At work, mini-breaks rule over long vacations

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People are transiting from extended holidays to more frequent minibreaks that also ensure continuity at work. Employees are seen to be taking leaves in small measures, spreading them across the year in what is being termed as `short energy recharges'. Companies have spotted this trend through internal data analytics, which human resources (HR) departments are increasingly relying on to decipher trends pertaining to employee-related parameters including attendance.

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Procter & Gamble India (P&G) found that more than 30% of its employees were now spreading their leaves throughout the year. Around five years back, this percentage was less than 10%.

At MTS India, on the other hand, roughly 50% employees apply for one or two days' leave, which is usually around a festival or a long weekend. While 1517% of employees take a week off from work, only 10% of the telecom operator's employees take two-three weeks off for long vacations.

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The case is no different for HCL Technologies, which says the trend of employees inclined towards spreading leaves over a period of time rather than availing all of their leaves in bulk is quite visible. This is also one of the main characteristics of the Gen Y's working style.

“We see a lot more younger employees in the organization not only utilizing their leaves but also spreading their leaves throughout the year. This is good because it indicates that employees are thinking of life beyond work by taking leave more often now. The trend is good for boosting productivity ,“ said Sonali Roychowdhu ry, country head HR, P&G India.

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She said with an open culture and younger employees coming on board, it is a good sign that they feel it is okay to take frequent leaves.

“This was not the case, say , five years back when em ployees would accumu late leave and take bulk leaves during a certain time of the year, like summer or Diwali holidays,“ said Roychowdhury .

At organizations with a large younger employee base like MTS India, where the average age is around 35, the trend is more prominent. “This also ensures continuity of work in the best possible manner. Even psychologists suggest that an em ployee will be more productive if he takes frequent short breaks instead of taking one long holiday. People who take so-called mini-breaks have more happy memories than those who holiday for an extended period of time,“ said Tarun Katyal, chief human resources officer, MTS India.

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As to why the younger generation, the `Millennials', tend to do this more often, Nitin Pande, senior VP-HR advisory and employee services lead, HCL Technologies, said, “This could be explained by the observation that the new generation is seen to prioritize among a variety of subjects between their personal and professional lives. Hence, the need to balance their lifestyle in such a manner by spreading out their leaves to accommodate different aspects of their lives.“

P&G's Roychowdhury sees this trend picking up in the near future.

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