Encourage PTO

We’re getting closer to the summer months, and many have already planned time off, but what can you do as a manager to encourage employee PTO for those who don’t take breaks?

As managers, we’re often guilty of feeling pressured to work 24/7 and may ourselves not take the PTO to which we’re entitled on a regular basis.  What kind of message does that give to staff and what is that doing for our mental health?  And when our staff ask for time off, do we show frustration at the inconvenience and grill them with questions as to who will handle the work while they’re gone, or do we say that’s great and encourage them to enjoy their time?

There are subtle messages that our employees pick up on that can either encourage or discourage them in approaching managers for time away.  We need to be aware of the signals we may be giving off.  It’s important for us all to take some time to regroup and have fun or take care of home projects or whatever, and we need to be able to disengage.

Talk with staff about their PTO periodically, especially if any are holding back.  Sometimes, there may be reasons: a big event coming up later in the year, potential health concerns that may require some time off or other such situations.  Talking these through with your staff can help you plan with them and provide reassurance that you will do all you can to make potential last-minute plans work out as appropriate.

For yourself, schedule out your time off as you can and really disengage, at least occasionally.  With technology making everything easy and available, it’s hard to turn that off.  But we need to walk away at times so we can be more fully engaged later as needed.

Schedule PTO for yourself and encourage staff to do the same.  Do everything you can to really disengage while out and expect that of your staff.  We all need breaks in order to be at our best!

#PTO #disengage #management #hrconsultant #positivity

Getting away now and then is good for our mental health!