A leadership approach to employee vacations
"It's summer and time for wandering..." Kellie Elmore
It's that time of year - children out of school and the warm weather of summer when people take vacations from work. In the U.S. Army we called vacations leave. One had to seek approval for them. They were documented and soldiers signed out and back in from their time off. I always felt guilty taking leave, probably because of my loyalty to my unit and my boss but also because I had some leaders who made me feel guilty. I witnessed several leaders who took little leave or who even came into work while on leave. I never wanted to make my people feel guilty about taking leave or vacation. Often I would urge them to do so because I knew of the importance of time off.
Vacations are needed to unplug from the demands and the busyness of work. They are needed to rest the mind and body, engage in fun activities, and fill needed buckets of love and affection. You and your organization get back a better employee following their vacation and you should lead them properly in this space. Here are my thoughts and my leadership approach.
I confess when one of my people wants to take time off, it bothers me. Perhaps it is left over from my days in uniform but my people will never know it because I keep that objection at bay. Quite the opposite, I promote and celebrate vacations. I don't have a vacation policy, meaning, if you want time off, take it and I'll pay you 35 hours a week. Of course, if I have an employee who takes advantage of that policy, I'm prepared to talk to them about fairness to the organization and their teammates. I've not had any issues with this in my small business. Quite the opposite - I need to encourage people to take time off. I don't necessarily promote a liberal vacation policy as I have shared. In larger organizations, this could backfire. Spend time discussing this with your team and create a policy which works.
I do ask my teammates to give me and the organization advance notification so we can adjust for their absence. Asking to take two weeks off the week prior is poor planning and unfair. Again, I've not had an issue with this. When they ask for time off, I get excited for them, as if I were taking a vacation. "Yes, of course, what are your plans? That sounds exciting!" As they step off on vacation, I'll put them at ease telling them to enjoy themselves and not worry about work. While they are on vacation I may only reach out to ask if they are enjoying themselves and ask them to send us some pics to share with the team. If I have to contact them while they are on vacation with work issues, It is an absolute last resort. I'll push the team to solve a problem in their absence. When they return I personally welcome them back and ask about their vacation. I'll spend some time letting them share stories and details showing my genuine interest. I never do like some of my old bosses did - start in with what needs to be done at work. I'll let their teammates fill them in and get them reintegrated.
There is nothing complex about this leadership approach to vacations yet it's a void in the modern workplace. Employee engagement, retention, and the organization writ large suffers as a result. My angst over a person taking time off is always extinguished as I watch the greater team adapt and manage the change. I treat my people as I want to be treated when I take a vacation. It is a simple human approach to leading people. And it works. Give it a try this summer.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell