PTO (Paid Time Off) can be one of the most confusing periods of time for any professional. Your time with the people and things that you enjoy away from work is very important, but for many, the pull of coming back to work comes with a wide range of reasons and emotions more than just the excitement of getting back to it; this is true even for people that enjoy what they do, where they do it, and who they do it with.
PTO is earned
The time you get to be away from work is a part of your overall compensation. While there is a financial component of this, the real compensation is the stress avoided when you need to take care of personal items, need a recharge away, or anything else without the worry of income not coming in.
PTO is deserved
Especially for salaried employees that don’t overtly get paid more the more they work, PTO provides a means to balance your time in the work versus out of it. As long as your time away is properly planned with the rest of your team, you should be able to step away without concern about the state you are leaving things in or their state once you return.
PTO is healthy
As stated earlier, the need to get away from work in order to recharge and get fresh perspective is means to keep your physical and mental health in check. Regardless of scope, the idea of no breaks doesn’t work.
Disconnecting from work, especially from a stressful or demanding job, will afford your work staff a welcome reprieve from the daily grind, allowing them the chance to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. And when they return, they will likely have gained new perspective on a project, be more productive, and be more in tune with their colleagues and managers.1
The time you take away from work is something you need to do for yourself, for your team, and the organization as a whole. Make it happen.