To be productive, employees need to be working. It sounds so simple that it’s not even worth saying, right? Well, the answer isn’t so black and white. In the short term, sure, employees need to be present to do their work. But in the long term, there is a productive value in rest—more specifically, in taking vacations. Evidence suggests that even though a vacation might seem like a luxury, employees that take them are more engaged and productive overall than their counterparts who forgo time off. And there are a lot of folks in that latter camp. A recent study revealed American workers had an estimated 768 million unused vacation days before the pandemic. While this might seem like a benefit for employers—more employees at their desks rather than on the beach—the long-term impacts of a workforce that never takes a break are detrimental to a company’s long-term success. Vacations are proven to bolster organizational success in three main ways: they stimulate individual innovation, help management evaluate individual contributors’ effectiveness, and allow employees the space to recharge. To foster long-term productivity, it might be beneficial for managers and leadership to encourage their employees to take time off.