Welcome to the forty-sixth issue of CEE News!

Okay people. Summer is officially here. We’re in month six of 2019. If you haven’t already taken time off this year, it’s time to do so.  Research shows that pushing away from work results in greater professional success and improves happiness at work and home.

What’s more, medical studies have found that overwork can lead to sleep deprivation, heart disease and increased risk of stroke.  Whereas taking even a short vacation, can lead to measurable improvements.

In a 2017 study by Project: Time Off, 95% of people surveyed claimed that using their paid time off was very important. Yet 55% of Americans had unused vacation days, or 705 million unused vacation days.

As the study concludes, “By giving up this time off, Americans are effectively volunteering hundreds of millions of days of free work for their employers, which results in $61.4 billion in forfeited benefits.”

Here is the kicker. Many people think that if they never take time off from work, they will be more successful. But the data doesn’t bear them out. According to the Harvard Business Review article, The Data-Driven Case for Vacation people who took less than 10 vacation days per year had a 34.6% likelihood of getting a raise or bonus over a three-year period. Those who took more than 10 vacation days had a 65.4% chance of getting a raise or bonus.

Bottom line — if you take 11 or more vacation days per year, you are over 30% more likely to receive a raise.  So, do yourself and your organization a favor.  Go away (and come back refreshed).

Sheri Nasim | President & CEO