We have all been trained to work hard and play harder. In daycare, after a morning of toy-related festivities, there was nap; in elementary school, there was recess; in middle school and high school, there were extra-curricular classes per your interests. But outside of these short-term breaks from reality, vacations were scheduled throughout the year — whether it was spring break, summer vacation or fall break.
Now let’s fast-forward to adulthood. You finally land a job with benefits, paid time off, and sick leave, but do you ever take a break from the office? Are you constantly checking your phone for work updates while you’re out-of-the-office? Or are you afraid you will get fired because you took your vacation days?
According to Glassdoor, U.S. employees on average take half of their vacation time, while 25% of employees take 100% of vacation time. It’s time to call Southwest and get away from the office.
One year post-grad, I suffered sitting in the office while my younger friends planned holiday parties. During spring break my Instagram was filled with college students on a beach, sippin’ on something refreshing, while I was buried in a sea of emails. So I refused to sing the same tune during the summer.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I have a summer birthday. Because of this, I usually plan a semi-vacay somewhere; it doesn’t have to be anywhere elaborate, but somewhere. I work in an office where everyone eats lunch at their desks and people only call into work when they’re deathly ill. So when I told my team member I was taking a few vacation, her reply was a little antsy, “You are? When? Where are you going?” I explained to her the details and assured her I would make sure I had everything taken care off prior to my vacation. She eventually breathed and I immediately started “working ahead,” which included working longer hours in the office and even working during my evenings at home — this was sort of my “finals crunch time,” where I worked over to make sure I got everything turned in before the big break, which I did.
So when my friends and I set out on our adventure, I turned my out-of-office reply on (I am out of the office until 7/8. If this is an emergency, please dial 911), took my work email off of my phone and left my laptop at home; I refused to work while on vacation.
Now that I’m back, I feel so refreshed. I had a blast making memories with friends that will last a lifetime. And when I step back into the office tomorrow, I’m ready for whatever fires I am prepared to extinguish since I’ve had time away to recharge.
So to my fellow ballers who are afraid to request vacation time, you need a break. You needed a when passing Algebra was your greatest obstacle and you definitely need a break now when your lifestyle depends on your compensation from work. Ball out responsibly, ballers, because you have to come back eventually. Besides, it’s paid time off — you’re still getting paid.
