Thanks again, Thomas, for sharing your thoughts on this piece.

I agree with you that part of the problem among those who choose to skip taking any vacation time is their inability to delegate responsibilities to others, in large part because they doubt others would be capable of doing the work to the same degree as they would. As I mentioned in my piece, such thinking is hardly pragmatic or beneficial for the individual or the organization as it creates a false impression both of the person's true worth for the team, as well devaluing the efforts of others in the organization.

And you're right that the surest path to burning out is attempting to push ahead without giving your mind and body a chance to recharge and get back into shape.

Thanks, Mark, for sharing your experiences with this.

Thanks for sharing your experience with this, Andra.

@Drew – Thanks Drew. I think the point about understanding that vacation time is not a perk, but a necessity is a very important as both Andra and yourself have both pointed out how taking that time away from work actually renewed your energy levels so that whatever tasks were awaiting for you at work, you'd have no problems taking them on with your best efforts.

Thanks again Drew for taking the time to add your thoughts to the discussion.

@Mary Jo – I absolutely agree with you that organizations need to make their employees feel good about taking their vacation time, which is why I think it's a bad idea for leaders to forgo their vacations under the assumption that it shows camaraderie with their workforce. While organizations can have it written as some policy that employees are entitled to their vacations, it'd be hard for employees to feel like they won't be viewed negatively by others in their team for taking what is rightfully theirs.

What a great idea that is about providing training to employees about the necessity of taking vacations. With so many companies looking to start wellness programs to help address the rise in health issues in the workplace, I think it is just as important to offer tangible proof to people about why taking vacation time is not a luxury, but a necessity both for their own personal well-being and their ability to contribute significantly and effectively to the team effort.

That's a great example and point you share here, Mary Jo. Thanks for sharing it in this discussion.

Our organizations have a role to play in this issue too. They need to make it comfortable and possible – indeed, to encourage – people to take their vacations.

I have the good fortune of working with a large tech organization that believes it makes sense to encourage work-life balance. They do provide training aimed at this. That same organization granted a client – a hard working high potential – a lengthy sabbatical as a way of recognizing his accomplishments and encouraging him to take care of himself.

He made sure that his team could be without him for that period of time and did not respond to email or voicemail. I know this firsthand – he completely disconnected.

His response to my question when I asked, “What did this sabbatical prepare you for?” was “The next big challenge!”. Quite a testimonial to value of taking a break.