Everyone loves a vacation — theoretically.
While research shows people need vacations, the policies and strategies around PTO often fail, leading to more stress. Workers often don’t feel safe to use their allotted vacation time; those with unlimited PTO are confused about expectations; colleagues are expected to pick up the slack, leading to more burnout; and vacationing workers feel compelled to overproduce in the week before or after their leave — or even continue working during their “vacation” — canceling out the benefits. For a policy meant to promote relaxation, vacation can be a minefield.
In explaining how it pulls off its companywide Global Week of Rest, HubSpot provided some insight into how to ensure workers actually benefit from time off. It involves getting “really clear on what our expectations are,” Eimear Marrinan, senior director of culture at HubSpot, told HR Dive back in August. It comes down to investing heavily in some projects and actively saying “no” to others, prioritizing worker mental health by rejecting overwork. You can read more on their approach, as well as other trends dominating vacation time, below.
