Home » Blog » We are half way through August; have you employees been using their holiday allowance?

You may feel that no one has been in the office all month, so they are using their holiday, but it is important to run a report to check.  You need to then encourage your employees to take their holiday over the next few months. Why?  Where here are some reasons.

Here are five good reasons why using your holiday allowance is good for the business

1. Maintaining performance

Even machines need down-time for maintenance. If you want your car to work well for many years you take it for a regular service. So what about your staff? You can’t expect them to work at peak performance all year round without a break; if you want them to perform well they use their holiday throughout the year.

2. Breaking thought habits

We all get into habits. Those habits are not only about how we behave, they are also how we think. We all benefit from changing our thought patterns now and again. It is not unusual for people come back from holiday with bright ideas about new ways of doing things. Just getting out of the office is important to help people shake up their everyday thought habits.

3. Creativity from play and new experiences

People need experiences in order to grow as human beings. If you want real, dynamic people working for you they must have new opportunities. They also need to relax and take their foot off the accelerator for a little while, then they will return re-energised and ready to do more good things. If you want creative people in your organisation you need to give them time to play. If your employees’ whole lives are driven and stressful then their creativity will wither and die.

4. Maintaining relationships

Families are important too, and they need time investment. If employees are working all the time they can’t give enough time to their families to retain those relationships. Relationship breakups cause people to become hugely distracted and can often cause the onset of depression. Once something like that happens it can take months if not years before they really function at their peak again. So it is far better for them to take time off occasionally to maintain those relationships.

5. Find out what they do at work

If you have ever wondered what a member of staff does all day the best way to find out is to have them go on holiday for two weeks! When someone is away for two weeks or more, others will have to step in and do their job. Over that period of time you will get an insight into how they work and what they do. You will have to delve into their working methods and answer the queries they would normally deal with. It is a perfect opportunity to find out how they deal with their job first hand. By the time they come back you will have a clear idea of how well they manage their work, and where there are opportunities for improvement.

So, what is your next step?  Firstly, run a report, then look at the months left until the end of your holiday year.  Then speak to them, not just email as they may not read it and it may be interpreted the wrong way.  Also, you will find out why they have not taken their holiday.

If you need help please just ask, we are happy to talk through how to communicate with your employees.  Have you taken your holiday?

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