School is out, the sun is shining, the faint smell of barbecue is in the air—summer is officially here. This time of year can be a manager’s most stressful. Summer vacations have historically meant a depleted workforce and a loss of productivity. While maintaining productivity during the summer months remains a challenge, this trend has taken a surprising twist. Employers are discovering that more and more of their employees are opting to keep working and foregoing their summer vacation. Instead of increased productivity, managers are finding that by not taking time off, employees are more prone to burnout and less likely to be engaged in their work. Another seasonal concern is unplanned absenteeism, where employees are opting to take unscheduled days off or long weekends, leaving departments unexpectantly short handed.

A survey conducted by the Gallup Organization found that 60% of respondents had no summer vacation plans. According to an article written by Timothy Egan, “The Rise of Shrinking-Vacation Syndrome,” the heightened pace of American life, aided by electronic pocket companions is partially to blame for the inability to take much needed vacations. Many of those who do take time off have their laptops or PDA’s nearby, ignoring the purpose of a vacation all together. This “shrinking-vacation syndrome” has accelerated so fast that some firms have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their employees get the time off they need. Even in the intense world of public accounting, PricewaterhouseCoopers closes all offices for about 10 days during the winter holiday season and for 5 days around the 4th of July. “We wanted to create an environment where people could walk away and not worry about missing a meeting, a conference call or 300 emails,” states Barbara Craft, a partner at the firm.

Another heightening concern is the rise of employees calling in sick to enjoy a summer day off. It appears employees would prefer to take an extended weekend rather than a planned vacation. This phenomenon has also contributed to decreased productivity. So much so that companies have implemented flexibility programs at work, such as: telecommuting, compressed work weeks and even offering “Summer Fridays”, which enable employees to take a half or full day off on Fridays during the summer.

Planned vacations are effective for both the employer and employee. A workforce survey conducted by Xylo Inc., a work/life consulting firm, showed that 9 out of 10 adults felt that time away from work made them better employees and 70% reported that a vacation makes them feel a lot more productive once they return. Company leaders at PricewaterhouseCoopers said they started their nationwide shutdown because people were not getting their “batteries charged.” By taking vacations employees return to work vibrant, fresh and ready to take on any task given.

As accounting and finance recruitment specialists, Acsys, Inc. works with an extensive network of skilled professionals who have a wide range of experience to meet the needs of companies across all lines of industry. Our team of staffing experts works to provide clients with the latest trends in accounting, finance, recruiting and retention. For information on staffing related trends contact your local Acsys, Inc. representative today.