Warning: You may want to reconsider how you spend your holidays based on this latest research 🧠🌴🏃🏻♂️
So you need a holiday, right? You’re not alone.
Research and anecdotal conversations with clients and colleagues confirms that many of us are already stressed and exhausted, some even on the brink of burnout… and it’s only April.
Research from people2people Recruitment suggests that stress and burnout are significant challenges facing organisations in 2025, with two in five Australian employees beginning the year already burnt out and 40% of Australian workers expect stress levels and burnout to be harder to manage in 2025. Research from Infinite Potential suggests that 35% of the global workforce is burnout.
Therefore, prioritising recovery and taking annual leave is more important than ever. Interestingly, the people2people research reported that over half the respondents said they’d take ‘burnout leave’ if it was on offer. So it appears that we really need to be prioritising our recovery.
When it comes to taking time off, most of us think about escaping the daily grind, but did you know there’s a science-backed way to maximise the benefits of your annual leave? There’s new scientific evidence to guide how we make the most of our annual leave (and I’m not talking here about aligning your annual leave so it butts up nicely with public holidays to extend the length of your holidays). What I’m talking about instead, is research that examines what types and durations of holidays really help our wellbeing.
A meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology examined 32 studies and found that holiday breaks undeniably enhance our wellbeing, but the lasting impact of these benefits hinges on both the duration of our time away and the activities we engage in during that break. Here’s what new research from the new research reveals:
What this research means for leaders
Foster a culture where taking leave isn’t penalised (directly or indirectly) or perceived as a sign of weakness. Openly talk about recovery and the importance of annual leave—it’s vital for sustainable performance. In fact, Gartner research shows that 22% of employees without proactive rest are burnt out, compared to just 2% of those who take intentional breaks.
Returning to work to a bulging inbox (or 4567 Teams Chats) may quickly dampen and diminish any wellbeing gains acquired through a holiday. So it’s imperative that you set up your ‘digital guardrails’ and clearly communicate your company’s ‘tech-spectations’ when it comes to taking annual leave. Is it expected that you have an out-of-office email reply? Do you need to respond to emails after returning from your annual leave, or can you do as Samantha Unrau did (see an excerpt from my book Dear Digital, We need to talk, below) and not read emails.
“Samantha Unrau, Global Director of Social Media Engagement Ops at Nike, explained on LinkedIn that she took a seven-week sabbatical from work and returned to an empty inbox. How did she achieve this digital utopia that many knowledge workers only dream about? She created an email rule to mark all emails as ‘read’ and route all emails received in her absence to a folder that she then deleted upon her return to work. She created an out-of-office reply that explained she would not be reading emails during her absence and that all emails would be deleted, and to use the ‘send later’ feature to re-send the email after the date of her return. More than 10,000 people responded to Samantha’s initial post declaring that she’d be deleting emails, and she happily reported that not one person used the ‘send later’ feature.” (Dear Digital, We need to talk, p. 163).
What this research means for employees
How can you plan your holidays before you leave and your return to work period, to extend the wellbeing benefits? For example, the period leading up to a holiday can be a mixed bag when it comes to wellbeing. On one hand, the stress of tying up loose ends at work before heading off can take a toll, potentially lowering your overall sense of wellbeing. On the other hand, the anticipation and excitement of an upcoming trip can offer an emotional boost, acting as a counterbalance to the pre-holiday pressures. ‘Anticipatory dopamine’ is a real phenomenon!
Remember, your hour holiday strategy matters. Fully disconnect, get active and let your brain and body recharge. Remember, rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a performance tool that fuels your success. Gartner research suggests that companies that prioritise proactive rest and recovery see a 26% increase in employee performance. So if you needed quantitative data to substantiate taking your annual leave, there you have it.
In my keynotes, I often say, recovery is your right and responsibility, it’s not a reward. Being intentional and proactive about planning and taking our annual leave can have huge impacts on both our performance and wellbeing.
While the wellbeing benefits of a holiday may not last forever, this study reveals they endure longer than we once believed. The most significant boost happens during the holiday itself, underscoring the importance of truly stepping away from work to recharge and enhance our wellbeing. Interestingly, unlike earlier research suggesting post-holiday effects fade rapidly, this study found a slower, more gradual decline in those benefits. It also sheds light on how different types of holiday experiences can shape and influence our post-holiday wellbeing.
So, what’s your annual leave approach? Do you completely switch off, or do you stay connected? Do you ‘fly and flop’, or are you an activity kind of person? Consider these factors when planning your next holiday.
Sources
Full study- Grant, R. S., Buchanan, B. E., & Shockley, K. M. (2025). I need a vacation: A meta-analysis of vacation and employee well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001262
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/holiday-benefits-last-longer-we-thought
