Vacationing Employees Are Better Performers

If your employees aren’t up to snuff, productivity-wise, maybe it’s time for a vacation. Not all businesses were able to operate remotely during the pandemic and many were running at full speed. Now that summer is here, time off may need to be addressed.

According to a report from the HR platform Namely, low performers in the office actually take substantially less vacation time than high performers, 14 days compared with 19 days on average. Such a substantial difference, the report says, suggests “time off from work has a dramatic and positive impact on performance.”

The report also says companies that provide unlimited vacation are not being taken advantage of, since that’s one perk that is often underutilized. Employees at companies with unlimited policies take just 13 days a year, compared with 15 days for those with traditional paid time off plans.

And according to a survey from TSheets, employees really, really value their time away from the office, whether it’s PTO for vacation, paid holidays, or paid sick leave. Oh, and personal days. And, if there’s a “blessed event” in the office, paid parental leave as well.

Busy schedules notwithstanding, 88 percent of respondents from the TSheets survey say their employers should provide PTO, and 63 percent would turn down a job offer if it wasn’t part of the benefits package. And one-third say they’d be happier with more PTO. In fact, 1 out of 5 says they’d take more time off over a raise. (Of course, that other 80 percent says show me the money, honey.)

Oh, and when it comes to that benefits package, sick leave better be a part of it, too. Employees are looking for a benefits package which includes both sick time and paid holidays as well. Although older workers are most likely to look for sick leave and personal days, 85 percent of all employees say sick leave is still important.

And about that family leave: About 11 percent of employers offer paid maternity leave in addition to PTO, and around 8 percent offer both maternity and paternity leave in addition to PTO. But those numbers are paltry compared with the number of employees — 72 percent — who say companies should provide maternity leave. And younger workers are more likely to demand maternity and paternity leave.