I have written about the need for taking a true vacation from your work, but it seems, according to this article, that fewer and fewer people are heeding the call.

Here are some past Career Opportunities columns that address the various issues surrounding vacations.

How to take a vacation

Return

Vacation? What vacation? by Curt Rosengren in Life

John at The Carrot points to a Mother Jones article with some interesting statistics that suggest we're not altogether adept at slowing down.

Some of the factoids in the article...

- Last year, Americans forfeited an average of 3 paid vacation days -- 415 million days total -- a 50% increase over 2003

- the value of unredeemed frequent-flyer miles is $700 billion, exceeding the value of U.S. dollars in circulation

- middle-aged men who skip vacation for five years increase their risk of heart attack by 30%

- the RAND Corporation in California now gives its employees a 5% bonus if they use all of their vacation days

- 32% of paid vacation time is spent doing non-vacation activities

- 30% of employees do office-work during vacation

- 43% return feeling overwhelmed by the work they have to do

How about you? Do you take all the vacation that's coming to you? Does work creep into your vacation? Do you feel like you got hit by a Mack truck when you sit down at your desk again?

(Via Worthwhile.)

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