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Studies =
Affirm=20
Vacation Important=20
for Good=20
=
Health |
Vacations, sick=20
leave, and personal leave all cost employers =
money. Yet=20
two recently published studies lend support for =
the=20
importance of employees' vacations and time off =
from=20
work.
Child's =
Illness=20
Impacts Parents'=20
Work
|
Employees who must care =
for a=20
child with severe health conditions are=20
significantly affected in negative ways. =
This is=20
reported in a paper published recently in=20
Academic Pediatrics. The paper is =
titled,=20
"The Impact of Childhood Activity =
Limitations on=20
Parental Health, Mental Health, and =
Workdays Lost=20
in the United States."
The paper reports on =
findings in a=20
study by Whitney P. Witt and colleagues at =
the=20
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine =
and=20
Public Health. The research was funded by =
the=20
National Institute of Child Health and =
Human=20
Development and examined data involving =
18,827=20
working parents in the U.S. from 1996 to=20
2005.
Children identified for =
this study=20
were those with health conditions that =
limit=20
activity. These conditions include a =
disability=20
such as autism, a chronic condition such =
as=20
diabetes, or a short-term condition such =
as a=20
broken bone.
The study found: Parents =
of=20
children with such limiting health =
conditions were=20
nearly two times as likely to be in poor =
physical=20
health and more than two times as likely =
to report=20
poor mental health as other parents. =
Working=20
parents of children with such limiting =
health=20
conditions were more than three times more =
likely=20
to miss time at work than parents without =
such=20
children.
Also significant: Nearly =
16=20
percent of families have a child with =
an=20
activity-limiting health=20
=
condition. |
As one of the=20
lead researchers, Jessica deBloom (of the =
Behavioural=20
Science Institute, Radboud University, The =
Netherlands)=20
puts it: ""You could state that vacation costs =
for=20
employers may be outweighed by gains in making =
employees=20
happy, healthy and attending work." deBloom is =
one of=20
the researchers in the study-of-studies recently =
appearing in the Journal of Occupational=20
Health.
Two recently=20
published studies (including the deBloom=20
study-of-studies) deal with issues involving =
stress=20
between work and home/personal life and the =
impact of=20
vacation and leisure time on employees' health.=20
Following are highlights from the =
studies.
Study 1.=20
Vacation effects on health and =
well-being.=20
Journal of Occupational Health =
under=20
the title "Do We Recover from Vacation? =
Meta-analysis of=20
Vacation Effects on Health and Well-Being." =
deBloom and=20
five other researchers from Radboud University =
and from=20
the University of Konstanz, Germany, published =
results=20
of their analysis of seven studies dealing with =
the=20
issue of vacation impact on employees' health =
and=20
well-being. Their review appeared the =
This=20
study-of-studies sought answers to two key =
questions: To=20
what extent does vacation have positive effects =
on=20
employees' health and well-being? And how long =
following=20
the return to work do such effects =
endure?
The quick=20
answers to those two questions: "The results =
suggest=20
that vacation has positive effects on health and =
well-being," the review states, but "these =
effects soon=20
fade out after work resumption..."
Other key=20
statements in the published analysis =
are:
- "Time off is crucial for workers to =
recover from=20
load effects built up at work.. [N]ormal load=20
reactions (e.g., accelerated heart rate and =
fatigue)=20
can develop into more chronic load reactions =
(e.g.=20
prolonged fatigue, sleep complaints, high =
blood=20
pressure) in cases of continued exposure to =
workload=20
and incomplete recovery during time =
off."
=20
- "Recent studies have revealed that workers =
often=20
recover insufficiently during time off work =
due to,=20
for instance, working overtime, and that =
day-to-day=20
incomplete recovery may have serious adverse =
health=20
consequences in the long run..."=20
- "There was evidence for a small effect of =
vacation=20
on health and well-being... [T]he vacation =
effect was=20
more prominent among outcome variables that =
were=20
closer to the core of the concept 'health and=20
well-being', than among more distal variables. =
Thus=20
health complaints and exhaustion as proximal =
health=20
indicators improved more than life=20
satisfaction..."=20
- The positive effects of vacation fade out =
two to=20
four weeks following the end of vacation. =
"Regrettably=20
the available information was too limited to =
evaluate=20
the precise cause of fade out and hence the =
duration=20
of vacation effects."=20
Commenting on=20
the findings, deBloom stated that =
"sometimes people=20
ask me, Why should we go on vacation at all when =
effects=20
wash out so fast? For me, this feels a bit like =
asking,=20
Why do we sleep despite the fact that we get =
tired=20
again? Vacation is an essential recovery process =
and, as=20
a long and uninterrupted period of respite, a=20
pre-eminent opportunity for employees to recover =
more=20
completely from work than during weekends or =
evening=20
hours. Vacation makes people happy and healthy =
and is,=20
therefore, an effective, strong and natural way =
to boost=20
the well-being of employees."
In addition,=20
deBloom noted, there are studies going back to =
1992 that=20
"show that infrequent or not vacationing at all =
is=20
associated with a higher risk of disease and =
even=20
mortality. These findings underscore the =
importance of=20
vacation for health and well-being."
Study=20
2. When home issues interfere with =
work. Research led by Els Clays, of =
Ghent=20
University, Belgium, shows how home life stress =
and=20
conflict increases employees' absence from work. =
The=20
study results appeared in the August 2009 issue =
of the=20
Journal of Occupational and Environmental=20
Medicine.
The main=20
conclusion of the study was that home life that=20
interferes with work is associated with what =
Clays terms=20
"increased sickness absence duration and=20
frequency."
Although the=20
research does not directly deal with the =
relationship=20
between home life stress and employees' use of =
vacation=20
time, Clay stated: "It seems a plausible =
hypothesis that=20
longer vacation time could lower stress-related =
absence=20
from work. Our results definitely suggest that=20
family-friendly work policies, such as flexible =
work=20
schedules or the possibility to work from home, =
might be=20
beneficial for the home-work conflict and hence =
also=20
reduce sickness absence."
Key statements in the Journal =
article=20
are:
- Work-family=20
conflict =96 commonly defined "as a situation =
in which=20
the role pressures from the work and family =
domains=20
are mutually incompatible" in some respect =96 =
"may have=20
dysfunctional and costly effects on individual =
work=20
life, home life, and general well-being and=20
health."
=20
- The study involved =
2,983 male and=20
female employees in seven companies and public =
administrations across Belgium. The =
participants=20
responded to such statements as: "I spend time =
at work=20
thinking about the things that I have to get =
done at=20
home" and "Because of the demands I face at =
home, I am=20
tired at work."=20
- What's referred to as =
"home-work=20
interference" (HWI) "was positively and =
significantly=20
related to both high sickness absence duration =
and=20
frequency..."=20
- "The main implication =
of our=20
findings is that issues of HWI should be taken =
into=20
account in the prevention of sickness absence. =
It has=20
been suggested that family-supportive work =
policies=20
and practices might produce significant =
benefits in=20
terms of employee attitudes and well=20
being."=20
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