Vacation: every employer’s hidden advantage!

What is the ideal number of weeks of vacation?

 Vacation is a strategic asset for employers. Rested and motivated teams are more engaged, productive, and loyal. Yet in Quebec, most workers receive only two to three weeks of paid vacation per year. This stands in stark contrast to some European countries, where five weeks or more is the norm. What if we looked at vacation differently? Taking time for yourself is not a luxury: it is an investment in health, productivity, and your organization’s success.

Benefits for employees

Taking regular, well-planned vacations provides tangible benefits for workers:

• Mental and physical health: disconnecting reduces burnout, improves sleep, and builds resilience to stress
• Productivity and focus: returning well rested helps employees work more efficiently and creatively and make better decisions
• Work-life balance: vacation gives employees quality time with their loved ones, strengthening job satisfaction and motivation
• Fresh perspectives: stepping away from day-to-day work encourages reflection and innovation

Benefits for employers

Encouraging employees to take vacation and offering them vacation time benefits not only your employees, but also your organization:

• Improved overall performance: rested teams make fewer mistakes and are more productive
• Retention and attraction: offering and promoting vacation time helps attract and retain talent, reducing turnover
• Positive work environment: a culture that respects time off strengthens employee engagement and loyalty
• Innovation and creativity: refreshed minds make more thoughtful decisions and generate new ideas

The most common barriers

Even though vacation is an investment, many employers hesitate to offer or encourage it. The main barriers are often related to organizational complexity: planning vacation to ensure continuity of operations can seem difficult, especially in small teams or sectors where every role is essential. Employers may also fear a temporary slowdown, worrying that a high number of absences will affect productivity or client service. Finally, long-standing habits and perceptions play a role: offering more vacation is sometimes seen as a cost rather than an investment, and some leaders are not fully aware of the benefits in terms of performance, motivation, and retention.

How can vacation become a strategic advantage?

To turn vacation into a true shared benefit, organizations need to implement a few key practices. Proactive planning makes it possible to schedule vacation in advance and establish rotations to avoid disruptions to operations. Leading by example is equally crucial: managers need to take their own vacations and encourage their teams to do the same. Flexible policies, such as fully unplugged vacations, additional time off, or remote work options, support employee well-being. Clear communication and a culture that values rest also reinforce the message that time off is not a luxury, but a driver of performance and motivation throughout the organization. Finally, Eve-Lyne Couturier, a researcher at IRIS, reminds us that “the costs associated with increasing vacation time would be minimal, as they would be offset by a decrease in absenteeism and presenteeism.” ¹

Conclusion

Increasing annual vacation time makes employees more motivated and productive, which benefits both them and your organization. Dan Buettner recommends taking six weeks of vacation a year because “this would be the optimal amount of vacation for happiness.” ²

It is important to remember that this is not a zero-sum game: employee well-being does not come at the expense of your organization’s performance. So, the next time you review your vacation policy, remember: investing in rest means investing in productivity and your success!

Sources:

. ¹ Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques (IRIS), No. 04 — August 2017 – Le Québec a besoin de plus de vacances : Fiche socio-économique, August 2017, p. 2, https://iris-recherche.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Fiche_Vacances_WEB.pdf..

. ² Dan Buettner, Les zones bleues du bonheur (Paris: XO Éditions, 2018), 112..