Delegate vacationing employee’s tasks to colleagues to reduce stress
Vacations are no longer a cure for the stresses of today’s hectic work life, according to a recent survey.
More than 58 per cent of respondents said that they receive no stress relief from vacations. Only 8.9 per cent achieve a state of complete relaxation while on vacation, found the survey of 1,000 executives and employees in the United States by Fierce, a leadership development and training firm.
“For any company or organization to achieve success in today’s marketplace, it’s critical to develop techniques, such as delegation practices, that allow employees to take stress-relieving, battery-recharging vacations,” said Halley Bock, CEO of Fierce.
More than one-quarter (27.3 per cent) of employees actually feel more stressed after vacations. And 41.6 per cent of workers check in with the office at least every other day.
Delegation can be a powerful tool, and a balm for stressful vacations, said Bock. Empowering teams to shoulder new responsibilities, grow in their roles and make decisions improves organizations and directly benefits the employee on vacation.
Investing time and energy into delegating appropriate tasks to colleagues, and setting clear parameters for decision-making responsibilities, makes organizations more efficient and effective, she said.
Vacation policies are overwhelmingly important to workers across all ages and industries — 84 per cent of employees consider paid time off “very important” to their overall happiness..
Nearly nine in 10 (88.8 per cent) of respondents believe that their employers recognize that vacation time is important to the overall morale and well-being of employees and organizations.
Eighty per cent of survey respondents would like more than 20 days vacation days per year, yet 46.7 per cent currently receive 20 days or less, found the survey.
