Don't let a summer break lead to burnout

July 28, 2023 9:00 AM

Family vacation, mental health days and company holidays should be an opportunity for employees to reset and decompress, but any achieved relaxation can quickly be erased if they return to a pile of work and an inbox full of emails.

While 62% of employees classify time off for illness, appointments and vacations as "extremely important," almost half of employees do not take their allotted paid time off, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center. Of these, almost half said they did not use their time for fear of falling behind at work, while others said they were concerned about it interfering with their career advancement.

To support the mental wellness of their workers, employers who offer time off can strengthen the benefit by reducing the weight of returning to work, says Mark Debus, clinical manager of behavioral health at third-party claims management company Sedgwick.

"As managers, we want to encourage our team to take breaks, to take their vacation in a way they will actually get refreshed," Debus says. "But if they come into a double workload on their first day back, that's not valuable to anybody and people will begin to dread taking [time off]. PTO becomes an acronym for 'pretend time off' because you're not getting the time that you need to deal with things that are enjoyable to you outside of work."

A company's time-off policy is only valuable if people feel comfortable using it. Debus shares his advice to employees and employers for making the transition before and after PTO a smooth one.

Set boundaries

Employees should know they can turn off notifications, not respond to emails and put work aside to focus on their personal lives, whether they're on vacation or simply signing off for the night.

"You should have a clear understanding of what your role is during work time and then also have some healthy boundaries afterwards," says Debus. "This speaks to a larger strategy that managers can communicate with people during their time off and after hours."

Establish coverage

When working with a team, who will watch over work when someone is out should be discussed. Not only does this strengthen the bond among teammates and coworkers, but it can put the employee taking time off more at ease.

"Some things you will be responsible for when you come back, but there needs to be some discussion about what kind of coverage you have and any priorities that someone needs to handle in your absence," Debus says. "Is there buddy coverage when people are out? What are the expectations for work that is not done while you're away? It needs to be a fair distribution of work."

Read more:

What to know about the state of COVID today

Create a 'soft landing'

From a delay of meetings to allotting time to empty an inbox, people need a little time to catch up, even if they've only been away a short time.

"Ideally you would have some type of grace period after a vacation to check emails, and maybe you don't assign them new work for 24 hours," Debus says. "This way they can dig their way out of what needs to be done and prioritize their assignments. If you're going to have a huddle, wait two hours. Have a 30-minute check in to reconnect as a team. If this becomes a regular thing, people know what to expect."

Check in and share stories

When managers share their personal stressors and how they manage their time after a return, it establishes trust, Debus says. Along with this, he urges managers to have a handle on what is being worked on by their employees, and to check in with them when they come back from time off to make sure they have any support they need.

"Let it be known that you are there to help support them," he says. "Check in with [people] individually. Oftentimes people will say 'I've got it,' but they'll appreciate you reaching out to them."

Set a good example

Employees aren't the only ones who need time off. Managers can set the tone for a good back-to-work routine and inspire their teams to hit the ground at a healthy pace after being away.

"What are strategies they use to manage time when they're back?" Debus says. "How do they unplug when they're away from work? Having open communication about it — transparency — and sharing emotional content is healthy for work groups. Employees will often take their lead from the manager, so there needs to be regular conversation about this issue."