Why Time Off is a Strategic Business Decision, Not a Perk
Published: 23/06/2025
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In this article, we will discuss the importance of time off, its strategic business value, and why the ‘hustle culture’ is harmful. We will also share tips on how to build a healthier workplace.
What makes an employee productive? Is it working non-stop and going the extra mile every time, or is it a consistent good performance? While different people will choose different options, the key difference between the two is that only one is sustainable in the long term. A minimal holiday entitlement is a government-enforced measure for a reason - the burnout epidemic is very real and has been detrimental to both workers and companies. And this is why we believe the conversation about the mindset shift needs to be had.
There are many reasons why the importance of the work-life balance has diminished and has become somewhat of a murky territory in the past decade. However, having understood its harms and being left to deal with the aftermath, the modern workplace is becoming increasingly more nurturing towards both acceptance and encouragement of time off.
It is absolutely vital. Unlike machines, humans can’t always be performing, not even at below-average capacity. The need to rest is in our nature; therefore, the refusal to rest leads to both physical and mental health issues.
Work-wise, it causes burnout, work dissatisfaction, irritability in communications and an increased rate of mistakes. Time off work is crucial for workers to take their minds off their duties, relax, and return with not just recovered energy but also inspiration and a fresh outlook on old and new challenges.
There are still companies that try to attract new talent by listing their holiday entitlement package as a perk. This is a very telling sign of the outdated culture and, potentially, a lack of oversight when thinking long-term. Because, as every progressive employer knows, time off is a strategic tool within their business.
For the longest time, it was an instilled workplace standard that the best way to prove one's loyalty to the company was by embracing the ‘hustle culture’. Namely, that the quickest way to success was through non-stop working. Fortunately, with this approach being unsustainable in the long term, it was but a fad that has now passed. However, habits aren’t as easy to get rid of, especially for the workers who were only entering the workforce at the peak of this, admittedly, harmful trend. It is still very prevalent in millennial workers, especially, whereas the Gen-Z employees are noticeably more in favour of their well-being. The challenge is to balance that out and try to help your workers get rid of the ‘hustle culture’ mindset. While enforcing time off is one way to do so, it’s recommended to be gentle in your approach, shifting the mindset gradually but proving it’s a safe space in which employees are encouraged to rest. Additionally, you need to make sure not to reward those pushing themselves too hard.
Of course, as an employer, you want your workers to always perform at their peak, but here’s the secret: working non-stop at maximum capacity will have the opposite effect. Rest is essential when it comes to maintaining consistently good performance in the long term, whereas shorter bursts of maximised efficiency will inevitably lead to downtime, burnout and other issues. In other words, sustainability is key. It’s time to retire the hustle culture and instead focus on establishing one of a work-life balance.
As the byproduct of the hustle culture, we’ve also been hit by what can only be described as a burnout epidemic. Combined with the global pandemic and many struggling to differentiate work and leisure when exposed to an extended work-from-home environment, it indeed turned into a big issue. And while we see the rise of self-care and prioritising time off, the aftermath of collective burnout remains strong in many companies.
Unfortunately, there is no fast solution to that, but to give your workers time and support, namely by not stressing them out further. Encouraging sufficient time off and rest, on the other hand, can speed up the process. Additionally, incorporating this as part of your overall company culture will prevent the ‘flare-up’ moving forward. For the longest time, a consistent burntout state was glorified as a trait of a hard worker. What hasn’t been discussed enough is the negative effects it has on both the worker and the business.
As explained above, not encouraging your staff to take time off can lead to negative and long-term consequences to your business. However, can the pendulum swing the other way and can nurturing a culture with a positive mindset regarding holidays bring you success? Absolutely! Let us explain how that works.
The time your employees take to rest is directly linked to their productivity. As discussed before, short bursts of efficiency are short-lived. They will amp up the productivity immediately, but it’s not permanent, and your workers will run out of steam. Striking the balance between work and time off, however, will help them develop a consistent pace that can be easily maintained in the long term. When there’s stability, people naturally improve with time too, so while the productivity increase will be more linear, it will gradually be going up.
Additionally, employees who aren’t overworked are normally more satisfied with their jobs. Feeling as if their well-being as individuals is prioritised over the company’s success also breeds loyalty, and both of these factors contribute towards employee retention. Long-term workers usually understand the business and tasks better than new hires, which in turn yields better results at lower costs.
Building a culture in which time off isn’t shamed but encouraged as an important element of professional success also forges resilience. Namely, it drives communication among the team members, especially when it comes to allocating tasks and distributing workload if running at limited capacity. In the long term, this strengthens team bonds and cultivates trust. Adding the right tools into the mix can both speed up and elevate this process, as it will give everyone a centralised visibility of each other’s availability.
Platforms like Timesheet Portal, which offer a holiday management module, give your teams a shared calendar that can be accessed from any device with internet access. It’s a centralised hub for both booking time off and keeping tabs on everyone’s availability. The employers can also create custom holiday approval processes, block out public holidays, enforce time off and much more using the platform.
So, with all that said, how can you begin bringing change to the company and how it runs? How to eradicate the remains of the toxic ‘hustle culture’ and instead build an environment in which time off is seen as a positive? It all begins with understanding where your workers stand in the present day.
As disheartening as it is, 26% of the UK employees are scared to take time off work for fear that this will affect their performance review. As explored earlier, this is the echo of the not-so-distant hustle culture in which employers would highly favour workers who would work themselves to the bone, taking no rest.
While the younger generation of the workforce is less susceptible to the self-sacrificing approach, it’s still a good idea to check in with your teams. If you’re worried someone isn’t taking sufficient time to rest or if you suspect they’re burnt out, it’s always a good idea to invite them for a chat. However, there are tell-tale signs that don’t need you to ask directly. Such are a lack of holiday bookings, some workers consistently accumulating time off carryovers and so on. A plethora of holiday management solutions can help you spot these signs early on. Either way, it takes a while to build a culture in which your workers trust you and each other to seek a healthy balance between work and rest. Although it’s a challenging task, with patience, empathy and the right tools, every company should be able to build it. It’s time we prioritise our workers’ wellbeing - and the results will speak for themselves.
The ‘hustle culture’ of the pre-pandemic times is officially a fad of the past due to this inefficiency in the long run. The workplace of today recognises the benefits of time off and how it builds sustainable, consistent and gradual growth of the company. However, the burnout epidemic, caused by the culture of not taking time to rest, is still felt. The only way to combat it is through gently encouraging your workers to use their annual leave entitlement, and this way nurturing positive associations with taking breaks.
Aside from that, sufficient time off is now recognised as a business lever, its contribution to productivity and employee retention proven. On top of that, creating an environment in which workers safely build their preferred work-life balance leads to an overall more resilient, trust-driven company culture. To gauge if your workers feel comfortable taking time off, we suggest adopting holiday management tools, such as Timesheet Portal’s leave module. They will highlight concerning patterns of workers not taking sufficient time off, potentially opening a conversation.
Has your company gotten rid of the ‘hustle culture’? Make an assessment with Timesheet Portal.