My daughter Katy has 3 high school friends that I take on vacation every year. I absolutely love going on vacation with them, and this year, we went to Key West Florida to dig through the sand for seashells.
Also every year, I worry about leaving on vacation. I worry that my clients will be mad that I am gone. I worry that something big is gong to happen while I am not there. I worry that putting off the recruiting process will drag out longer than I want it to… worry, worry and more worry.
Here is the truth: none of those worries ever come to fruition. As a matter of fact, the opposite is usually true. My clients are able to get more work done, because I am not there. They are relieved that they get to take a break, and typically, the hiring process goes faster upon my return.
In addition, I am happier and more relaxed, and I have time to think about the hiring process from the 30,000 foot view, not just from the ground level.
Vacations have always been important: whether you go somewhere exotic or have a “stay-cation” and spend the week at the pool working on your tan lines. But especially this year, vacation is more important than EVER.
Not only are people burnt out, a huge amount of people are leaving their jobs. If you want to keep your best employees, my advice is always to let them go on vacation. And when they are gone, make sure that you are covering their work so that they can completely unplug.
We know that innovation comes from experiences outside the office. So, if you are worried that no work will get done, some of the BEST work happens when you and your team unplug.
When we return, we all have killer tans, and you get solutions to big problems.
Win/win.