Portland State Magazine Spring 2019

12 Vacasa employees have plenty of other options when it comes to reducing work fatigue. Vacasa’s new Pearl District office building features ping-pong tables and dedicated unwinding areas where employees can step away from work obligations, says Bastin-Wells. The office kitchens feature fresh fruit, bagels, yogurt and other con- venience snacks, plus an in-house barista for gourmet coffee breaks. Fritz cautions that some kinds of breaks taken during the work day—browsing Facebook for a few minutes, for example—don’t measurably boost employees’ energy or productivity levels. Employees looking to step away from work for a midday energy boost would do better to create “positive work moments,” Fritz says. That could mean thanking a colleague for help they provided, creating a to-do list of upcoming projects, or thinking about the meaningful contributions one is making. Next time the post-lunch doldrums hit, grab a co-worker for a walk around the block and chat about an upcoming project rather than dwelling on a negative experience. Getting the most out of vacations Time off is integral for employees’ success, but Fritz stresses that how a vacation is spent can affect whether someone returns to work feeling refreshed or if they come back feeling more stressed than before they left. In other words, there is such a thing as a bad vacation. In addition to the importance of leaving work at work, Fritz says that the best vacations involve relaxation and experiences that help develop a sense of mastery. When it comes to relaxation and mastery during vacations, “it’s not so much about, ‘Do I play tennis or do I play soccer or do I read a book’—it’s more about the experience you have while doing that,” Fritz says. Relaxation is about calming experiences, while mastery includes experiences that are stimulating but not too demanding or all-consuming. “This could be a new hobby or really anything that broadens your horizons,” says Fritz. “While it may take some effort, it still creates positive emotions.” Employees don’t necessarily have to take up rock climbing or go deep-sea diving in order to gain a sense of mastery. Any experience that puts a person outside of their comfort zone can be enough to give someone a new perspective, refresh their worldview, and recharge their emotional batteries. For that reason, Fritz suggests that anyone planning a vacation should reconsider the temptation to book an all-inclusive, English-speaking resort. “You don’t have to try that hard,” Fritz says. “Just being in a location that is very different from your everyday context provides opportunities for mastery experiences.” Wojciechowski incorporated both of these strategies into her Hawaii trip. In addition to spending time stretched out on the beach, Wojciechowski and her husband learned to surf. Wojciechowski is adamant about not checking work messages or email while on vacation. Fritz’s research also found employees do better taking several shorter vacations throughout the year as Wojciechowski did, as opposed to one long vacation. Shorter vacations every couple of Any experience that puts a person outside of their comfort zone can be enough to give someone a new perspective, refresh their worldview, and recharge their emotional batteries.