As founder of the Work to Live campaign, you’ve long argued that we don’t take enough vacation. Why is vacation so important?
What we don’t realize in this country is that we need to get refueled, just like iPods and cellphones. Vacations are as important as watching our cholesterol and getting exercise.
Vacations have been shown to cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent. And women who take more than one vacation a year cut that risk by 50 percent. Vacations also cure burnout. They [allow us to] regather crashed emotional resources.
How much time is optimal?
You need real time. You don’t get that recuperative benefit if you don’t get two weeks off. In my parents’ day, people took a two-week vacation.
What is in it for the boss?
Vacations increase productivity. Reaction times have been shown to go up as much as 40 percent after a vacation. It’s a win-win.
Then why is management resistant?
It really defies logic. The funny thing is that vacations were started by companies. Back in the ’20s and ’30s, workers were dropping like flies and companies found that if they sent these people off to organized company vacations, they came back more productive.
How can someone make a case to the boss for more vacation time?
I encourage people to do that. You don’t have to simply accept what’s in the policy. Make a proposal. Say, “Look, my productivity will go up if I get another week off, and I’ll prove it to you.” Another thing you can do is just say, “I need some time. I’d like to take time off without pay.” I used to do this, and never got turned down.
Does it matter how you vacation?
Yes, it does. One reason people never get recharged is they bring their work mind with them. They try to make their vacation productive. Vacations are not about productivity.