How Many Holidays Would You Take If There Were No Limits?

By Heather Campbell


Richard-Branson

By Heather Campbell >>

Virgin Group boss Richard Branson’s decision to offer his staff unlimited holidays has stirred up plenty of debate.

Is this an empowering employer giving his team more control and choice?

Or a cynical ploy to make sure that people take fewer holidays because, of course, their work will never be done so they’ll never feel it is appropriate to have a vacation.

Whatever his intention, it has brought lots of free publicity which is certainly something at which Branson excels.

All those column inches and online debate for an idea that isn’t revolutionary in the first place.

But whether this is a publicity stunt or a genuine staff policy, the thing that most interests me is the essence of the discussion.

To me this is – how good are we at setting boundaries for ourselves, especially in the workplace?

Most of us operate in a workplace that leaves us limited or no choice over many factors that are critical to our health and well-being, not just vacation time, for example:

  • how much we earn
  • how many hours we work
  • who our work colleagues are
  • who our boss will be
  • what our working environment is like
  • what changes will happen and when
  • the list goes on

If you and your colleagues had control over these factors, how would that change…

  • …how you feel about your work?
  • …the way you engage with colleagues?
  • …the way you engage with your boss?

In a workplace with fewer limitations, how good would you be at setting the necessary boundaries?

Would you want the responsibility as well the freedom that this would entail?

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