Some time ago, I received an out-of-office reply to one of my emails with the following message:

“Why can a Formula 1 car drive so fast? Because it has such good brakes! For this reason, I’ll be on vacation for the next three weeks…”

I had to laugh when I read it and shared the message with my team—because it captures an important point. Do we work in organizations where you only take a break when you’re completely exhausted? Or are vacations seen as something natural that helps us maintain and regain energy? Is it expected that you push yourself to the limit and have to “earn” your time off? Or can you take a vacation when you feel the need?

According to a study published by Microsoft involving 20,000 people across 11 countries, 48% of employees and 53% of leaders feel burned out. This is the highest level ever recorded and clearly shows that there are still far too many toxic corporate cultures where vacation is seen as a necessary evil rather than a valuable tool for employees’ health and productivity. In these environments, people are looked at skeptically if they take more than five weeks of vacation a year—or made to feel guilty for requesting a long weekend at short notice.

There is clear evidence that employees who take regular vacations are significantly more creative, happier, and more productive (cf. Pasricha & Nigam). But be careful—not every vacation has this effect. We only see these benefits if we truly manage to switch off and keep our time off as stress-free as possible. That becomes difficult when, according to a study, 61% of employees report that they still have to work during their vacations (cf. Glassdoor Employment Confidence Survey).

Employers and leaders should therefore understand that time off is not a waste of time, but an investment in health, well-being, and productivity. Moreover, vacations are not something that distracts employees or throws them off track—they are a great opportunity to regain focus and attention.

I may not be a Formula 1 car—but I’m now taking three weeks of vacation as well, hoping that afterwards I’ll be able to go faster again.

This post was published by Wolfgang Jenewein on LinkedIn on August 11, 2025. Zum Original-Beitrag