The importance of time off: Why annual leave is key to professional wellbeing

With the mid-year slump fast approaching, many people are likely to find themselves becoming increasingly exhausted and burnt out. But with widespread staff shortages, heavier workloads, rising living costs, and an impending recession, there’s a good chance many workers will avoid using their leave entitlements owing to excessive workloads and fear of negative financial impact.

But when it comes to our professional wellbeing and performance, this notion is detrimental. No one wants to return from a holiday to a heaving inbox and a mountain of tasks that need urgent action, but not taking any time away from work can have a very real negative impact on our health and wellbeing, putting us at risk of burnout and even depression. Without dedicated periods of rest and recovery, we find ourselves forced to cope with life’s pressures and stresses – and prolonged coping is not sustainable.

When we become hyper-focused on work and forgo regular time off, we can quickly become unmotivated, overwhelmed, and exhausted. We’re more likely to feel stressed, anxious and forgetful (a common result of mental overload), and it can be hard to maintain perspective. As a result, many people may start to feel unhappy at work, which can spill over into our personal lives – leading to sleep difficulties, mood changes, or relationship challenges.

The benefits of taking time away from work – think one to two consecutive weeks – cannot be underestimated. Taking longer periods off will improve your sense of happiness and wellbeing, as well as boost your mood, productivity, and performance while minimising the risk of burnout and overwhelm. 

Of course, making time to rest and recover starts with first setting clear boundaries between our work and our personal lives. Logging off at a reasonable time each day, switching on an out-of-office message when appropriate, and blocking out time to complete nagging tasks can help us create distinctions during our working day and provide the space we need to remove ourselves from work responsibilities when it’s time to do so.

For those working from home, ensure your office is set up in a separate room, or if this isn’t possible, choose a dedicated space to convert – whether it be the kitchen table or a corner of the living room. Wherever you set up, ensure you can clear the space or exit it entirely at the end of the day to maintain a physical boundary between personal and professional. Importantly, resist the temptation of working “10 more minutes” on non-urgent tasks or checking emails on your phone while watching TV. If it can wait until tomorrow, let it.

Taking a week or two off during the mid-year period is ideal to help us reset and refresh ourselves – but sometimes, it’s simply not possible. For those of us who can’t take that time off work, regular smaller breaks remain essential in managing professional performance and wellbeing. This might be a day or two on either side of the weekend or a couple of days tacked on to a public holiday.

If taking annual leave is too tricky or complicated, be sure to incorporate microbreaks into each day and choose to make a conscious effort to set stronger boundaries that enable you to rest, recharge, and reset. Step away from your workspace for a short walk, prepare lunch (and sit away from your desk to eat it!), put on a podcast or call a friend. These activities will help you mentally switch off from work, even if it’s for only 20 minutes, so you can return to your desk feeling refreshed.  

Despite the external stressors we might be facing at this time of year, we must fully embrace taking time off and the benefits it offers to our professional performance. It’s common to feel pressure to work overtime and to deprioritise our wellbeing when life becomes busy, but stepping back and having time away from work wherever possible will build our capacity to manage stress and successfully juggle the challenges of everyday life.

By Peta Sigley, chief knowledge officer at Springfox