* Research shows senior execs plan to take more vacation time than usual this year
Research from executive recruitment firm Christian & Timbers shows that senior executives plan to take more vacation time than usual this year.
Christian & Timbers polled 220 senior executives last month (june) about their vacation plans. According to the results, 40% plan to more vacation than usual. By comparison, 27% gave this response in 2004 and 14% in 2003. In Also in this year’s survey, 24% reported plans to take the same vacation as usual, 17% answered less vacation than usual, and an unfortunate 19% don’t plan to take any vacation time.
Paul Groce, a Christian & Timbers partner who places IT execs, says the plan to take more time off is indicative of an improved business outlook. “Budgets are back and people are bullish on things. Bonuses are up and income for top performers is up,” he says. “Another factor is people having confidence in bonuses and disposable income to afford the vacations.”
It’s easier for many senior executives to escape from the office thanks to a reemergence of middle management to whom they can delegate responsibility. Groce says 2001 through 2004 brought incredible belt tightening and companies were conservative and frugal. The result was that people in divisions of responsibility had to do more of the work themselves. Christian & Timbers is now seeing a return to the next layer down – the project manager type of positions.
Groce says technology improvements are another factor that may explain the increase in vacation time. Because it’s rare for leaders at this level to truly unplug, executives know they can take time away from the office yet still stay in touch through a BlackBerry or cell phone connection in Europe.
