We are constantly being told that it is important for all of us to use our holiday entitlement.

I can see that. That's what holidays are there for, after all.

However I have yet to take a break (for a week or longer) that I didn't have to painstakingly work ahead of and frantically catch up on afterwards.

Where's the stress relief in that?

Dr. Cathy McCarty tells us "Vacations provide a break from everyday stressors. They allow us time away from work or home and help us release built-up tension."

Unless, of course, you're driving to your holiday destination with a wife/husband who feels she/he has to beat some personal trip-time record, and/or cranky children ('Are we there yet?') or chronologically enhanced relatives requiring hourly toilet breaks and/or repeating conversations (often held years ago!). Oh, was that out loud?

I'm just saying that...

• ...any holiday involving children and/or chronologically enhanced relatives is not going to be restful.
  
• ...having to take holidays at times when all families are taking their holidays is far from restful and more expensive as well! We are just substituting a different kind of stress.
  

Maybe that's the secret - you give one part of your nervous system a rest while you put an different part through the ringer.

Dr. McCarty also said this: "This study proves vacations are good for your mental health and may help you do a better job at work," McCarty said. "Employers should be supportive of time off because they benefit from having relaxed, happy employees." I love how the study throws out this recommendation, as if it's doable.

Obviously, the good doctor never worked in the Post-16 Learning provider sector. Call me cynical, but I really don't see a Head of Service/Principal/etc. having a clear preference when presented with the choice between a happy, relaxed employee and one who is skating along on one last frayed nerve, if the teaching & learning output is the same. And any kind of difference in teaching & learning outputs between the two would be nearly impossible to prove.

Since nearly everyone's work influences or depends on someone else's, I'm not sure how a learning provider could even go about "being supportive of employee time off." What are your suggestions?