Vacation Time: Luxury or Essential?

I don't know about you, but the post-fall rush and post-holiday let down make me want only one thing: a damn vacation. We've worked ourselves to the bone since August, crammed as much family, food and holiday music as possible into the past four weeks and we topped it off with a crazy party to ring in the new year that has left an infinite amount of glitter and confetti around my house reminding me of just how often I forget to vaccuum. The (only) perfect environment right now for my sanity includes laying in the sun on a sandy beach, enjoying the view and sipping a delicious Mexican Flag (best beach drink ever! and discovered at the same resort as explained here)

Le Sigh. I digress...

... my whole point of getting your (and my) mouth watering for a vacation is This Article I read on Inc.com this week: "Give Your Employees Unlimited Vacation Days". Sounds too good to be true right? Actually, I am one of the rare and spoiled who are lucky enough to work for an employer who believes in this. Our vaction policy is no policy. Technically. We work hard and play hard - the only requirement is that you get your work done, and don't take advantage of the "no-policy" by skipping off the grid at a critical time. To add the sugar on top: my employer gives us fourteen paid days off a year for federal (and otherwise celebrated) holidays. I know, you hate me and my three-day-weekends. I may be biased, but I LOVE this no-policy. It gives me the flexibility I desire to be able to recharge my batteries and yet makes me respect the time I am at work even more.

So as the workforce continues to transition from Baby Boomers to Millenials, is vacation time a luxury or essential to success? I am arguing Essential - more than for the love of my current "no-policy" - but for the main "requirement" Millenials are expressing in a job: we want balance, we want flexibility, we want our cake and will eat it too. And from experience, when working in this type of environment, we are naturally driven to work harder, work longer, and achieve success because I know that at some point I'll have a few days strung together where I can disconnect and forget about the emails, voicemails and "oh I didn't read that can you re-send it" excitement that is accumulating at work. At. Some. Point. From the looks of this year, all travel will be work related and vacation time will be spent on family time, which while I love seeing all of you, we all know it's no vacation.

Le sigh.