Back in early May, executives at The Insurance Market were worried that numerous employees were canceling their summer vacations. Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring theirinsights. "Then you know what they have planned, and you can encourage them to follow up on it and take the time off.". One of the things employers can do to encourage PTO is to reduce meetings, which allows employees to have a clear schedule and take time off without fear of missing out on work information or opportunities, some experts say. 3. Our unlimited vacation company policy allows employees to take as much leave as they need. These Three Words Describe Me in The Best Way. Through a combination of this survey data and individual coaching conversations, here are six strategies for managers on how to approach vacations when so much of the workforce is working from home. Fewer employees want to take vacations given that the pandemic has severely curtailed travel options. You can also use these meetings as an opportunity to motivate your employees to take a break by explaining how important it is for their health and productivity. To keep your mind and body healthy, its important to take some time for yourself every once in a while. Some businesses may close down for a week or two at a certain time of the year, and that period is everyone's . Meanwhile, vacation requests fell roughly 50 percent during the initial months of the pandemic. First, when you use Timetastic, you get access to your teams Burnout Board. Encourage Employees to Take Vacation with a Mindful Vacation Policy An effective employee vacation policy isn't just about the accrual of leave balances and the scheduling of vacations. Be happy when employees book time off. To help businesses, Paycor is offering businesses a sample communication letter sharing your vaccination policy. Employees who are able to relax and spend time with their families often report higher job satisfaction than those who dont have this opportunity (and may even want more). Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. Employees may be weary because they dont want to appear unwilling to work for fear of losing their jobs or being furloughed. } The nation's workers also eschew lunch to work longer. Encourage staff to switch off during annual leave. Leaders can show employees they value this by taking time off themselves. SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference, Heres How to Encourage Employees to Take PTO, New OSHA Guidance Clarifies Return-to-Work Expectations, Trump Suspends New H-1B Visas Through 2020, Faking COVID-19 Illness Can Have Serious Consequences, Report: Managers Have Bigger Impact on Employee Mental Health than Therapists, How to Handle Overtime, Meal Break and Other Wage and Hour Crises. It gives them space to refresh, a chance to reflect on their own personal growth and health, and helps them come back with renewed energy and focus. Providing transparency into where all your projects stand helps put everyone . Down time is likely to be devoted to supporting good mental health rather than recreation or travel. Many HR professionals across the country are struggling with how to convince employees to take vacation. How to Encourage Your Employees to Take Breaks - Corovan This allows HR to properly plan work schedules and project deadlines around planned employee absences. Organizations that utilize a use it or lose it PTO approach may find HR overwhelmed by this careful balancing act during the holiday season. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; Here are 12 ways you can proactively encourage employees to take time off work: Encourage employees to take a digital detox. Drew Gieseke is an aPHR-certified marketing professional who writes about HR, compliance, and healthcare solutions. Studies show that almost 75% of employees do not take all of their allotted paid time off (PTO.) Managers might also consider reducing the number of meetings around the holidays, or making Mondays and Fridays meeting-free days from Thanksgiving until the end of the year to encourage employees to extend their weekends. The pandemic has affected many people. A leave allows the workers to have a break to rest and re-energize themselves for their future work. A substantial number of companies (42 percent) have made or are planning changes to PTO, vacation and sick-day programs, according to Willis Towers Watson. "People don't have a lot of control right now, and they are trying to control what they can.". Redefine vacations to mean more than just recreation and travel to include family time, caregiving, and self-care. If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider, Unused vacations have cost U.S. businesses, women academics are publishing fewer papers. the leave type), provide any more details (if necessary), and then submit their request. Giving Employees Vacation Time Off | Wolters Kluwer Wed like to avoid you losing your hard-earned time off. There's more to PTO than making adjustments at the end of the year. SHRM's HR Knowledge Advisors offer guidance and resources to assist members with their HR inquiries. Several of my clients executives and managers, along with their human resource partners are increasingly seeking guidance on how to unplug and recharge and encourage their employees to do the same. Take a moment to think about what makes your employees happyit could be anything from playing with their dog or cat, reading a book, watching their favorite movie, or listening to music. Encouraging staff to take annual leave | myhrtoolkit We think that you truly deserve this paid vacation, and we hope you will consider our effort to appreciate your loyalty to the company and will accept this vacation. What you say is less important than what you do. But companies should encourage their employees to take and enjoy time off in order to promote employee wellness, happiness, and productivity in the workplace. Working from home doesnt mean working all the time. This letter is to inform you on behalf of the company [mention the name of the company or the organization for which the letter is being written] that I, the [mention designation of the sender] of [mention name of the department], would like to encourage you, as our employee, to take a small leave for some days from your work. If you're like most Americans, it's likely been a while, as 55% of workers don't use all their paid time off. John Linden, an interior designer at MirrorCoop, a custom-mirror company in Los Angeles, was so desperate for employees to take time off that he began buying them tickets to local museums so they might consider fun and socially distanced activities for their days off. How To Encourage Employees To Take Time Off And Recharge - Forbes That said, human resources personnel should also communicate regular reminders to employees about making the most of their PTO throughout the year. Here is a template you can use when structuring your email: Subject: [type of leave] request - [your name] Dear [employer's name], I would like to request [number of days or weeks] leave days that start from [date] and end on [date]. Thank you for going the extra mile. Once downloaded, you can customize the text . Staff motivation email examples - Ergon Energy Explain the need for leave. In an age where 24/7 connectivity and increasing workloads are the norms, it can be hard for employees to take time off. For example, one of my direct reports said she was not going to use her vacation as she did not have any plans. This combination pushed the company to send an e-mail to its 600 employees last month asking each of them to take five days of vacation before the end of August, said "It's important for employers to say [to employees], 'We care about you,' " said Jackie Reinberg, North America consulting leader, absence, disability management and life, at London-based Willis Towers Watson. " All of my survey participants said it was important to take time off, but many were personally reluctant to unplug. Not to mention that according to SHRM, when employees take PTO, theyre often more productive and exhibit lower stress and better mental health. In our company time off policy, it states that [X AMOUNT] of your annual leave will be carried over into the next year. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concernsI look forward to hearing from you soon!. Published Tuesday, Jul 7, 2020 Contact Us Human Resources Address: 120 Whittier Hall Box: 149 * Phone: 212-678-3175 * Email: hr@tc.columbia.edu Disability-related Accommodations To request disability-related accommodations contact OASID at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (646) 755-3144 video phone, as early as possible. Instead, encourage your team to take shorter breaks more often an afternoon every week or a full day here and there. The best way for employers to encourage employees to use their time off wisely is by creating these days themselvesnot just for their own benefit but also for those who enjoy working at home or remotely from home offices. For further queries, you can reach our management department at [mention phone number] or directly through an email [mention email address]. "I think with remote work, it was hard to separate work from home life," Smith said. Various studies show that the current environment is taking a toll on employees' mental health and fueling workers' reticence about taking time off. Marketing | Branding | Blogging. Practice what you preach. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. You want your employees to take a break from their work and enjoy the world outside. Downloadable (with restrictions)! 1. The request is automatically sent to the right person usually their direct manager, but this can be anyone you want in charge of reviewing holiday requests. You should also include any rules on how many people from a team/the organisation can be away simultaneously.