In intense industries and high-pressure roles, hustle is often worn as a badge of honour. Long hours. Constant availability. Months and even sometimes years without a proper break.
It’s framed as dedication. As ambition. As the source of success.
But this mindset is not only unsustainable, in fact it is counterproductive!
When leaders glorify overwork, it signals to teams that exhaustion is expected. From a health perspective, it accelerates burnout. And from a performance perspective, it erodes creativity, efficiency, and long-term impact.
What’s more – research backs this up.
A well-known study by Ernst & Young found that for every additional 10 hours of paid time off (PTO) employees took, their performance ratings increased by 8%. Even more striking: for every additional 40 hours of PTO taken, employees stayed at the company an average of 8 months longer, reducing costly turnover!
From both an individual and organizational standpoint, PTO isn’t a “nice to have.”
It’s a strategic necessity.
Below are three additional, research-backed reasons why taking time off is not just good for your health, but good for your career.
1. Recovery fuels performance
This may sound obvious, but it is often downplayed.
Studies consistently show that time away from work reduces burnout symptoms and increases engagement upon return. Employees come back with more energy, sharper focus, and a greater capacity to produce work they’re actually proud of.
This not only benefits the organization but benefits you! Sustained performance builds credibility far more effectively than constant exhaustion ever could.
2. Distance creates perspective
Have you ever stepped away from a problem for a few minutes only then to return with clarity you didn’t have before?
It wasn’t luck.
Neuroscience shows that exposure to novelty (e.g., new environments, routines, and sensory inputs) stimulates creative thinking. When the brain encounters something unfamiliar, it forms new neural connections, unlocking fresh approaches to problem-solving.
This could look like a short walk, but a vacation amplifies it to the next level.
This essentially indicates that time off doesn’t just give your brain rest, it enables greater capacity!
3. Time off increases urgency (the “carrot” effect)
We often think of motivation as pressure-driven- think deadlines, targets, consequences, which all have a very “heavy hand” feeling.
But research from Harvard, involving over 2,300 employees across 20 countries, found that employees with more vacation time actually worked with greater urgency. Knowing time off was coming encouraged them to prioritize, focus, and stay on task.
As the study’s author put it:
“having more vacation time seems to help employees better understand the importance of being impatient for results and getting as much done as possible … spending less time at your desk forces you to waste less time”
Periods of rest, as it turns out, sharpen execution.
The Shift
Taking PTO is not a lack of commitment or not being ‘motivated enough’.
It’s a commitment to sustainability, clarity, and long-term performance.
If your career is a marathon, not a sprint, then recovery isn’t optional. It’s part of the strategy to go far.
Sometimes we need to reframe that moving forward isn’t always simply pushing harder.
It also includes stepping away long enough to return with perspective, energy, and intention.
