The beginning of the school year often means a temporary respite for Business Managers. The school’s last audit recently wrapped up, and the next audit is in the beginning stages of preparation. The current budget has (mostly) been worked out, and next year’s will start in November. Now might be the perfect time for you to take a break from the Business Office for an extended breather—your schedule won’t get any clearer for the foreseeable future, and vacations have definitive health and professional benefits you can’t get holed up in your office.
Regenerate Your Mental Health
Vacations with others keep up your mental health maintenance, according to Swedish environmental psychologist Terry Hartig. His 2013 study examined prescription rates of antidepressants from 1993 to 2005, and found that when greater numbers of people took vacations at the same time, the faster prescription rates dropped. The health benefit was universal, too: Men, women, current professionals and retirees all benefitted from this sort of “collective regeneration,” as Hartig calls it.
Increase Your Job Performance
Vacations seem to contribute to increased job performance. The New York Times reports that in 2006, accounting firm Ernest & Young did an internal study and found a positive correlation between the amount of vacation time spent and an employee’s end-of-year review. In fact, the study found that for every 10 hours of vacation time an employee took, said employee’s performance ratings could be expected to rise by 8%.
Care For Your Body
The phrase, “You’re working yourself to death” carries ominous overtones with this point. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute sponsored a clinical trial involving over 12,000 men at risk for coronary disease for nine years. At the end of the trial, participants who took “frequent annual vacations” were 21% less likely to die from any cause, and especially insulated from heart-related mortality issues.
The research continues with the Framingham Heart Study, as summarized by HealthNet. It revealed that men who didn't take a vacation were 30 percent more likely to have heart attacks. And women who took vacations only periodically were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack, when compared to women who vacationed at least twice a year.
The case certainly stacks up in favor of prioritizing a solid vacation, and sooner rather than later. If you’re having trouble rationalizing some time in the sun and away from the office, why not combine work and pleasure? Get a change of scenery and a solid dose of professional development at the Business and Operations Academy, held in sunny San Diego, California, from October 11-15 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. Work on your Business Certification while making time for a round of golf with your fellow Business Managers or a relaxing pre-academy afternoon at the spa.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Business Managers Vol. 12 No. 1 Employee Benefits You Might Not Think of as Benefits
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 35 No. 13 Paid Leave Banks: Compassionate or Risky?
