Workcation Nation

Are we addicted to productivity?

As we enter the new month of June, we approach the season of many going into vacation-mode. It seems like after school is out, graduations are behind us, and you’ve gone to enough weddings to make your head spin, most of us are burnt out and ready for a vacation (or at least for summer Fridays to start). Typically, it’s common in the workplace for the slower corporate cycles to commence around this time. But times are changing, and Gen-Z decided to have other plans as the incoming generation is shaping our future work culture. Slowly but surely, we are turning into a Workcation Nation, and the rise of this phenomenon is something I don’t think is just a trend — but rather, a potential new reality.

A recent study that was done confirmed that workcations are on the rise, with 39% of people admitting that they sometimes work while on vacation, along with an additional 15% who admit they work frequently. Over 50% of those people who choose to do this do it because their boss requires it or out of fear of losing their job altogether. And my favorite stat of all, 86% of people receive disruptive calls and messages from colleagues while on vacation.

So all in all, workcations are all about being out of office…but not really. There are so many different ways in which this shaped our new normal — the post pandemic need for flexible remote work, the ongoing desire to ‘work from home,’ and the ease and convenience of being able to pretty much do any task from the gadget in our pocket. What’s your excuse to unplug? As time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to find one.

But what’s concerning more than anything else is the reason people feel the need to work while on vacation; it’s usually not because they genuinely love their job so much that they want to. It’s out of guilt, overwhelm of tasks to get done, social pressure, and lack of self control. Sure, it’s nice that you’re on a beach sipping on a margarita and pounding some nachos, but what good is it if your head is buried in your laptop, your stomach is in knots, and your shoulders are up to your ears, probably delivering average quality work? What’s the point?

As a Gen Zer and someone who does also find myself working while I’m on vacation, I do however think that there’s a middle ground, fair compromise here. There is a way to reap the benefits of a true vacation without falling behind at work, and dare I say, produce better quality work as a result of the time away. That’s what I’m breaking down today, before you jet off on your island hopping excursion.

1. Plan in advance and delegate

Whether you’re on a team, have a boss to report to, or are the owner of your own business, there are ways to advocate for your time off. That starts with communicating your absence, reviewing how much can be delegated or finished upon your return, along with any timely matters that do need to be handled by you during the limited time you choose to allot while you’re away to hold yourself accountable for those. If you really want to keep chipping away because you really love what you’re doing and feel that the approach of a smaller dose in a change of scenery will help you deliver at that next level, do it.

But the real point worth emphasizing here is that you can pick and choose when you give yourself the opportunity to have a strategic plan that supports you and your needs. By the time you’re back, you’ll feel guilt-free, refreshed, and excited to dive back in.

Everything can be in doses if you make the choice for it to be. There is so much power and self-discipline in knowing your limitations based on what works best for you as a professional. Many times, that also means prioritizing your wellbeing. You can’t pour from an empty cup. And in the grand scheme of things, your team and clients and boss will appreciate that at the end of the day when it’s all said and done. The results speak for themselves.

2. Let yourself create space

Just like your laptop, we all need to unplug sometimes. Usually, it’s right before we feel like we’re about to crash. You know what I’m talking about — when your laptop is just not responding or making any sense and it feels like it’s on fire yet it’s in perfectly good condition on what seems like a fully charged battery…but then you realize you haven’t let it shut down and restart for 73 days.

You’re not much different. If you don’t take the time to unplug, you’re going to burst into flames and then burn out. When you burn out, that means you produce crap work if you produce any at all. You become a burden to work with. And before you know it, you may also lose your seat at the table altogether.

The next time you start to feel guilty for not working or your coworker decides to blow up your phone coincidentally right after you step off the plane, remind yourself of why this is an opportunity for you to either accelerate your career to the next level, or take the miserable road of burnout disguised as ambition. The choice is yours.

3. Pour new artistry into that space you just created

Once you advocate for yourself and take that space, you leave so much openness for expansion. You can make new friends (networking on vacation is so underrated), let your surroundings inspire new ideas in you, take the time to write things out and digest them before you present them once you’re in office, and experience unfamiliarity in a new light. You are a product of your environment. Let this change of scenery help you see the world in a new light.

Not to mention, when you do this, you will feel happier. When you feel better, you do better. Plain and simple. Even if you think you don’t care about finding new ways to increase your happiness levels, think about how it’ll impact your productivity and quality of work. When your ass is dragging and you’re out of sorts, how good can it really get? There’s a point where the good can’t get better. And you’re not reading this right now because you want to stay the same. You’re reading this because you know you can do better.

In fact, one small company felt that this was such an important factor, that they required all of their employees to take a scheduled week off every seven weeks. Nobody got paid for the vacation week, so nobody was tempted to work or feel any external social pressure. The point of it was to almost curate a ‘financial punishment for working’ and prompt people to truly unplug from work. Creativity skyrocketed 33%, along with happiness up 25%, with productivity up 13%.

Many companies can’t necessarily make this work under these exact circumstances, but I think it’s something worth considering to some degree. If it isn’t as frequent, what if it was still put in place a couple times a year? It also provides companies this incredible opportunity to show that they truly care about their employees’ wellbeing and frankly, the contributions they make to the business. It would impact company culture, productivity, innovation, and so much more. Rather than giant companies like Netflix and Google allowing employees to take unlimited paid time off (that isn’t really time off), what would happen if they chose an approach along these lines instead?

I hope the next time you take a vacation, whether it’s this summer or later on this year, consider if it’s a true vacation or if it’s a workcation that supports your wellbeing and success as a professional and human being.

I’m curious — what’s your favorite way to stay inspired and come back to work even stronger and more productive? Let me know in the comments or reply to me via email!

Cheers,

Angelina