Need to Cancel a Vacation for Work? No Problem
It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify taking time to yourself (despite abundant research on the benefits of work/life balance, which should release us from feeling the need to find justification). Research shows that 19 percent of workers have cancelled a vacation for work at least once -- and vacation insurers are counting on this.
The New York Times published an article about a fairly new type of trip-cancellation insurance that covers you should you need to cancel a vacation due to work. You can probably relate to the author's initial and secondary reactions:
My first thought -- now that's a policy I can use -- was followed quickly by my second -- it's official: nothing is sacred.Even though burnout presents a number of serious health risks, we're more concerned with the risks associated with being absent from work and potentially compromising our professional standing. And it's understandable. Research shows that Americans reap true satisfaction from their work beyond the scope of what their salaries can provide them. In fact, psychological studies show that people have an "intrinsic need to be self-determining" -- and that job security gives the illusion of control.
So is it truly an insurance-worthy risk to take a vacation -- to briefly release the sense of control you ordinarily feel in regards to your professional life? Based on statistics, most people probably think it is. Based solely on conjecture, it's likely a lot of people will find this idea troubling, but will consider buying trip-cancellation insurance nonetheless.