Summertime and the living is easy.  Or is it?  For managers, the summer season can be stressful, especially when they, as well as their key employees, plan vacations and work still needs to get done.

At times, it can be tempting for managers to cancel their vacations and encourage employees to do the same.  However, experts warn against these actions.  Psychologists and HR professionals agree that taking time to rest and refuel is vital to a person’s health and well-being.

In the Career Journal article, “Canceling a Vacation Can Cost You Dearly,” Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger stresses the importance of getting away from the office. “If you are considering canceling a vacation, and if you have a choice in the matter, don't do it,” said Shellenbarger.   In her article, she references a 14-year study of 12,866 men, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, which found annual vacations sharply reduced the risk of death among middle-aged men. Similarly, a 20-year study of 749 middle-aged women by the Centers for Disease Control found a link between a lack of vacations and higher risk of heart attack and death.

But how easy is it to truly get away? Gadgets that are geared to make working while on the road convenient, such as laptops, PDAs, and cell phones, can be highly distracting when taking time off.  As revealed in a recent study commissioned by America Online, email addiction is running rampant in the United States. About a fourth of the respondents acknowledged being so addicted to e-mail that they can't go more than a couple of days without checking their messages.  In addition, 60% of respondents admitted logging into their in-boxes while they are on vacation.   

Email addiction aside, there are ways to truly enjoy a vacation and avoid stress.  The key is planning ahead.  Paul McDonald, Executive Director of Robert Half Management Resources, suggests the following tips in the HR Reporter article, “What the CFO does on a Summer Vacation”: