Steve Gruber, a partner with Venture Accelerator Partners Inc. in Grimsby, Ont., is about to take his first vacation in more than two years - an RV trip, tooling around Ontario with his family.Sheryl Nadler/The Globe and Mail
Many Canadians have hesitated to take a vacation during the past couple of turbulent years. The recession made it difficult to think about taking time off when staffs were being slashed, workloads were rising and there was a nagging fear of being seen as expendable in a time of downsizing. Now, with the economic outlook brightening and summer on its way, most workers not only feel they need a vacation but also feel more comfortable about taking one, a new survey finds. But it may still be tough to get the time off you want from organizations that have shrunken staffs and tighter vacation allotments.
Delayed gratification
Steve Gruber was reading a magazine article about burnout while waiting to board a plane in Halifax two weeks ago. It convinced him that it was time to take his first vacation since the recession hit nearly two years ago.
" I realized I had all the symptoms of burnout. I've been feeling anxious and forgetful, I've been gaining weight and I feel exhausted all the time. The light bulb suddenly went on; I need to take a break," says Mr. Gruber, a partner at Grimsby, Ont.-based consultancy Venture Accelerator Partners Inc.
And for the first time since the recession began, he feels he can get away.
He used to consider a summer vacation a necessity, but after the economy stumbled in 2008, the phones stopped ringing and business dried up for his company, which develops sales strategies for small businesses. "I had to work straight through 2008 and 2009. We had to work night and day to keep revenue coming in the door to stay afloat. Things finally turned around last October, "but then things started to go gangbusters and I couldn't get away," Mr. Gruber says.
Now, he says, business has stabilized enough that next week he's planning to take a long-delayed vacation. He, his wife and son are packing up a rental RV and taking a week-long road trip around Ontario. "I suddenly feel I can get away. It's time to recharge my batteries."
TIME TO TAKE A BREATHER
There's a growing feeling that the time is right to take a break, a new survey finds.
More than half - 56 per cent - of workers say they feel more in need of a vacation this year than they have in the past two years. And 36 per cent say they feel more comfortable taking a vacation in 2010 than they did last year because of an improving economy, according to a poll of 4,830 U.S workers by job site CareerBuilder.com.
"It is good news that workers' anxiety around taking vacation time appears to be lessening this year compared to last," says Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder's vice-president of human resources, who believes the finding reflects the mood of Canadians as well. "Utilizing time off to relax and recharge is even more important today as staffs have shrunk over the last two years and workers are dealing with added responsibilities and pressure."
Still, 31 per cent of those polled said they won't be taking a vacation this year, with 21 per cent indicating they still can't afford one and 10 per cent saying they have to stay on the job because there is no one to fill in during their absence. Fifteen per cent of those surveyed reported that they didn't use all of their allotted time last year.
About a quarter - 23 per cent - said they plan to take at least a full week away from the office, up from 19 per cent last year. Twelve per cent plan to be gone two weeks or longer.
Why some people won't take a break
Executives are especially prone to feeling they can't take a vacation from their jobs, says psychologist Dr. Darryl Grigg, partner in Newman and Grigg Psychological and Consulting Services in Vancouver. Among the reasons:
1. Many fear that taking time off means their work will pile up and create more work later.
2. There is a common fear that if they slow down, they may never gear up again.
3. Many execs believe they are so essential that, if they are not on the job, bad things will happen.
4. Many have difficulty delegating responsibilities and so won't trust others to take over in their absence.
5. Senior people can be reluctant to admit that they need a break.
6. Underlying it all is a fear that has grown during the uncertainty of the economic downturn: If they take time off, others will see them as undependable or expendable.
"I have to coach people to take time off, and remind them that there is a growing sense that the sky is not going to fall this year in corporate Canada," Dr. Grigg says. I encourage people to consider that higher work loads and the prolonged uncertainty can create a deep fatigue. The fact is that slowing down occasionally is essential to help us recharge and even taking a day off the treadmill will help them come back and feel more productive."
How much is enough?
"Whatever time you can get out of the daily grind is better than nothing." Dr. Grigg says. But what it takes to recharge varies from person to person. For some, occasionally tacking an extra day on a weekend may be enough. "Those who are really burned out may need two weeks or more."
A CLEAN BREAK
It's tough to truly break away from work when you take a break. One-quarter of workers say they plan to contact the office at least once while on vacation, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. Here are tips from CareerBuilder's Rosemary Haefner and psychologist Dr. Darryl Grigg for making sure your time off is a clean break:
1. Get it on the calendar now: For companies operating with smaller staffs, having more than one person out of the office can hurt productivity. Stake your time claim early and be willing to be flexible on dates if the timing conflicts with co-workers' plans.
2. Arrange backup: Before you leave, start recording important information, key contacts and any deadlines that will come up while you are gone. Hand it off to a co-worker you have trained to fill in for you while you are gone.
3. Become unavailable. Notify clients and associates in advance of your vacation that you are going to be away and will not be reachable.
4. Leave the Blackberry behind. If you carry your portable devices, you won't be tempted to keep using them when you should be taking a break.
5. Limit office links: If you must catch up with work, set a firm time limit and times when you are available.
6. Cultivate quiet time. Many executives can actually lose sight of the fact that they do have a life outside of work, Dr. Grigg says. "I ask them to clear thoughts of business from their heads in their time away and instead focus on themselves and their families and what they want in their personal life."
7. Lead by example: Those who supervise others should set the example. Make a clean break with the office while on vacation, so workers will feel more comfortable doing the same.
8. Be aware who is in charge. "For many employees at any level, it can be a revelation that they are likely to be the ones who are creating the demands they feel and fears they feel about being away from the job. It's extremely rare to have a boss who says you can't take time if you need it," Dr. Grigg says.
9. Return the favour Be willing to step in to fill in when co-workers take vacation.
HOW TIME OFF COMPARES
Average annual vacation entitlement:
U.S.: 13 days
Japan: 15
Canada: 19
Britain: 26
Germany: 27
Spain: 30
Italy: 31
France: 38
Source: Expedia.ca survey of 11 countries
VACATIONS ARE SWEET BUT SHORT
The traditional seven-day vacation has faded from popularity due to the economic crunch and the limited amount of time people feel they can jump off the workplace treadmill these days, says Sean Shannon, managing director of Expedia.ca. According to an ongoing survey on the web site:
25: Percentage of Canadians who will take a trip of three days.
25: Percentage of Canadians who will take a trip of four days.
20: Percentage who will take seven days or more.
17: Percentage who will take five or six days
13: Percentage who will take one or two days.
POPULAR DESTINATIONS
The hottest destinations for Canadians this summer will be:
In Canada: Toronto and Niagara Falls, Montreal, Vancouver and Banff.
In the United States: Las Vegas, New York and Orlando.
In Europe: London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona.
Source: Expedia.ca
UNHOOKING FROM THE OFFICE
25 percentage of workers say they plan to contact the office at least once while on vacation, regardless of what they are working on.
37 percentage of employees who say they will only check in with the office if they have to stay in the loop on a big project or major issue going on while they are away.
49 pecentage of employers who say they expect employees to check in with the office while they are away
31 percentage of workers who say they don't plan to take a vacation this year.
7 percentage of Canadians who plan to take Fridays and Mondays off to take 4-day getaways this summer.
7 percentage who take a day off each week instead of taking a longer break.
Sources: CareerBuilder.com; Expedia.ca