A study of 2,000 workers created by a communications and growth firm Movchan Agency found that 1 in 3 workers get bombarded by work-related text messages while away, while 1 in 4 get bothered by phone calls or on socials. In fact, just a mere 14% confirmed they are not bothered by their boss or team members.
As a result, 54% continue working on vacations and 59% struggle to switch off from work.
Avery Morgan, productivity expert and Chief Communications Officer at EduBirdie, an all-in-one website for students’ needs, shares her top tips with YCB magazine on how companies can promote healthier corporate culture:
1. Encourage work-life balance
Businesses can reduce the risk of overworking by putting extensive policies and procedures in place designed to protect employees’ work-life balance. Having nobody to delegate tasks to is the main reason people work while on vacation, so clear rules are required regarding who to contact in somebody’s absence and what constitutes a genuine, vacation-interrupting emergency.
2. Lead from the top
Managers should set a precedent for their teams. If those above are taking vacations, making clear who to contact while they’re away, and setting boundaries before they leave, employees lower down the ladder will soon follow their lead.
3. Introduce company-wide holidays
Many teams will have days when it’s all hands on deck and others where there’s not enough work to go around. In this case, consider offering team-wide holidays and half days when it’s quiet. When everyone is out of the office, workers are far less likely to be unwantedly disturbed.
4. Reward hard work
Show your hard-working employees some appreciation by rewarding periods of strenuous or stressful work. Some time to relax will do far more for their health and productivity than a little extra on their wage slip.
5. Make wellbeing a key metric
Productivity and profit are important, but it’s impossible to maintain either without happy, healthy employees. Regularly check in with staff to ensure they’re enjoying their roles and coping with their workloads.
