07/15/2019

Don’t Call It a Vacation

Some time away from work should simply be used to "refresh"

Have you taken a vacation yet this summer? Way too many Americans haven’t — and won’t for rest of the year, either. But even if you’re a dedicated vacationer, as Sarah Todd writes in Quartz, if your working life is based on burnout, your vacation won’t make up for it. Todd cites a study from Tel Aviv University that found that three weeks after a vacation, self-reported levels of burnout returned to what they were before the vacation.

While vacations are essential — and we encourage everybody to take them — much better than trying unsuccessfully to make up for burnout is to be proactive about preventing it in the first place. At Thrive we do this through what we call “Thrive Time.” It’s based on the recognition that, of course, getting results and meeting deadlines often requires putting in extra time and going the extra mile. And that’s certainly true at Thrive. Thrive Time is what allows us to sustain that. It means taking time off to recover and recharge after you’ve met the deadline, shipped the product or worked over the weekend. It could be a few hours, a morning, a whole day or even more.

Nor does Thrive Time count as vacation, or sick time, or other paid time off. And that’s an important point — it helps make very clear to employees that recovery isn’t separate from work. It’s an essential part of work. Taking Thrive Time isn’t a reward, it’s a responsibility. That’s why it also often comes at the suggestion of a manager, part of whose job is maintaining team performance and being vigilant to guard against burnout.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Thrive Global.