Are you too valuable to go on vacation?

By Mike Klockenbrink

What comes to mind when you hear the word vacation? Is it a tropical island, a cruise visiting family or just a staycation? How many of you have a hard time with taking a vacation? You just can’t seem to get it scheduled. Who’s going to do what in my absence? Or maybe it’s just not a priority to you.

I admit that I have a hard time taking vacation and so do many people on my staff. This can cause many different problems.

We have the thinking that we are too valuable and nobody else can do our job. Or that we are going to take one day off every two or three weeks. And then there’s the weeks we want to take off that are no longer available. The reality is all these are excuses. Not taking your time off hurts everyone within the organization. The HR/finance departments are going crazy as people have accrued too much vacation on the books. Your colleagues would really like to see you get away to rest and relax. Your family would like to have a little fun or spend some time away with you. Most importantly you need the time. You are not doing anyone a service by working all the time. You are also setting a bad example for everyone else.

I have had to force staff members to schedule their vacation. Several have stopped accruing because they’ve hit their max. There may be times at work that cause you to postpone or reschedule your vacation. These times should be far and few between.

You know how much time you get off every year; you should know how much time you have on the books. Your colleagues or your supervisor won’t schedule your time off. But if you listen you may hear them or your families say; “You need to get away, you need to rest and relax, you need to have some fun; you need a vacation.”

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. www.lakesidechurch.com.

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