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Take a HOLIDAY

21 November 2006

Posted by: Georgia Lee

Topic: Telstra , Consumer & Technology

Tags:    blog  georgia-lee  health  holidays  mobile  tourism  travel

For this week’s BLOG I am taking a break from Chicken Pox and Mobile Phones. My whole focus has turned to Holidays. Have you booked your annual holiday yet?

If you have not booked your holiday you are not alone – you may have read recently about Australians putting off booking their holidays. Here are some of the statistics which may or may not shock you...

  1. Australians have stockpiled 70 million annual leave days (AC Nielsen 2005)
  2. More than 60% of full time Australian workers do not use their full annual leave entitlement in a year, and one third do not take leave at all (Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life Study 2006)
  3. 48% of respondents say a lack of resourcing and back up while on leave is the most significant barrier to taking leave (Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life Study 2006)
  4. 46% indicate that increased workload before and after leave makes the holiday less than worthwhile ((Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life Study 2006)
  5. 33% said fitting travel and holiday plans around a partner or travel companion is a barrier (Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life Study 2006)
  6. 18% said that even finding time to organise and book a holiday becomes an obstacle (Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life Study 2006)

I have not had a break all year and I do not intend to be one of these statistics. I booked the annual holiday for the family months ago knowing that we wanted to go overseas with the family to see our US cousins. - With all that has gone on this year with work and life we all really need a break.

Studies have proven people are much better emotionally and physically after taking a holiday" says workplace health and wellbeing expert Professor Ron Penny, medical director of Good Health Solutions. "For starters, the heart-attack risk drops in males when they take annual leave at regular intervals." Importantly for employers, health, well-rested people are more productive; they take fewer sick days and the strange phenomenon of 'presenteeism' and classic Mondayitis, become less prevalent. (The Weekend Australian Magazine 8-9 July 2006)

So what do we need to do to make sure all Australians starts taking leave again? Perhaps all we need is a good looking CYBER personal assistant who can:

  1. Check our frequent flyer points, book the leave and then tell us when we are going away
  2. Pack all the right “stuff” for you and the family for whatever destination is planned and picks the weather conditions
  3. Pick us up from our desks and make sure we get to the airport or drive us to that holiday
  4. To filter our emails, phone calls and other interruptions while away so we don’t come back to a pile of messages
  5. Update our personal blogs with photos and videos from the holiday to keep everyone updated
  6. Act as the Cyber Butler on the holiday – cleaning up and making sure we don’t have to do any chores while away
  7. Alert you if there is someone trying to take your job while you are away or if there is a big takeover about to happen

So I hope you can find the time to book that holiday and take it. I look forward to hearing about everyone’s holiday plans and stories.

Quote of the week

I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays.
Henny Youngman
US (English-born) comedian (1906 - 1998

Comments

First commentLast comment

Indre
22 November 2006
10:37am

Comment Permalink

My leave begins tomorrow! I'm heading up to Northern Victoria with some friends for a few days - been waiting for this all year! I also have my leave in January booked as my cousin in Perth is getting married & then about 2 weeks later I'm heading off to Victoria with friends again!

Bulsara
22 November 2006
2:39pm

Comment Permalink

Sorry... let me get this straight. You have such a well paid job you can take 5 people overseas on holidays. Yet you can not afford the time to create a relationship with a good family doctor and have your kids treated medically. Where are your priorities???? You need to leave the over seas holiday and take some time off work to be a parent. This would be good life balance. This is getting beyond a joke. For shame.

Georgia Lee (Blogger)
23 November 2006
12:35pm

Comment Permalink

I agree with you BULSARA life is about a BALANCING act and constantly assessing priorities. I dont expect my blog audience to agree with everything I say on this BLOG but to take it in the spirit of sharing some of my "struggle" with daily life. It is a struggle to be a working mother and I constantly worry about how happy and healthy the kids are - and thank goodness I have been very fortunate to have great kids that are happy and healthy. One missed trip to the doctor or the dentist or a missed party or a missed dance lesson is ok by them and ok by me.

Bulsara
23 November 2006
5:21pm

Comment Permalink

So many people are struggling and you say it is hard when you are planning overseas trips for 5 people. Even to our closest neighbour NZ it would cost thousands of dollars. I wish I had your type of struggles!!!! As a full time employed and full time single parent, I make sure my children go to our dentist and doctor long before we plan holidays. Both dentist and doctor are people we have been going to for decades and are very capable and trustworthy. Please note a family i was helping pay for food was reported to Doc's for doing exactly what you described as being good parenting. I guess that money counts more than i thought.

Tony Blythe
23 November 2006
6:14pm

Comment Permalink

Bulsara, while our hearts go out to you, give Georgia a break. She works hard and is successful and if she can and her husband can afford to take the family on an overseas holiday, why not? I suspect there aren't too many women at Georgia's level in a big company like Telstra. Our world is full of people who live their lives at different levels. Success and happiness aren't necessarily about money and overseas holidays. Remember that. There's nothing worse than being critical of others for their success.

Chelsea
23 November 2006
11:47pm

Comment Permalink

No annual holidays for me for awhile new job = no leave yet. I've just started working in the travel industry so even if I can't get away yet I do get to spend my day talking about everyone else's holidays! Have a great time, Georgia!

Bulsara
24 November 2006
4:01pm

Comment Permalink

Tony : Sorry but I am not attacking anyone's success. I could not care less. I am very upset re a prior blog about three children having chickenpox and being denied access to professional medical care because their parents were not prepared to make time to find a good doctor. This was then purported to be good life balance.Then it was stated that their children enjoyed not having to go to the doctors and that they were now prepaing to take all five people overseas. My point has nothing to do with the person's success but what I, Docs and and many other parents believe should happen before over seas trips are planned. Where are the parent's piorities? Please note that other people have been investigated by DOCs for the exact thing described in this blog. I am appalled over the facts that were put on this blog and that they were made to seem perfectly normal. What sort of example is that to young parents?????????

Georgia Lee (Blogger)
27 November 2006
2:23pm

Comment Permalink

Bulsara - what we all would hope is that the people that work at DOCS do not take information at face value - like information on BLOGs. DOCS would surely realise like the majority of the readers of this BLOG that the information supplied here is often lined with a light bit of irony, sarcasm, some wit and a suggestion of what maybe possible for those who want to listen. DOCs may also ask if the children have been immunised (yes fully), been to the doctor on a regular basis (yes ) and read reports by the family doctor that would show they are in excellent health. DOCs would also be really pleased that international families are finding the way to get the 3 kids to visit their grandmother and family in the USA. DOCs would also surely note that it was never mentioned on the BLOG how the trip was being financed - if that is even relevant to them- maybe someone else maybe paying for our trip to help? I am sure most Government departments have better things to do.

Kara
28 November 2006
10:39am

Comment Permalink

Bulsara - I had chickenpox when I was in primary school and didn't go to the doctor, if you know what it is because it's going around and you know how to treat it properly then I can't see that there would be anything further the doctor can do.

bulsara
29 November 2006
10:34am

Comment Permalink

I am always happy to acknowledge another opinion kara. I ask you to validate your arguement and state your sources. Please don't say "I heard it on the net". I have taken this hypothetical situation to a qualified social worker and a Docs employee who both support my concerns re neglect. The real reason I am upset is that people are using this blog to be such a poor example to the young parents who may well be reading it. It has been said on this blog that doctors make mistakes. I agree. But then, who am I to say I know that a problem is only chicken pox? Please read about shingles and the complications that may arise from mis-diagnosis. A medical practitioner is far more qualified than me to protect my children.

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