Establishing and maintaining a busy practice takes time, dedication and effort. In meeting the needs of your clients, it can be easy to neglect to take care of yourself. But that would do neither you nor your practice any good. Vacation time helps your practice by keeping you and your employees in shape, mentally and physically, helps you avoid burnout, and saves you money in the long run.
How vacation time helps your employees
A 2014 National Study of Employers by Kenneth Matos and Ellen Galinsky found that employees in flexible workplaces are more engaged in their jobs, less stressed, and more productive. They are also better mentally and physically and more likely to stay longer in their jobs.
How Vacation Time Improves Your Practice
With proper vacation time your practice would:
- Be less stressful
- Be pleasant and welcoming to clients and visitors
- Have lower employee turnover
- Reduce the expense of hiring temp workers when employees call out sick
- Avoid costly mistakes by employees who are over-tired and resentful
- Be more efficient
How Vacation Time Benefits the Owner
Improved Family Relationships: When was the last time you sat down to dinner with your family or had a leisurely conversation with your spouse over a cup of coffee? Improved family relationships can impact the way you interact with staff and clients.
Improved Physical Health: Long hours at the office, plus the occupational hazards of the profession, can take a toll on your health. In a study published in PubMed.gov 2006, researchers found that many health care workers suffer from soft-tissue injuries to wrist/hand/finger, shoulder, and lower back during patient handling. Therefore, it makes good sense to take periodic breaks.
Improved Mental Health: During a vacation, you get to stay in bed for as long as you like instead of jumping up to the sound of the alarm. This can improve the quality of your sleep, and improved sleep, according to the National Institute of Health, “might benefit the brain — and the whole body — by removing metabolic waste that accumulates in the brain during wakefulness.”
Hobbies: Vacation time allows you to catch up on hobbies such as golf, swimming or gardening, things you may not have time for during your regular routine. This also helps your body and brain recharge.
As the owner of a successful practice, you must be justly proud. But you owe it to yourself and your clients to follow one of the basic rules of self-care by taking time for rest and relaxation and making sure your staff gets adequate vacation time. If you do this, your business will expand, and your clients will be forever in your debt.