Okay, work force of the United States, it’s time for another intervention. Seeing as it’s the weekend, it seems like as good a time as any to discuss time off.
Yes, I’m talking about vacation days.
According to a recent survey, the average employee in the U.S. who gets paid time off only uses 51 percent of those days.
That’s just sad.
Now I know we all have our excuses. You don’t trust anyone at your job to cover your work while you’re out. You don’t want to fall behind on your work. Your trying to prove your dedication, and get that promotion. Or the worst one of them all, you’re afraid you’ll lose your job.
These all seem like good enough reasons for chaining yourself to your desk. After all, we all like to feel like we’re needed an irreplaceable.
Unfortunately, this need to be useful has led to a disregard, and near disdain for personal time. Maybe it’s due to the job insecurity brought on by the recent recession. Or perhaps its the fact that our work ethic is strongly embedded in the “American dream.”
Either way we have a huge group of hard-work and no-play individuals, and that needs to change.
Taking a break (or a vacation day) isn’t a sign of weakness or a character flaw, it’s necessary for your health, both mental and physical. Whether you like it or not, you’re only human.
I’m not saying you have to take two weeks off, and blow all your hard-earned money on a big expensive vacation. But maybe take a three (or four) day weekend here or there. You can sleep in, or go see a movie. At the very least, you can remember what the sun feels like (with the proper SPF, of course).
I know it sounds like torture, but I promise you, you’ll be glad you did it.
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More on the Story: Huffington Post
…just for fun:
