REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
Could be that the person working next to you or just down the hall shares the very same concern. Here’s where it make sense to team up to calm down. (more…)
Vacations Essential
August 19, 2010
Thought you might be interested in the contents of my letter to the editor of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that was published today in response to a recent article on vacation carry over and pay out. Here’s what I had to say:
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying: “It’s always great to see an employee that is concerned about their job more than they are about their vacation in terms of being there enough to get things done.”
While I agree with Mr. Rhode that commitment to your job and profession is laudable, his admiration for those who sacrifice personal vacation time for their work is misguided. Sadly, he is not alone in his point of view. This kind of self-imposed and peer-admired pressure to keep slogging at all costs creates significant problems for employees, leaders and the organizations they serve. Those costs go far beyond the fiscal liability of accrued holidays.
According to two studies on workload, the average person has a backlog of between 50 and 200 hours of work at any given time. The fact of the matter is, we will never be done again. Those who wait until the work is done to take a vacation will rarely give themselves permission to get away.
And, there are consequence for not getting away from the office. In an American study of 12,000 middle aged men at risk for coronary disease, those who take annual vacations are nearly 20% less likely to die during the ensuing nine years than those who skip holidays. A 20 year study of 749 women aged 45-64 found that for both employed women and homemakers, tension and a lack of vacations were two key predictors of heart attack.
The last thing we want is for our health care leadership to be damaging their own health and wellbeing in the interests of serving ours.
Taking time for renewal is not a reward for being done, it is an investment in being able to continue. It’s far wiser to encourage people at all levels of an organization to take their vacation and come back to the inevitable and ongoing workload refreshed and renewed for the challenges ahead.
—
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying:
“It’s always great to see an employee that is concerned about their job more than they are about their vacation in terms of being there enough to get things done.”
While I agree with Mr. Rhode that commitment to your job and profession is laudable, his admiration for those who sacrifice personal vacation time for their work is misguided. Sadly, he is not alone in his point of view. This kind of self-imposed and peer-admired pressure to keep slogging at all costs creates significant problems for employees, leaders and the organizations they serve. Those costs go far beyond the fiscal liability of accrued holidays. (more…)
PAUSE – 10.19 – Summer Reading
June 30, 2010
REFLECTION:
July is on our doorstep and summer awaits. One of the great joys of long, sunny summer days – especially when some of them are wide open ‘nothing planned’ vacation days – is the chance to curl up with a good book or two.
If you’re an everyday literary hunter and gatherer, you’ve probably got your supply on hand. They’re stacked up and backed up – hunkered down on that shelf in your office, loitering on the floor next to your living room chair, and languishing on your bedside table.
If, on the other hand, a trip to Chapters or a visit to Amazon are in your immediate future, I’d be glad to offer a couple of suggestions for recent books on life balance, focus and renewal that might spark your interest.
ACTION:
Pat’s recommended summer reading short-list to help you step back, take stock, and create an even more compelling and satisfying future includes:
* Do More Great Work – by Michael Bungay Stanier (Workman Publishing 2010). Lighthearted and meaty all at the same time. Lots of exercises to help you surface your preferences and map out a future of significance. Michael playfully challenges you to puzzle out answers to questions like these. What are you like at your best? What’s calling you? What’s broken? What’s possible?
* The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working – by Tony Schwartz (Simon & Schuster 2010). I’ve followed Tony’s work since he first authored The Power of Full Engagement a number of years ago. This new volume offers an air tight case for building in time and space for renewal – as individuals, teams and organizations. Grounded in research and tested by the organizations that have used and shaped his ideas, he offers practical suggestions (and compelling reasons) for making renewal a part of everyday personal and business life.
* Here are a couple of other books I’ve referenced in earlier Pause messages that are also definitely worth a read: ‘Find Your Focus Zone’ by Lucy Jo Palladino and ‘What Got You Here Won’t Get You There’ by Marshall Goldsmith. And, of course, if you haven’t already read it, I have to recommend ‘Press Pause…Press On’ by yours truly (Check Pauseworks Shop for details: http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/)
PS Does your summer reading taste run more to fictional escapes? If so, I recommend The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. And although I have yet to read it, so can’t give you a personal recommendation, on the suggestion of a handful of friends I’ve packed Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen for my get away fiction reading. I’ll let you know what I think of it.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled “This could change your life.” – Helen Exley
It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it. – Oscar Wilde
(Sheesh, Oscar – I really had to think about that one for a while!)
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Often worth exploring are Michael Bungay Stanier’s blog and website at: http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/
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READERS WRITE:
Last week’s Pause message, The Not So Classic BMW, generated quite a number of insightful replies from readers – too many to include here in the e-zine. I’ve posted a compilation of responses on my blog, so that you can explore them as well. Here’s the link to that post: http://www.pauseworks.com/wp/?p=1206
REFLECTION: July is on our doorstep and summer awaits. One of the great joys of long, sunny summer days – especially when some of them are wide open ‘nothing planned’ vacation days – is the chance to curl up with a good book or two.
If you’re an everyday literary hunter and gatherer, you’ve probably got your supply on hand. They’re stacked up and backed up – hunkered down on that shelf in your office, loitering on the floor next to your living room chair, and languishing on your bedside table.
If, on the other hand, a trip to Chapters or a visit to Amazon are in your immediate future, I’d be glad to offer a couple of suggestions for recent books on life balance, focus and renewal that might spark your interest. (more…)
PAUSE – 10.17 – Getting Out There
June 16, 2010
REFLECTION:
It seems like weather everywhere has been pretty wonky so far this year. Here in Saskatchewan we’ve experienced record rainfalls. The dreary, grey cloud cover that delivers the daily driving rain has put a tangible damper on mood.
That changed as the last few days finally brought bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. There is a palpable shift in mind-set as people spend more time in motion and out of doors. Suddenly, the world seems brighter. Problems seem lighter.
Physical activity is a well known contributor to mental health. Moving around outdoors delivers an even greater bonus. There’s a whole world out there to engage in, nature’s beauty to appreciate, and a universe sized space that puts human size problems in perspective.
Getting out there gets us out there. It draws us out of our little corners of concern. It smooths away the mind ruts created by spinning around in our tiny circles of thought.
Our mothers were right when they told us to get out of the house – to go outside for awhile. Although it may have gotten us out from under their feet, it probably helped us find ours.
ACTION:
What would it take to get you outdoors today – and again tomorrow? And, I’m not talking about walking from the house to the vehicle and back again.
If you aren’t already doing so, look for those opportunities to take a few moments outside every day – even on days when it is too hot, too cool, too rainy, or too busy.
There are work-arounds for each of those obstacles. Too hot? Walk early or late. Too cool? Bundle up. Too rainy? Grab a poncho. Too busy? Combine a walk with a meeting or phone call.
Once you reap the benefits of getting yourself outdoors, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get out there sooner and more often.
_________________________
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” – Rachel Carson
_________________________
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
See this article for examples of research on the positive impact of nature on connectedness and generosity: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33243959/ns/health-behavior/
REFLECTION: It seems like weather everywhere has been pretty wonky so far this year. Here in Saskatchewan we’ve experienced record rainfalls. The dreary, grey cloud cover that delivers the daily driving rain has put a tangible damper on mood.
That changed as the last few days finally brought bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. There is a palpable shift in mind-set as people spend more time in motion and out of doors. Suddenly, the world seems brighter. Problems seem lighter.
Physical activity is a well known contributor to mental health. Moving around outdoors delivers an even greater bonus. There’s a whole world out there to engage in, nature’s beauty to appreciate, and a universe sized space that puts human size problems in perspective. (more…)
REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying:
REFLECTION: July is on our doorstep and summer awaits. One of the great joys of long, sunny summer days – especially when some of them are wide open ‘nothing planned’ vacation days – is the chance to curl up with a good book or two.
REFLECTION: It seems like weather everywhere has been pretty wonky so far this year. Here in Saskatchewan we’ve experienced record rainfalls. The dreary, grey cloud cover that delivers the daily driving rain has put a tangible damper on mood.
