According to the U.S. Travel Association, employees who take most of their vacation time are more likely to be promoted and receive raises than those who don’t. But the real opportunity for HR leaders and managers isn’t just encouraging time off, it’s in what happens before, during, and after the PTO is taken.
Too often, employees return from a break only to walk into a stressful inbox backlog, packed meeting schedules, and a routine that re-triggers burnout. The result? Any benefits they gained while away disappear within days.
You can help prevent that cycle.
When leaders support both the exit and reentry process, employees return with renewed energy, clearer thinking, and a more productive mindset.
The goal is simple: help your team extend the post-vacation clarity, calm, and creativity into everyday work. This, in turn, boosts productivity and employee morale. It’s a win-win!
Set Your Team Up for a Stress-Free Break
Before vacation, encourage employees to treat PTO like any other key deliverable. Planning ahead helps them log off fully without scrambling at the last minute. That means helping them build a clear handoff plan, delegate important tasks, and define what truly requires immediate attention.
4 in 10 U.S. workers don’t take all their PTO
Empower them to set boundaries by modeling healthy behavior. You can do this by supporting the use of out-of-office messages and making it clear that taking a break isn’t something to feel guilty about. A Pew Research study found that 46% of employees work while on vacation, often because they fear falling behind on work or don’t want to cause more work for their coworkers.
Help employees set boundaries
During vacation, it’s on managers to lead by example. Managers can do this by making a plan and supporting employees while they prepare for vacation and when they get back.
- Respect the boundaries your team has set.
- Assign a backup contact for urgent needs and clearly communicate that role to clients and colleagues.
- Crosstrain or create a buddy system to keep work flowing without putting pressure on the employee to stay plugged in.
Gently ease back into work
After vacation, the first day back shouldn’t feel like a tidal wave. Help employees reenter with calm and clarity by avoiding stacked meetings and encouraging them to block out time to catch-up.
Teammates can be helpful during this process, too. We know they are ready to get the extra work off their plate, but it should be done in an organized manner. Encourage a team mindset that values smooth transitions by:
- Sharing a task list.
- Creating a bullet-point summary of key developments.
- Providing a quick debrief to get them up to speed.
Once the employee is settled back in, take a moment to reflect—not just on how they’re doing, but how the team supported the process overall:
- Were expectations clear before they left?
- Did they feel like they could fully unplug?
- Was the handoff and hand-back process smooth for everyone involved?
Use their feedback to refine your approach next time. A little intention now means even better vacations—and better performance—down the road.
Year-Round Vacation Energy
Building a culture that incorporates moments of recovery, focus, and joy into the workday can extend the benefits of PTO all year long.
Encourage micro-breaks and real lunch hours, even if it’s just a 10-minute walk or a screen-free coffee. Employees will quickly see an improvement in focus and performance, especially for mentally demanding tasks.
Help employees protect their time and attention by limiting after-hours communication and reducing meeting overload. Consider flex time, mental health days, or offering floating holidays after major deadlines or project pushes.
The Long-term Payoff
Supporting employees before, during, and after vacation isn’t just a feel-good perk. It boosts retention, morale, and productivity. According to Gallup, burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and 2.6 times more likely to look for a new job. When you create a culture that protects rest, you don’t just reduce burnout, you build loyalty and resilience.
Anyone can say, “Go ahead and take time off.” Great leaders make sure that time off actually works. By designing workflows that support stress-free exits and smooth reentries, and by normalizing rest within your culture, you help your team get the full benefits of their break.
Let’s Grow Your Team
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Let’s talk about how staffing can power your next stage of growth. Contact Westphal Staffing today to get started. 715-845-5569