Feel Good Friday: Vacation
/Several people I know are on vacation right now. Tis the season. The word “vacation” comes from the Latin vacare, to be unoccupied. While everyone knows what a vacation is, and most people aspire to take one, you may be surprised at some of the statistics:
Other countries provide workers with guaranteed paid days off: France and Italy, 31 days; Canada, 19 and Japan, 10. The United States does not guarantee days off, and many Americans take no time off.
Even when US workers do have time off, 75% of us don’t take all of it, and the average employee only takes half of his or her eligible time. Sixty percent of US vacationers say they “do some work” on their time off; 25% are contacted by the office while their away.
Before packing that laptop (or firing it up over the 48-hour weekend,) consider some of the health benefits of really getting away from the office:
The noted Framingham Heart Study found that men who didn’t take vacations over several years were 30% more likely to have heart attacks, and women who took two vacations a year were eight times less likely to develop coronary disease than women who only vacationed once every six years or less.
A University of Pittsburgh study found that activities like vacations helped decrease stress, blood pressure and weight.
When vacationers get back to the workplace, their performance ratings improve according to studies by Ernst & Young and the Boston Consulting Group.
So take a vacation and enjoy it this year, or at least take time out this weekend to relax. And here’s a retro cruisin' soundtrack to put you in the mood. Happy trails!
