Two weeks is nothing. It’s over in a blink of an eye. It’s not nearly enough time to decompress and destress from 50 weeks of working. It’s no wonder why Americans are so tired, surly, angry and easily triggered—we’re burnt out from working so hard.
The positive aspect of the pandemic is that we’ve realized we don’t have to do things just because they’ve always been done that way. The year-and-a-half experiment of working remotely from home blew a gigantic hole in the archaic arguments of companies forcing their employees to work too many hours in an office building.
It woke us up to possibilities. Without a doubt, the success of major corporations and the red-hot stock market clearly showed alternatives to being chained to a cubicle in a sterile skyscraper. Commuting two-plus hours a day, braving traffic, road rage, ruining the environment and our lungs with car emissions, suffering crowded trains and buses that keep breaking down seems ridiculous now that we know there are other options.
Working remotely, deploying a hybrid model that incorporates a combination of in-office and at-home schedules, staggered flexible hours to accommodate child care, four-day workweeks and five-hour days are now open to discussions and implementation.
Another slowly emerging—but much-needed change—is more vacation time to help with employees’ mental, emotional and physical health. Our brutal working hours are literally killing us. According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), “Long working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29% increase since 2000.” The substantial number of strokes and heart disease resulted from working “at least 55 hours a week.”
The study by the WHO and ILO concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a higher risk of a stroke and dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35 to 40 hours a week. There is heightened concern that people are working increasingly longer hours, which puts more people at risk of an “early death.” They are literally working themselves to death.
Companies should start offering more time off. It would make for a more motivated and appreciated workforce. A small and growing number of businesses are awakening to the concept. They are giving their workers an extra week off. It will be offered at the same time to cut down on the self-induced pressure to keep working during the additional time away from the office.
LinkedIn, the white-collar social media platform, provided its workers an extra paid week off in April. Teuila Hanson, LinkedIn’s chief people officer, said about the decision, “We wanted to make sure we could give them something really valuable, and what we think is most valuable right now is time for all of us to collectively walk away.” She added, “I think the reality of the weight of the pandemic really took its toll during those months. That was a heavy time. That is when we were seeing: ‘wow there is clear burnout.'”
In a follow-up LinkedIn post after the time off, Hanson wrote, “It’s been three weeks since we all returned from our companywide RestUp! week and it’s so inspiring to see how our employees returned to work rejuvenated and recharged. It reminds me just how critical company culture and the wellness and mental health of employees are to any business.” It’s a smart move on the part of companies, as Hanson points out, “A supportive company culture not only attracts and retains the kind of talent needed to build the business.”
Bumble, the woman-led dating app that recently went public, gave all of its employees a paid week off amid reports of pandemic-induced burnout. In a company blogpost, Hootsuite, a social media scheduling platform, wrote, “We’re shutting down the entire company for a full week.” Hootesuite’s rationale was that the “pandemic reminded us how important mental health is. So, we’re making big moves to support our people—including a companywide week off.”
Web browser Mozilla shut down the entire company for a “Wellness Week.” Money-management giant Fidelity Investments provided employees five additional paid “relief days” to be used for personal and family needs. Hotelier Marriott International added three paid “TakeCare Days Off” on the Fridays before Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners told its bankers to go on vacation.
The extra week won’t solve all of the workplace problems; however, it’s a step in the right direction. The extra vacation time validates what workers have been saying all along—they’re feeling tired, worn out, burned out and unappreciated.
The time off is critical to improving the mental health and emotional well-being of workers. This move also benefits the companies offering the program. It’s so simple that it’s surprising they haven’t done this before. Companies that show appreciation and take care of their people will have a highly motivated and happier workforce. An energized team will vastly improve results at the company, creating a better atmosphere for both executives and workers.
Source: Forbes
