“It’s no accident that the best idea I’ve ever had in my life—perhaps maybe the best one I’ll ever have in my life—came to me on vacation. The moment my brain got a moment’s rest, Hamilton walked into it.” 
Lin Manuel Miranda

I have long been inspired by trees. Visually, these tall and majestic beings generously work to provide us with clean air to breathe, comforting shade, and nourishing fruits. 

But below the surface, it’s the roots that matter. The roots nourish the tree, anchor the tree firmly in the ground, and foster diverse relationships within an interconnected ecosystem. 

When I find myself moving at top speed from one project to another, I return to the trees to find my calm. 

I study the wisdom in their stillness. 

It’s the great paradox of work: Staying busy doesn’t mean staying productive. 

I recall how Harvard Business School conducted a comprehensive four-year study on the work habits of Boston Consulting Group employees a few years ago. For the study, they required some employees to take regular time off every year, even if they believed they should not be away from the office.

The study findings revealed that ensuring regular time off (even when employees initially resisted) notably increased productivity. 

But that’s not all.  

After five months, the employees who had to take intentional rest periods were more satisfied with their jobs and more inclined to see themselves staying with the company for the long haul. 

If you have difficulty taking time off, getting away from your routine, or setting work boundaries with screens, mentally (or literally) settle beneath your favorite tree and read on. 

4 Science-Backed Benefits Of Taking Time Off

Productivity: According to the book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, even when our brains are resting, they are still actively engaged in problem-solving. It’s why Hamilton “walked” into Lin Manuel Miranda’s brain as soon as he got a moment’s rest. We can support our brain’s natural processes by learning to rest better. We can trust that our brains will alert us when they uncover something worthy of our attention.

Mental health: Taking time off is essential for avoiding burnout and managing stress. Without rest, anxiety and depression creep onto the scene. Workplace hostility increases, and the whole team suffers. PTO allows employees to focus on personal relationships and their well-being, thus creating a healthier and more positive work environment. 

Physical health: Taking breaks can reduce common work health issues such as back pain, headaches, and sleep problems. However, studies have shown that working long hours (≥55 hours/week) can have even more severe health implications. In 2016, over 745,000 deaths were linked to stroke and ischemic heart disease due to overwork. Think that’s not you because you work a traditional 40-hour workweek? Monitoring and responding to emails outside of office hours still counts as time worked. 

Creativity: Feeling stuck creatively? Here’s a science-backed truth: Your brain needs downtime. When you’ve been working too hard for too long, your brain fights back, causing your ideas to dry up and even simple tasks to become overwhelming. A vacation of well-deserved brain rest could be vital in getting through any creative plateau. 

Are Unlimited Vacation Days The Answer? 

In recent years, some companies have begun making a “good faith” effort to show they recognize the importance of rest. 

To show their with-it-ness, they’ve begun offering unlimited vacation days as part of their benefits packages, with the caveat of “as long as you get your job done.” 

And, to be fair, it’s proven a wise choice for them. Many applicants are drawn to these companies specifically for unlimited vacation days. 

But then there is this:

“A lot of employees like the option of having unlimited (paid time off) but don’t utilize it as much as you would think,” says Angela Tait, founder of Tait Consulting. In an interview with U.S. News, she compared unlimited paid time off to “amenities at an apartment complex.” 

As Tait said, “They’re the shiny objects that draw you in…but hardly anyone uses them.”

The Problem With Taking Time Off 

Unlimited vacation days aside, pre-pandemic statistics showed that more than half of Americans forfeited their paid time off, resulting in a staggering 768 million unused vacation days in 2018 alone. Those forfeited vacation days add up to $65.5 billion that is, for all intents and purposes, returned to employers.

While the culture around work has changed in many ways since the pandemic, time off is still one area that hasn’t evolved as much. 

Harris Poll’s 2023 report on out-of-office (OOO) culture revealed that employees still struggle to ask for time off. While 83% of employees polled said they were “happy” with their employer’s time-off policy, a whopping 78% don’t even use all of their days off. 

So why are we doing this? Why are we refusing to take time off? 

Well, if you’re like most Americans who skip using their PTO yearly, I’m willing to bet you already know. 

The vast majority of the concerns included:

• Difficulty completing the workload: “How will I ever get caught up?!”
• Fear of being deemed replaceable: “I’ll lose my job if I’m gone that much!”
• Anxiety around submitting a PTO request: “My boss is going to be so annoyed.”

This guilt and the difficulty of taking time off lead many to avoid taking time away—even when we know it’s essential to our overall productivity. 

Many employees don’t use their allocated vacation days, which indicates an underlying issue that goes much deeper than any company’s PTO policy.

It’s A Culture Problem, Not A Policy Problem 

We know PTO can significantly help reduce burnout and boost productivity, but no amount of PTO will make an actual difference if employees don’t actually use it. 

In that Harris Poll I mentioned earlier, 76% of workers also said they wished their employer emphasized the value of taking time off. 

But even with time off, their workload often remains unchanged. To avoid returning to mounds of work, employees usually make the same choice: put in extra hours while “out of the office.” 

What does that look like?

• 60% of those polled admit to struggling to disconnect from work fully. 
• 56% have taken work calls or meetings during their time off.
• Nearly 90% of employees said they have read emails from their boss while out of the office. 

Working “time off” defeats the purpose. No amount of PTO policies can fix the problem until the workplace culture changes around wellness and rest. 

Could Vacation Stipends Be The Incentive That Finally Works? 

Thanks to this research, the good news is that more companies are realizing the importance of encouraging team members to take a breather. 

Good companies know that offering ample PTO is no longer enough—you must support employees and encourage them to use it.

These companies have begun doing their part to change the company culture around rest by providing vacation stipends or travel perks on top of paid time off. 

The evidence of this practice is already coming in: Companies who provided vacation stipends and travel perks retained more talent and experienced increased employee engagement. If you don’t yet have a company actively encouraging you to make space for rest, there are still some practical things you can do. 

5 Ways To Make Space For Rest—and Flourishing

1. Take pauses throughout the day. Simply taking a walk outside or using a meditation app can easily be incorporated into your daily routine to help recharge your mind. Naturalist Charles Darwin found walking a valuable creative stimulus and even built a “thinking path” near his house to facilitate his problem-solving process. 

2. Carve out blank space in your calendar. Try intentionally clearing your schedule for a guilt-free hour, day, or even week to do nothing. Use this time to step away from everyday obligations and free up some mental space for your creativity to flourish.

3. Set limits that prioritize your well-being. Use an automatic “out of office” response for your work email and establish a personal rule not to check it after a particular time. Creating a transition period between work and your family or home time, similar to a commute, can also be helpful.  

4. Choose a company that also values wellness. A company that supports all aspects of you will value time off and actively encourage you to take it. HEART-based career planning can help you match with a company culture that supports you. 

5. Work with an expert in career wellness. If you keep thinking, “I just need to get through this week, month, year,” a career coach can help you figure out where to start.

How Flourish Careers Can Help

I specialize in HR consulting and career change coaching for professionals who want to go from fried to flourishing. When we work together, I’ll help you cultivate your perfect-fit career or talent strategy—for growing success.

Whether you’re contemplating a career change or ready to upgrade your organization’s talent, success requires planning, dedication, and patience. I’m here to help.