I need a vacation, but how can I take one when we are so short handed? The effects of the recession have left us short-handed with just as much work, or more. Employees are working fast and furious to keep up with the work load which burns them out faster. Taking vacation is essential for employees to stay fresh, renewed, and relieve stress. We don’t want employees burning out and unhappy which causes mistakes and low morale.
Some employees do not want to take vacation. With no raises and no bonuses, employees are taking fewer trips away from home. A vacation at home just doesn’t appeal to them, so they just keep working. I have heard “I have nowhere to go, I’d just stay home anyway.” Employees need to take a break from work, even if they take a staycation, a stay at home vacation. There are several inexpensive things to do right in our own town.
-Take a walk or ride the bike path
-Go to the museum. We have several:
Buena Vista Museum
Bakersfield Art Museum
Kern County Museum
Lori Brock Museum
California Living Museum
-Visit Fort Tejon. On Sunday’s, they have Civil War reenactments.
-Visit the spa
-Read a book
-Throw a party
Employees also fear they will lose their job if they take a vacation. Being short-handed will leave the work for someone else. That guilt of pawning the work onto a co-worker keeps employees from taking a vacation. Also, some employees believe if they are absent, the company may figure out they can do without them. Employees stick around to protect their job. Usually this doesn’t happen, we are very happy to see them come back and hopefully the employee is refreshed and ready to perform at maximum potential.
In California, non-exempt employees’ vacation or PTO is essentially considered money in the bank and cannot be taken away. However, the organization can put a maximum cap on the amount of carryover vacation time that is carried to the next year. Employees end up with many hours of vacation time banked, and the organization frowns on this, not only because employees are not taking advantage of time off, but also, if the employee is terminated voluntarily or involuntarily, that vacation time must be paid to the employee. This can be costly. Organizations want employees to use their vacation time.
Lastly, don’t work while on vacation. Don’t check email, phone calls, etc. Okay, I am so guilty of this. So, if you must, look at email at the beginning and end of the day. Don’t check email all day, and don’t carry on conversations all day.
Organizations need to allow employees to take their vacation time for the rest and rejuvenation it provides the employee. The employee will come back ready to work and usually thankful for the job they have, and the vacation time they earn. Employees need to be willing to take the vacation they deserve and enjoy their time off free of work interference.
