In today's remote work environment, employees are finding it increasingly difficult to disconnect during their PTO. A staggering statistic reveals that 68% of workers admitted to working during vacations, and an eye-opening 45% say they feel guilty for taking time off. This constant connectivity can lead to burnout, stress, and even higher turnover rates. HR leaders, it's time to prioritize true work/life balance. Encourage employees to fully unplug and create a culture that values mental well-being. By fostering an environment that respects personal time, we can help our teams recharge and return more motivated and productive. What strategies have you found effective in preventing PTO burnout? Share your insights below! https://bit.ly/4eKVUGD #HR #WorkLifeBalance #EmployeeWellbeing
I do not believe that PTO is the answer to burnout and lack of motivation. Burnout can happen for a lot of reasons. Maybe it is as simple as just needing a break. But often it's because you don't enjoy the work, you don't have the resources to be successful, your values don't align with that of your team/manager/organization. For the latter reasons, they do not just magically disappear when you go on vacation, and you'll find yourself burnt out again in no time if all you're doing is relying on vacation to "feel better". On a parallel topic, I foresee a trend where employers actually provide LESS PTO but scope the work so that full time employees only need to work about 30 hours a week to meet objectives. Many companies are starting to try an alternative work schedule than the M-F option and it's showing promise. I'll be curious to see where we are in 5-10 years with this.
We admit to doing it because we are told, directly or indirectly, to do it. I had a leader tell me to bring my work computer on my PTO almost every year. I never did it because they also required me to use my personal phone for work and much of the time I could address urgent needs from it. It was very stressful to always be required to be accessible.
Most of us have access to our work email on our phones (as well as text messages, phone calls, etc.) so it is difficult to unplug completely. However, everyone is different, and I have known people who uninstall their work apps while on PTO and reinstall them when they return to work. On the other hand, some people find completely unplugging to be more stressful than staying connected. They dread returning to work to hundreds of emails and messages, so they try to stay on top of things in their down time. I fall into this second category, but I make a point of doing triage and deleting messages I don’t need, forwarding messages that someone else can handle, responding to things that are truly urgent, and ignoring the rest until I return to work. My rule as a manager is to strongly encourage people to unplug but understand if they don’t.
The Apple ecosystem allows you to choose what apps stay on your home screen and which ones are hidden in your app library. For me, I only have my work-related apps visible on my home page when my Work focus mode is on, which is only during business hours. When I'm on PTO, I turn off that Focus mode schedule as well as all notifications for those apps so I am not seeing anything work-related whatsoever! I also utilize the "Quiet Time" feature on the Microsoft apps to prevent any notifications after my work hours. That way I am completely unplugged after work on a normal workday as well as any PTO/days off!
Rick T.
3w
That’s actually the main reason I prefer to work in the office. It’s my escape from home-life. Then, when I do go home, I’m able to unplug from work.
Lead by example! If an employer sees their leader unplugging during PTO, they are more likely to do the same.
Well, you have to INTENTIONALLY DISCONNECT. Turn off work devices and notifications. Go there on your terms, if you want. If it’s urgent, call 911. The ‘P’ in PTO doesn’t only mean PAID, it also means PLANNED. There should be a backup plan for coverage.
It starts with SMART goals. Having achievable deadlines during workdays and business hours. This contributes to the practice of healthy work/life balance habits with the days employees may routinely get to themselves (such as weekends). If we, as employees, practice those boundaries with our routine time off, then applying them to PTO will translate seamlessly. Reducing the amount of guilt felt on our off time. Again, SMART goals can be effective when managers and employees communicate and set realistic expectations. Working on off time may correlate with job insecurity or poor planning on someone’s part. I love my job, but I sometimes need to apply good habits and not work on time off when I have the capability to do so.
We are currently evaluating this very topic. First, ensuring employees have enough PTO is key. Then, make it mandatory that everyone has a backup teammate. Cross-train and develop your junior staff to handle emergencies. This not only allows everyone to disconnect on vacay, but also serves to stabilize the business should someone abruptly leave. Lastly, lead by example. Management needs to disconnect while on PTO and talk positively and publicly about what the break did for their mental state. Emphasizing the benefits of good mental health is contagious and should be part of the culture you build. Don’t reward martyrs. 😊
As someone who loves to work, I’ve been there in the burnout place. PTO does not fix it but what I *do* on PTO does: 🍃 Turning off my alarm: Wake up when my body says. 🍃 Not watching the news. (Internet news too!) 🍃 Engaging with my loved ones with my phone put entirely away. 🍃 Doing something different. (Burnout for me is, doing the same thing, day in and day out, with no variety.) 🍃 Read books. (Who doesn’t get lost in books?) 🩷 🍃 Talking to strangers and not rushing away when I meet new people. I’ve met thee nicest people this way. It takes effort because there’s negativity all around us but there’s also beautiful people and places out there in this world. ♥️