How do you keep from getting burned out at work?
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Imagine taking a month long vacation to the Bahamas. You're laying on the beach soaking up the sun. Now most people would have to have their cell phone with them because they have to do work on vacation, but not you. You get to soak up the sun without a care in the world. Another bonus, all these vacation days are paid by the company you work for no matter how many you take.
Now would this alternative reality prevent you from being sick of the daily grind. Aptify, a Virginia company, did take this dreamy approach to prevent their workers from becoming burned out, and the results may surprise you.
NPR reports:
"We began looking at things like our policies and procedures manual, which essentially we felt was a culmination of all the bad things that have happened," says Bryan Kelly, Aptify's vice president of marketing.
Kelly says ultimately, the company scrapped its time card system, too. Bosses told employees: You can take as many paid days off as you want.
Initially, several employees greeted this with skepticism, expressing concerns like, "OK, great. Essentially what I'm seeing is, unlimited time off means I get no time off," says Kelly.
That didn't happen. Nor did the opposite — no one abused the policy. A handful of employees took mini-sabbaticals or around-the-world treks — things that might have required them to quit their jobs in the past. But most take the same number of days off as before, and space them more evenly throughout the year.
Plus, Kelly says, employees seem happier.
Not all companies are taking this approach. The article highlights other, more realistic, alternatives such as employees choosing their own hours or rotating duties between employees.
Today's Question: How do you keep from getting burned out at work?
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