My apologies to The Clash for our spin on their seminal hit song. But I thought it perfectly described the change in mindset and action over the last two years when it comes to employee engagement best practices around work/life balance – specifically as they relate to what most workers will do tomorrow over the Fourth of July holiday.
As I wrote on our old blog two years ago, the discussion was centering around how much time off workers would get, with July 3 being a Monday and the holiday being on a Tuesday. If workers got a four-day weekend, there was no question they would be following their usual routines – either staying home and watching their local fireworks or, in many cases, traveling to where friends or family live and doing the same, perhaps taking in a parade they don't often see.
This year will almost certainly be different, as a number of news sources are anticipating. For one thing, travel over Memorial Day, over land and air as predicted by AAA, was down. Now that gas has risen from a national average of below $4 in May to almost $4.10 today, travel on July 4th is expected to fall 1.3% compared to last year.
So the big question is: This year, if you get a three-day weekend, are you staying home or traveling? And if you're traveling, how far away are you driving, or flying?
I'm going to stay close to home. What about you?
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Comments for American Workers on July 4th: 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go?'