The Costs of Forgoing Vacation

Imagine being on a long-awaited vacation. Imagine relaxing at a ski lodge after spending the day on the slopes. Or maybe you are poolside, basking in the sun. Your phone rings. Your firm’s name flashes across your phone’s screen. You answer the phone immediately, knowing that you must be accessible even when on vacation. Just taking a vacation carries a perceived risk of slowing your professional advancement, which is why most attorneys choose to rack up billable hours instead of using their vacation time. 

But does forgoing vacation really help you in your career? And do law firms benefit when their employees avoid time away from the office? Research shows that attorneys who prioritize work-life balance, including taking vacations, are healthier and more productive than those who do not, benefiting their firms as well as themselves.

Vacation Dodgers

If you find it difficult to use your vacation time, you are far from alone. Attorneys surveyed by Bloomberg Law took an average of only 5 days off during the first half of 2023. This trend is common across the United States: only half of all employees take all of their paid time off. 

While lawyers in all fields skip vacations, work-life balance may be more accessible in fields with typically more predictable, consistent hours, such as intellectual property, real estate, and trust and estate law. Another way to maintain more control over your own schedule, including vacation time, is to choose a law career with less litigation, thereby limiting the amount of control the courts have over your schedule. 

Vacation Slackers

Workers in most industries, including law, find it difficult to truly disconnect while on vacation. Almost half of all workers in one survey admitted to working at least 1 hour a day while on vacation. With today’s technology, transitioning from vacation activities such as viewing photos on your phone to work tasks such as checking work emails can be seamless, habitual and mindless.

Employees fear consequences for their advancement if they are not available and reachable at all times, even when on vacation. 59% of the attorneys in the Bloomberg study reported difficulty detaching from their jobs during time off.

Perceived Cost of Taking Time Off

When you believe taking a vacation will hurt your career progression, it is easier to resist the lure of vacation. Simply putting in the hours needed to achieve your firm’s minimum number of billable hours can make taking time off near impossible. Lawyers believe associates who forgo time off advance faster than those who take vacation time. With the expected continuation of 2023’s tight job market in the legal industry, lawyers feel more pressure than ever to prove their dedication and work ethic.

A New Perspective on the Cost of Forgoing Vacation

Despite beliefs to the contrary, the true cost to both attorneys and their firms lies in skipping vacations, not taking them. Forgoing vacation time impacts health and career longevity. 

• 25% of the attorneys in the Bloomberg study reported new or increased health issues.
• Over 70% of attorneys surveyed feel burned out on a regular basis.
• There is a serious mental health crisis in the legal profession. According to American Addiction Centers, 45% of lawyers have experienced symptoms of depression, 12% have had suicidal thoughts, and 36% struggle with alcohol abuse. 

Employees

Instead of slowing career advancement, vacations may help you advance more quickly. Taking vacation time benefits physical and mental health, leading to less time off for health issues, greater efficiency at work, and improved performance. 

• A well-being study of 6,000 attorneys showed a significant link between well-being and vacation time. 
• Dopamine, serotonin and other neurotransmitters are released during vacation, impacting mood, mental and physical health, and brain function. Vacations improve cognitive function and neuroplasticity which aid in creativity, problem-solving, memory, concentration, and productivity. 
• Vacations impact your physical health, including your immune system and cardiac health. In a study of 749 women, those who vacationed twice a year were 8 times less likely to experience cardiac health issues than those who vacation less frequently.

Employer

Firms that provide work-life balance and encourage use of vacation time will have healthier employees and less turnover, reducing medical leave and hiring, training, and healthcare costs and increasing employee retention, productivity, creativity, and loyalty. 

With 44% of associates moving on within 3 years of joining a firm, reducing turnover is a high priority for law firms. In a recent study of Gen Z workers, 83% labeled themselves “job hoppers,” and 66% plan to find a new job within 2 years. More than half would choose increased time off over higher compensation, and 92% value work-life balance overall. 

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