Employee Engagement and a Few Days with Mickey Mouse


At this time next week I’ll be in Florida, enjoying sunshine, beaches, and Mickey Mouse. Every year I go to Orlando the first week of September for a worship leader’s conference at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The conference features great music and inspiring speakers, and I always come away recharged and refreshed.

For many, September means the start of the new school year, so vacations are finished for the season. Did you get some time away this summer? Did your team members get a chance to get away for some family time and personal recharging?

Studies show that encouraging employees to use their vacation time has a significant effect on employee engagement. A study by O.C. Tanner revealed that:

“Among employees who take a week or more of vacation, 70% say they’re driven to contribute to their organization’s success, as opposed to the 55% who don’t regularly take a week of vacation; 65% say they feel strongly about working for their organization a year from now, compared to 51% who don’t take a week off in the summer; and 63% say they have a sense of belonging at their company, compared to 43% of respondents who skip at least a week of vacation time.”

At our new employee orientation, we look at the principles from Called to Care. One of the sections looks at taking care of key relationships, beginning with the care of self. The quote from the Called to Care guide says, “We connect to others to the extent that we are connected to ourselves.” We emphasize the importance of finding that place of refreshing that we all need, and ask them how people recharge. They suggest things like getting plenty of sleep, exercise, music, hobbies, a great cup of coffee, as well as taking vacations.

When our team members are taking care of themselves, getting the recharge they need, the workforce is more engaged and productivity increases. Encourage your team members to do those things that refresh them.



https://www.hrdive.com/news/a-week-or-more-of-vacation-can-bolster-engagement-survey-shows/525178/
https://www.achievers.com/blog/2017/08/vacation-time-will-make-employees-company-healthier/

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