All those whining episodes about not getting enough holidays were not baseless after all!
This is because according to a recent survey by Expedia, Malaysians are the third most vacation-deprived nation globally and second in the Asia Pacific, reported the Malay Mail.
The 17th annual survey on vacation deprivation revealed that almost two-thirds of Malaysians were either very or somewhat vacation-deprived.
Simon Fiquet, Expedia South-east Asia and India’s General Manager said the three main reasons why Malaysians don’t go for a vacation are;
- Budget or affordability issues
- The desire to save up for a longer vacation
- The inability to get away from work
Source: the sun
The survey involved 15,000 full-time working adults in 30 different markets, and results stated that 53 per cent of them felt vacation-deprived. That’s at least half of the participants.
He further added that Malaysia had always been in the top five list of most vacation-deprived countries since 2015. Looks like this phenomenon isn’t something new.
Fiquet explained that the survey revealed that one out of three Malaysians would still check their work-related emails or voicemails at least once a day while vacationing. Gasp, we’re workaholics! He said that we find it hard to keep ourselves away from work, which is why sometimes we can’t enjoy our vacation thoroughly. Despite that, according to Fiquet, we still do appreciate our holidays and realise the importance of it.
Source: finding beyond
He also noted that quality time off is very crucial to increase productivity and performance to create a balanced work life. He said that 77 per cent of Malaysians had agreed that we are more relaxed after vacationing. Not only that, vacationing also helps increase our productivity and focus, thus helping us think more holistically.
Fiquet added that amongst the job sectors surveyed, the top three industries with vacation-deprived workers are the marketing- and media-related industry, followed by the food and beverages and agricultural sectors.
Source: MMO
On the other hand, O Psych Sdn Bhd’s Organisational Psychologist and Certified Personal Coach, Hetal Doshi-Suhana Daswani, said that workplace and personal stress are increasingly affecting employees’ health on a global scale. Besides, the World Health Organisation had also classified it as health epidemic of the 21st century. This is serious!
“As such, taking time-off or vacationing to recover mentally, physically and emotionally from life’s demands has scientifically been proven to reduce stress, improve health, productivity, creativity and relationships. It is no wonder that there is an emergence of employers who are implementing wellness as part of their business strategy to improve employees experience and performance in the workplace,” she said.
So, don’t be afraid to take time-off from work and technology; after all, it boosts productivity too! 
Also read: Survey Shows Almost Half of M’sians Employees Look Forward to Going to Work
