If you fear taking holidays could hurt your career, you may need to think again.
In the past year 123 million annual-leave days were stockpiled in Australia, which means one in four people in full-time employment are not taking their entitled annual leave.
On the back end of a tough economic year, as a nation we now feel more pressured at work. No one wants to risk their jobs for a trip around the world.
But careers expert Julie Farthing believes travelling is a good move.
“Taking regular holidays are essential to keeping the mind and body alert, and is good for the soul,” she says.
“Not taking holidays can lead to all kinds of stress-related illnesses, and at the very least this makes you a stale and less-productive employee.
“Best practice is to apply for leave at least two months in advance and to remind your manager two weeks before you leave and again one week before you leave in case they have forgotten about it.
“If you must go at short notice, make sure you have resolved any issues or potential issues that might result from your absence. For example, another staff member may need to be trained to handle emergencies.”
A survey by travel company Contiki found 97 per cent of people aged 18 to 35 believe travel gives them skills that can help them in their career or life in general.
Agatha Bednarski, 26, a stockbroker for Kinetic Securities, says her extensive travel has helped her further her career.
“I did a Contiki tour, which was my first big overseas adventure. It gave me a great insight into other cultures, plus the confidence to continue travelling independently.
“Backpacking around Europe and Asia honed my organisational, problem-solving and budget management skills, all of which helped me acquire highly sought-after contract positions at various finance companies in London, despite having very little industry experience.”
Bednarski says that when she returned home, her overseas experience and skills acquired were definite drawcards on her CV.
“I now hold a great position at a fantastic company, which I probably would still be a few years away from achieving had I never had the travel experiences.”
She believes her travel experiences makes her more effective at her job.
“The nature of my job means I spend a lot of time on the phone and with clients. My experiences meeting people from countries and cultures so dramatically different from mine mean I find it quite easy to relate and adapt to different people, a must in my career,” she says.
Farthing says travel can help people gain a broader appreciation of the global context.
“It provides a real break from your day-to-day routine and familiar faces and places, requiring you to draw on other skill sets such as conversing with others who don’t speak your language, navigating public-transport routes that are unfamiliar, and eating food that is not your standard fare,’’ she says.
“You can gain a real appreciation of cultural and other differences that can help you to appreciate those who are different back home. When you travel, you should be alert to differences and try to have conversations with people you meet, rather than keeping to yourself and those with you.”
Source: Herald Sun
