Time Away Can Improve Productivity

I'm writing this week's post while I'm on vacation.  So I thought I'd write about the restorative power of time off.  I know that not everyone is wired the same way and some people don't seem to need time away from work; but most of the people I know need time to recharge their batteries so they can function at full capacity.

Businesses pay employees for their output and also frequently their knowledge.  Sometimes employees get tired and both output and the ability to think clearly start to suffer.  The other thing that I see when employees haven't had any time off in awhile is that teamwork can also suffer.  Employees spend 8+ hours per day working together, and these groupings aren't necessarily people that were chosen because the personalities worked well together.  Sometimes people just need a break from each other so they can work together again. 

Time away doesn't always have to be a full vacation, sometimes lunch can be enough.  One of the perks of my job is the open space right across the street.  This is an actual picture of the place where I spend most of my lunch breaks.  Because all companies have been forced to tighten their belts and because of my skill set; I also have the responsibility for the HR analysis at my company.  More than once, I've been stuck on how to write a complicated formula to extract data from the system.  Also more than once, I've left it and gone for either a walk or run at the Davidson Mesa Open Space.  Pretty much every time while not even really thinking about it, I've come back with a solution that works perfectly.  Stephen King has also written before about times when he's been stuck in a story so he goes for a walk and returns with a solution to his storyline.

So while we don't usually think of time away from work as the most productive time, many employees actually need this break to be their most productive.  So if you or your employees need that time off, make sure to take it and you'll usually be rewarded with an improved outlook and productivity.  I know I'm planning on going gangbusters when I get back to work on Monday!

Darcy Dees works as the Compensation Manager for Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc., headquartered in Louisville, CO.  She has been working in Compensation for over 5 years now and recently attained her Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation.  She spends what little free time she has hiking and reading.

Images:  Taken by Darcy at Sullivan's Island, SC & Louisville, CO

Comments

[Matt N Johnson]

I've had the same experience of being stuck on a issue and leaving it for an hour or two and coming back with a solution. Our brain must continue to process the problem in the background, or maybe the solution was there, but we were too wrapped up in it to see it. That's a beautiful location for spending a lunch break. Nice post!