Checking your work emails late at night? Working overtime too often? Distracted by office projects when you should be spending time with friends?
Let’s face it, securing the perfect work-life balance is a far off dream for many.
It should come as no surprise that there are disadvantages that come with working overtime: fatigue, poor health, lack of attentiveness, to name a few.
According to one chief executive however, there’s a simple method to identify whether an employee is too engrossed by work. Simply try the “vacation test.”
“The vacation test says this – if four days into the vacation (that) you’ve earned, you’re anxious, constantly checking your email, or finding ways to stay connected to your place of employment, you’ve already managed to cross over,” Tim Cole, founder and CEO of consultancy The Compass Alliance, told CNBC over email.
“Burnout victim’s first symptoms can often be identified not when they’re on the job – but when they are away from the job,” Cole said, adding that those who’ve managed to strike a measure of balance tend to recognize that going on vacation is “more than time away from work.”
