Survey results from Office Team show that 43 percent of workers polled said the biggest mistake they made with their last vacation was taking insufficient time off. Respondents said the second biggest mistake they made while on vacation was that they could not relax or get their minds off work. OfficeTeam's executive director, Diane Domeyer, said, "Employees fearful of falling behind on projects or not seeming like team players often put off vacations or limit breaks to long weekends. Lean staffing levels in recent years have left many professionals with increased pressure at work. This, however, makes the need to recharge more vital than ever."

Another Accountemps survey reveals that 51 percent of the 150 executives surveyed said employees are more productive after a vacation than before one. To maximize vacation plans, Accountemps' chairman Max Messmer offers the following tips:

1. Select the right time, such as a period when work is slow.

2. Make your desk an open book by letting at least one colleague know where key information is kept and how your active files are organized.

3. Take advantage of technology to inform people of an alternative contact who has been briefed on your projects.

4. Assign a decision maker whom you trust, and try not to second-guess that person's choices when you return. Otherwise, your designee will learn to contact you instead of making a decision.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Quality Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group