Published: 23 Jul 2025
One of TSA’s three vision statements is, ‘TSA will help you build a better business’ and we continue to provide support, seminars and experts to help survey businesses run more efficiently and with healthier and happier staff and management.
Holidays and breaks from day-to-day routines are an important part of everyone’s working lives. It used to be that holidays were a single focal point in a year. You had one or two weeks of holiday and there was very much a ‘holiday season’. This was defined by the school holiday term times, with prices geared accordingly. But the ease of global travel and the availability of many different types of holiday accommodation have meant there is much more flexibility these days when it comes to the location and duration of holidays. In this blog, we’ll be looking at the importance of mental health and wellbeing, and acknowledging when it’s time to take a break.
Home or away?
There are many different aspects of life – exercise, diet, relationships – that can affect our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. Holidays and time off in general are seen as beneficial to everyone in the workplace, both employees and managers. The fact is that work patterns have considerably evolved over the last few years, with events such as Covid having changed people’s perception of work-life, or even life-work balance and acknowledging issues such as isolation, loneliness and the importance of working with colleagues to collaborate. The era of work-from-home and hybrid working has allowed people much greater flexibility too.
However, with professions such as surveying and other construction-related industries, it’s not always possible to ‘work from home’ when you’re required on site. With long hours and arduous schedules to adhere to, your mental and physical health will tell you when you need to step back, even for a few days. We all know the satisfaction of booking a holiday, of having something to look forward to. Often a short break, even a couple of days, can be just as useful and effective for relaxing and building up energy again.
Location, duration
Perhaps the biggest improvement in holidaying is the flexibility and sheer array of the type of holiday options and lets available – from official travel agents and letting companies, to independent owners renting out their properties, like Airbnb and Pass the Keys.
It may be better to look at longer holidays, if you need an extensive break from work, or even working holidays, if you are involved in a project or processing survey data that can be carried out remotely. Extended sabbaticals can sometimes be an option, if you have available holiday, and going travelling is also a possibility, to see new countries and cultures. Conversely, shorter breaks are often deemed as rejuvenating as longer ones, and can help you focus your energy and make you feel as though you’ve had a proper break, even if it’s just for a couple of days.
Overwork, stress and burnout are very real challenges to any profession, and surveying is no different. Many different factors can affect a surveyor’s mental wellbeing and seeing when stress, overwork and other pressures are becoming a problem is important. Ensure that you take that break, switch off and recharge your batteries – it’s a vital part of work that will make sure you maintain a healthy, positive outlook on your career and return focused and energised.
