Last week was the first time in the seven year history of this blog that no blog posts were uploaded. Why?

Vacation.

It’s been a long cold winter and my wife and I were able to corral our kids for some much needed warm-weather rest and relaxation — after a very challenging year.

As it turns out, way too many American didn’t take any vacation days last year — whether by choice or necessity.

Vacation days have a way of making their way into litigation too. There was this story of an employee who was fired for accruing too much vacation days.

And stories of those employees who went on vacation after their boss told them to cancel their plans.  And were fired.

A few companies are now moving to an “unlimited” vacation policy where employees can take as much as they need. But only 3 percent of companies have adopted such a practice.

And it works best for those in upper management who have a tough time taking vacation.

Which leads me to this point: Vacation actually improves productivity.  Indeed, a study by Oxford Economics in 2014, found the following:

Our research finds that employers and employees perceive significant benefits to taking PTO. For the employer, benefits include more productive, focused and dedicated employees. For employees, time away from work reduces stress with notable benefits to relationships and health. Most employees report coming back to work feeling renewed and refreshed, and ready to focus on work.

However, despite most workers earning paid time off—and an apparently supportive corporate environment—many US workers do not use all of this entitled time. More than 4 of 10 employees finished 2013 with unused PTO.

So, after this long winter, encourage your employees to take their vacation time. It’ll help both y our employees AND your company in the long run.