Technically, Dashain lasts for a few more days and the celebrations can go on. But for most of us, Dashain has as good as ended and it is time to get back to work. For many, work is going to feel different this time around than before they left for vacations.
Anticipating a vacation is supposed to make us happy for up to eight weeks, which means that post vacation, we are suddenly faced with a low after a long-lasting high. And going back to work after vacation is the last straw. [break]
Perhaps it is not surprising then that this is the time when most people change their jobs. Today, it has become easier to study patterns of our motivation towards work, thanks to websites that aid job search and professional network building. These sites witness the highest traffic post vacations, again indicating that this is the time people re-haul their lives.
The time we get to spend for ourselves plays an important role in how we perceive work. When people are asked what they want to improve about their work—apart from money—most answer that they want more time off. And when they do get the time off, in the form of long vacations like Dashain, it reorients their priorities. The best vacations are the ones that bodily take them away from their workplace, involve physical activities, and are relaxing.
While travelling during Dashain takes us away from our workplaces, walks and swings provide physical activities, and bonding with our near and dear ones is very relaxing. Such vacations improve our emotional well being. No wonder, after such a positive experience, people want to rethink their life decisions to make sure they continue the positive experience in all spheres.
Employers would do well to note that working more hours does not automatically mean more productivity, because workers who take vacations are found to be more energetic at work, even though they may spend lesser time at it. Management theorist Abraham Maslow believed that our needs have a hierarchy, and that working to fulfill physiological needs is the lowest of them. Once people have enough money to provide for their basic needs and reasonable future security, they turn towards their social needs. And to fulfill social needs, again, one needs time off work.
On the other hand, for most of us who are employees, not taking vacations has been found to increase health problems, and the best vacations are known to rejuvenate. Vacations reduce the stress of work and prevent burnouts. With close to 40 public holidays every year, Nepal is well ahead of countries like the US which provides only 14 days of public holidays.
We should recognize how lucky we are in this aspect, and learn to utilize these days to recharge our batteries, motivate ourselves to perform better when we do get back to work, and to weigh our priorities in life. If you failed to do so this Dashain, never mind, Tihar is right around the corner.
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