Unlimited Vacation for Full-Time Employees?

http://www.fastcompany.com/1823415/why-unlimited-vacation-policies-ensure-productivity?partner=rss

I have mixed feelings about this article.  Trust your employees to manage their vacation time?  Awesome.  Communicate to your employees that they need to be sure to "recharge their batteries" and avoid burnout?  Awesome.  Promote a work smarter, not harder atmosphere - as long as the job is done, take all the vacation you want?  Awesome.

I just want to point out that this only works if these messages are actually communicated and supported by management.  I had a job once that had a similar policy - as long as the job is done, I trust you to take time off when you need it.  Unfortunately, in this case, the expectations of "getting the job done" were ever increasing.  Whenever the job appeared to be coming to a close and some vacation time could be taken, the expectations increased and suddenly you couldn't take the time off because your "additional" responsibilities were now in need of attention.  So I think Management upholding their ethics and not using this as an excuse to talk employees out of vacation are essential to this type of policy working to it's full extent.  In which case, I think it's fantastic.

The other potential pitfall is that we simply live in a country of workaholics.  We are taught to work, work, work, at the expense of all else because that's how success is achieved.  If you are a person who is willing to sacrifice everything for success, than this is a great mantra, and I say go for it.  But I think it's very important for employees with families, hobbies, other responsibilities to be encouraged to put the phone and email aside during vacation.  Sometimes we just need a break.  A chance to be with family, to relax, and enjoy the daily beauties of life.  A good Manager implementing this policy will remind employees that though there may occasionally be critical issues to take care of during vacation time, be sure to actually stop working during vacation and enjoy the time off!  This has always been a struggle for me, and a lot of that is because former employers have emphasized work, work, work over taking time to "recharge the batteries".

If those two issues can be managed well (which I think simply requires an employee-centered workplace over a profit-centered workplace - knowing that an employee-centered workplace produces profits) then BRING ON THE UNLIMITED VACATION!!