Workaholics – to holiday or not holiday

Bizarrely since my last blog regarding getting a life balance my eye has been drawn to a few articles discussing whether holidays are good or bad for you.  My view is that a holiday or break away gives you the opportunity to recharge your batteries, to change focus and to operate on a personal instead of a professional basis.  Does that mean not looking at emails, being contactable when out of the office?  If the life balance is good and you enjoy what you do then I don’t see it as a problem as long as it is not intrusive.  However if you are just relocating your work addiction to your holiday time then it is neither a holiday or a chance to recharge your batteries so I would agree a holiday, whilst in this state of neediness, will not work.    It is also often stated that holidays tend to be a “nightmare”.  I would suggest that this is because there is a different set of family dynamics we have to negotiate.  When a workaholic is always “out at work” the hole they leave seems to seamlessly cover over so holidays are difficult as there is no place to slot into.  In essence there is a split in the family.  However when we get the work life balance situation right – there is no “hole” to fill and holidays can be just what they are intended to be.