It’s summer, and you know what that means: everyone seems to be on vacation.
Does “everyone” include…you?
We’re not in the business of telling leaders what to do, but we’re going to make an exception when it comes to the vacation conversation. Because taking a vacation is one of the most responsible actions a creative leader can take, for several reasons:
- It distributes leadership. Sure, you can relentlessly work ahead, but there’s another risk associated with that: the inevitable pre-vacation burnout where you spend the first few days of your break trying to decompress from your prep time. Tapping a trusted employee—as long as you’re not overwhelming them—gives you the chance to delegate and let someone on your team flex their leadership muscles.
- It increases productivity. This Harvard Business Review article is from a few years ago, but the findings were no less impactful: when this company scheduled a mandatory vacation—everyone taking off the same amount of time at the same time—creativity went up 33%, happiness levels rose 25%, and productivity increased 13%.
- It also increases innovation. The big, powerful ideas that move your businesses forward are rarely thought up at work. They’re thought up at the summit of a mountain, on a sandy beach, or while you’re taking a walk around your block. Why wouldn’t we prioritize more opportunities to make sure those ideas find their way into our businesses?
- Consider implementing a mandatory summer vacation or company vacation policy. This might seem counterintuitive, but there are benefits to everyone being off at the same time—if you can swing it. If you have a brick and mortar, are there times of the year when you’re less busy? Even a long weekend off can take the edge off the business owner’s “I’m-not-glued-to-my-email” feeling—because no one’s glued to their email.
- Test out a “rotating” system. If you’re a small business that finds it hard to function when multiple employees are away at the same time, it might be beneficial to create a rotating list of employees and allow the employees at the top of the list to choose their vacation days first. The next year, the list resets, and another set of employees moves to the top of the list.
- Implement a “no rollover” policy. At Creative Business Inc., we make our team use their vacation during a calendar year. No rollovers. Why? Because people need to take vacations, and taking vacations is also something that needs to be modeled. Think back to the beginning of your career: did you have a leader who told you how important vacation was? We hope so, but many people don’t get that message early on in their careers. Having an expiration date for time off is one way you can convey how essential it is to give your body and brain a rest.