reconnect with your friends and family without putting a major dent in your savings account. With the end of summer approaching, perhaps you can consider taking a few days to do something fun with your family.
According to the Forbes August 14 article Why you shouldn’t skip your vacation, vacations have been shown to enhance productivity while building important bonds with family and friends. With JAN-PRO Commercial Cleaners, you can leave for a vacation, knowing that your office will be clean and fresh when you return.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of US Travel Association (USTA), said we’re becoming a nation of work martyrs who are happy to wear our extreme busyness as a badge of honor. A special survey conducted by USTA revealed that 40 percent of employees don’t use all their accrued vacation time, leaving behind more than three unused days per person per year, totaling 430 million days of unused paid vacation annually in the United States. Survey respondents were worried about being overwhelmed with work when they returned to work and 35% said there was not one else who could assume their responsibilities at the office.
Pew Research shows that 44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night. However, there are a number of studies that show time away from work for even short times, can improve productivity. The Harvard Business Review reported that work-life balance is important to career advancement. Taking time off can improve your effectiveness on the job by helping you to re-charge while you are away. The study showed vacations actually can improve your chances of getting a promotion.
If you are planning a few days off during August for a Staycation that you don’t have time to do on the weekend, here are several tips from Forbes contributing writer Irene Levine to help you make the most of your time.
- Don’t fill up your calendar with appointments or schedule meetings immediately after your return.
- Don’t take on new projects just before a vacation if at all possible and don’t fill up your calendar with meetings immediately when you return.
- Spell out the conditions under which you should or shouldn’t be contacted while you’re away and specify how you want to be reached via email, text, etc.
- If going technology-free makes you anxious, don’t go cold turkey. But do limit your level of engagement and the number of times each day you check your smartphone or laptop.
- If you truly can’t take an extended vacation because of work responsibilities, arrange for multiple shorter getaways using long weekend