Many employers look at paid time off (PTO) as a waste of their money. Why should they have to pay for their employees’ vacation days? They’re already getting the time off work, right? Although this is a common thought among employers, it may be damaging their competitiveness.
For example, suppose your company rations PTO, forcing your team members to beg and plead for much-needed vacation time. In that case, you may find your most valuable players scouring a marketplace such as this for medical traveling opportunities or submitting applications for travel-friendly position openings.
If you want to keep your best workers on staff, giving them PTO for travel is a phenomenal way to do it. Here are some ways PTO can benefit your employees—and your business.
Reduces stress
Travel, and PTO in general, reduces the work-related stress your employees may have. If your employees use their PTO to take regular trips, studies have shown that they will have reduced stress upon their return.
Why is a reduction in stress so important? Stress leads to adverse physical and mental outcomes for people. That can impact their work performance. If you want to keep your workers happy, healthy, and productive, offer them PTO.
Boosts motivation
As your employees feel a reduction in stress, they should also feel more motivated when they return to work. Employees who have gone on vacation report being much happier with their jobs, while employers report that vacations help employees focus on their work and not feel burnt out.
Travelers gain new skills
Traveling is an experience, no matter where you choose to go. Whether your employees visit Rome or Cairo’s historical sites or just want to get out to the lake for a while, traveling imbues these workers with experiences that you can’t replicate with anything but travel.
Travelers have to understand their finances to budget for a trip. If your employee wants to go on an extended trip for a month or longer, they may come back with skills like quick decision making and thinking outside the box. These are vital qualities found in travelers, and they will prove beneficial for anyone in a management position.
Increases people skills
If you ever travel overseas, you’ll understand how vital it is to communicate effectively. Whether you’re in Paris and need to order something to eat or you’re in Mexico and need directions, travel forces travelers to be aware of their words and actions.
By becoming more aware of subtle nuances like body language and non-verbal communication, your workers will become better at reading people. PTO can help them attain the time they need to travel, which could help your business by adding more skills to your team.
Experiencing new cultures
One of the best things about travel is being able to experience a culture altogether different from yours. Even if you’re a California resident who takes a trip to Texas, or vice-versa, you’ll be shocked at the differences between the two places.
The culture shock from travel is a good thing, though. PTO for travel can help your employees open their eyes to new ways of looking at problems, and it may even influence them into thinking with a new perspective.
Wrapping up
Clearly, travel is beneficial to your employees. It helps them control stress, which leads to more productivity and a boost in morale. These qualities will help them upon their return to the office.
While they’re traveling, your employees will learn new skills, like communication, time management, and budgeting. When they get back from their PTO, your employees will be ready to perform top-of-the-line work for your business.
