If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed by email or in a Reader. Thanks for visiting!

I recently went to Bali on a wonderful weeks holiday and came back feeling recharged and enthusiastic about work, and life in general. I had no email, no internet, no mobile phone, no social networking for 8 days. It was wonderful!

There is a a campaign in Australia right now to encourage people to take their leave: No Leave, No Life. It informs employers why they need to encourage people to have a holiday, and also helps employees see the benefits.

Australian employees have built up a staggering 123 million days and $33.3 billion in accrued annual leave, with 1 in 4 Australian full-time employees accruing 25+ days leave. When did you last have a good holiday?

Benefits of taking a holiday:

  • A Happier You. You, your family and your work colleagues will appreciate the rest you will get. You will be happier and more enthusiastic at work if you have had a break.
  • Get some perspective. 40% of people don’t take holidays because of the amount of work they may need to do, but the workplace will carry on without you. It is easy to think those tasks you do are critical, but the world does not stop because you are on holiday. Yes, you may have a big To Do list the first few days back, but your productivity also improves with a break so you can deal with it faster. Life is also short, and you need to enjoy yourself when you can.
  • Get well and healthy. Stay in bed for an extra few hours and catch up on sleep. While swine flu hits the world, it is important to be rested and well and having a break can really help.

If your employer has a problem with you taking some leave, check out these tools for employers.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons Davide Schiano

    Related posts:

    1. Utah State Four Day Working Week Success The US state of Utah has been trialling a mandatory...

    Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.