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Key points
- While vacations can provide a break from the daily grind, they don’t fix the route source of burnout.
- Even with the best-planned vacation, with ideal recovery activities, something will go wrong.
- Turn on your out-of-office message and pretend you’re going somewhere with limited email access.
- Burnout prevention and recovery need ongoing attention; we have daily drains, so we need daily recharges.
Studies show that vacations have a beneficial effect on health and well-being [1]. Vacations have been shown to increase cognitive flexibility [2] and reduce stress [3]. Surveys also show that more than half of Americans don’t use their full vacation time [4]. So, if you’re debating whether to take a vacation, you definitely should.
But will vacation cure your burnout? Probably not. And here’s why.
2023: the year where #nothingworks
Not all recovery activities are the same. What you do on your vacation matters. Furthermore, even with the best-planned vacation, with ideal recovery activities, something will go wrong. I am often saying that 2023 seems to be the year where #nothingworks. The weather will mess something up. Your luggage will be lost. Flights will be delayed. The hotel air conditioning won’t work. Vacationing is often plagued by high expectations that aren’t met but this year seems especially likely something will go wrong.
It's hard to disconnect
In today's connected world, many of us find it challenging to fully unplug from work, even on vacation. If you're constantly checking emails and staying engaged with work-related issues, the boundaries between work and relaxation blur, and the chance for genuine recovery dwindles. Turn on your out-of-office message and pretend you’re going somewhere with limited email access. To avoid having to go through all your emails upon your return, ask the sender to resend their email after your return date.
Temporary relief doesn't fix the underlying problem
As we’ve described, burnout isn’t a medical diagnosis. It’s the consequence of unmanaged chronic stress. While vacations can provide a break from the daily grind, they don’t fix the root source of burnout. When you get back to work, the same stressors are likely still there. Studies suggest that reducing work demands and increasing recovery activities can prolong the benefits of a vacation [5].
We need to recharge our batteries continuously
Burnout prevention and recovery need ongoing attention and recharging, not just a one-time escape. Vacation as your only recharge is as if you charged your cell phone once every year and then were shocked that the battery had run out. If we have daily drains, we need daily recharges.
Conclusion
While vacations are an important aspect of recharging and can offer a much-needed break, they are not the cure-all solution for burnout. Real recovery often requires a deeper understanding of the underlying issues, addressing workplace stressors, and figuring out how to engage in daily recharging.
References
1. De Bloom, J., Kompier, M., Geurts, S., De Weerth, C., Taris, T., & Sonnentag, S. (2009). Do we recover from vacation? Meta‐analysis of vacation effects on health and well‐being. Journal of Occupational Health, 51(1), 13-25.
2. De Bloom, J., Ritter, S., Kühnel, J., Reinders, J., & Geurts, S. (2014). Vacation from work: A ‘ticket to creativity’?: The effects of recreational travel on cognitive flexibility and originality. Tourism Management, 44, 164-171.
3. De Bloom, J., Geurts, S. A., & Kompier, M. A. (2012). Effects of short vacations, vacation activities and experiences on employee health and well‐being. Stress and Health, 28(4), 305-318.
4. U.S. Travel Association. (2019). Paid Time Off Trends In The U.S. https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/Paid%20Time%20Off%20Trends%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
5. Kühnel, J., & Sonnentag, S. (2011). How long do you benefit from vacation? A closer look at the fade‐out of vacation effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(1), 125-143.
