Take Control: Take a Summer Vacation

June 5, 2007 — -- Americans are vacation-deprived.

According to an Expedia.com survey, 35 percent, or an estimated 51.2 million Americans, will not use all of their vacation days this year. In fact, they'll leave an average of three vacation days on the table, which calculates to U.S. employed adults giving back a total of more than 438 million vacation days in 2007 alone.

There are two workplace issues that prevent most Americans from taking much-needed time away: stress and concern about job security.

Not only are Americans stressed out while they're at work, they take that anxiety with them when they finally get away. Thirty percent of workers say that they struggle with work stress while out of the office.

Why? For many, they envision a slew of messages and a massive to-do list waiting upon their return.

Some workers use their vacation days to take care of important personal and family obligations -- everything from doctor's appointments to caring for older relatives -- which isn't relaxing at all.

Others worry about job security. It's the fear of out of sight, out of mind: "What if I go away and they don't miss me? I don't want to take that risk, so I'll just stay here."

And many workers justify that line of thinking by saying they'll save money or that they couldn't really have afforded a vacation anyway.

Companies to Workers: Take a Break!

But now, employers want their workers to take their vacations because they recognize that everyone has to relax and recharge. Running people ragged and draining them isn't a good thing.

Some companies have policies that force people to take their vacations. At the corporate offices of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, staffers receive five weeks of paid vacation at two years of service on one condition: They must take two consecutive weeks off to recharge. CEO Brian Scudamore says the "extra vacation time helps prevent burnout, which can lead to losing employees -- a very high price to pay."

At Xerox, employees are offered the option of purchasing an extra week of vacation if they desire more time off.

There's a real dollars-and-cents logic behind such policies: Studies have found that the total health and productivity cost of worker stress to American business could be as high as $150 billion a year. Not only that, but taking vacation -- at least a full week of interrupted time off, not merely a long weekend -- even reduces the risk of heart attack and illness, which to an employer means fewer sick days taken.

To minimize some of the stress of leaving the office, here are some simple steps workers can take to sail off with peace of mind:

Designate a backup. First, designate a colleague who will answer any questions about your projects while you're away. Brief that person on your projects, where your files are kept and so on. Make sure you offer to do the same while your backup goes on vacation. This buddy system will keep your in-box under control while you're away.

Change voice mail and e-mail greetings. Next, change greetings on your phone and e-mail accounts to indicate you will be out of touch. It's bad business not to return calls, but if you let clients know you're away and who to contact in your absence, they won't feel ignored. And just as important, it will save you from getting scores of messages to handle upon your return.

Give contact information to one person. And give your contact information to just one person. Let him or her funnel only the most important requests and questions to you if necessary. The whole office shouldn't feel entitled to call you on a whim.

Set limits on work. There are some people, me included, who find being totally out of touch very stressful. Yet I know that my constantly checking in drives my family crazy. So you must set limits on that contact. Make a commitment to yourself, your boss and your family to check in a limited amount -- once a day, for example. Or if you have to bring work with you, limit the amount of time you spend on it -- an hour a day, tops. And stick to it.

The bottom line is that the American work force should think of vacation not as a luxury but as a necessity. A Boston College study found that employees who took a greater number of vacation days to just relax and enjoy themselves felt less overwhelmed when they returned to work. Even after taking their longest vacation break of the year, that dread of coming back to a pile of work seems to disappear. Just like a good night's sleep refreshes you for the next day, a relaxing vacation rejuvenates you for going back to work.

Tory Johnson is the Workplace Contributor on Good Morning America and the CEO of Women For Hire. Connect with her a twww.womenforhire.com.