Happy & Healthy
6 REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T WORK DURING YOUR HOLIDAY
The weekends during our holidays are fine, but as soon as Monday morning swings by, my man and I get restless. We feel like we’ve spent the entire day skipping school. Until the clock hits six and we know that everyone has left the office, that’s when we decide to toast our wine glasses. Well, we might have already done so during lunch, but still. Relaxation starts after office hours.
Obviously this is annoying and good for nothing. I recently heard about a company who rewards its employees with an extra day off if they haven’t checked their email during their vacation. You’re probably thinking why. Well, absenteeism is lower when you enjoy your time off to the fullest. There are also people who have a more radical approach. What they do is they set up their out of office which notifies the mailer who they’re supposed to contact in the office and then state that the e-mail that they have been sent will be deleted. That way you’ll come back from your holiday with a clean inbox and still in your holiday flow.
Moral of the story: working throughout your holiday is not good for you. For the problematic cases like myself, here’s a list with a couple extra points.
1. Be the example
If you’re continuously going to responding to your emails and work WhatsApp group messages, then your colleagues are going to think it’s normal to keep sending you things. And the next time they’re off on a holiday, they’ll be lounging by the pool working behind their laptops. Not fun for anyway. Holiday’s are meant to help you relax, remember?
2. You need a break
Back in the day (yes, I’m old) there was a time where you didn’t have your email on your phone. That was an era in which we used our phones to make calls. Weird, huh? Now our iPhone or Blackberry is a huge fusion of your work and private life and so you hardly ever turn it off. But you need to clear your head. And if you’re a devoted learner, then I’m going to persuade you to do it. A clear head leads to new ideas. That means you’ll be able to work even harder once you get back. I repeat; once you get back.
3. You miss the fun
I one missed Jude Law (missed, MISSED) because I was checking my boring old work email. So. You’re on a holiday. You’ve saved up for this, been looking forward to it for months, now you’re here and it’s time to enjoy it. Understood?
4. You have other important tasks in your life
When my previously mentioned lover and I paced around our beach house restlessly, I came up with something useful. We have children. It’s not a job, but it’s a task. It’s completely justified that we take time off of work for these beautiful souls. Showing them how to do a handstand in the pool and licking the bottom of their melting ice cream are extremely important things that need to be done.
5. You travel lighter
No laptop = lighter suitcase = more room in your luggage = shopping.
6. This is where you make the memories
When you’re in the office finishing off that huge project you’ve been spending hours working on, that infinity pool and second gin tonic will be in the back of your mind. Now that you are in paradise, don’t ruin the scene by thinking about that boring manager of yours. The grumpy one. Ignore him. Make new memories. And okay, for the true calvinists amongst us: now that you’re fully charged, you’ll be able to work harder. Happy new?
