Ahmed and Sami are colleagues that work in the same department/company, perform almost identical roles (in different shifts), and carry same pay grade; yet the output of their deliveries and consequently performance is not the same. Ahmed maintains high level of productivity, is mostly seem refreshed and energised at work, and engages in personal development activities.
Whereas Sami on the other hand, though prioritises work over personal well-being, but is found at many times falling behind with projects, regularly overwhelmed and is stressed, and sometimes gets into conflict with other team members within the organisation. What more? Ahmed is on the verge of being promoted, while Sami is stuck and seems to have become stagnant in his career.
My article this week is on the importance of taking regular healthy leave away from office in order to excel in one’s career. Ahmed blocks his annual calendar with days away from office (as official leave), while Sami dreads the idea of taking leave, and also takes work with him while on official leave. That’s the secret why Ahmed prosper and progresses at work.
Many research issued on the relationship between taking leave and productivity, from institutions of the likes of the World Health Organisation (WHO), show that high rates of employee’s burnout, decreased productivity, absenteeism and turnover are a direct result of not taking the necessary leave from office.
Employees are emotionally exhausted, depressed, are sometime found detached and end up not performing well, leading to the end-of-year appraisal disappointment I had shared in my previous articles. While there may be no specific statistics pertaining to an industry or verticals per se, yet the picture is clear that the impact is seem to be consistent, irrespective of an organisation, industry or a nation as a whole.
The importance of taking regular official leave from office cannot be underestimated. Burnout from work will be reduced, mental and physical health will be improved, creativity and innovation will be boosted, and ultimately among other positives, your job satisfaction and engagement at work will be enhanced.
I had been known to be workaholic through the various activities and engagements that I have, from working in a telecom as a professional, offering consultancy to organization as a service, delivering speaking engagements to both public and private institutions, sitting for a public listed company and offering advisory services to community and academia.
Nevertheless, I must confess that my performance has been outstanding needless to mention an improved work-life balance due to regularly taking leave, booked in advance every year.
I know many who executives who have either lost their jobs, lost relationship with their families and/or fall sick periodically (spending most of their time in hospitals). The reason was due to lack of quality sleep, and of course taking the necessary leave from office to rejuvenate.
I know for a fact that a number of established and successful entrepreneurs that includes the likes of Bill Gates (Microsoft Founder), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook, now Meta, Founder) , and the late Steve Jobs (Apple Founder and CEO), took annual and/or bi-annual solo retreats to refresh, re-energise and think.
The same applies to international sport figures as well such as Serena Williams (a professional tennis player) among others. All of them realise the importance of taking regular leave in order learn, un-learn, think and continue to innovate and succeed in their personal and professional lives.
Taking leave from work is extremely important in order for one to maintain productivity at work. As you have realised from my article today, many of the successful and high-net worth individuals who also run leading multinational initiatives and organizations take frequent leaves in order to rest, recharge, think and get back at work, refreshed and for more action. Make it a habit starting today to plan and book your leave and time away from office in advance, and see your career transform profoundly and positively as well. Until we catch up again next week, stay positive.
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