By Kirstie McDermott
Work is busy: following the 2021 lockdowns, Australians treated themselves––that’s according to National Accounts figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics from last year, which showed household spending rocketed.
Spending on food and housing grew by less than 2%, but “personal and other services”, including hairdressing and beauty, broke its growth record late last year, up by more than 15.4%
The bureau said that “Personal services grew as people got a haircut”, and that this represents “The fastest quarterly growth ever for that industry”.
It is no surprise then that for those working in the industry the race to keep up with demand and to shore up cash reserves depleted by the pandemic, holidays may be something they are placing on the back-burner.
But workers need vacation time to detach and decompress from work. Headspace’s recent Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health Report found that 13% of workers feel worse mentally than they did last year.
And a new study from the University of South Australia (UniSA)––one of the largest to analyse adult movement behavior patterns when on vacation––found that workers who don’t take advantage of their vacation days may be missing out on essential health benefits.
For example, among the study’s findings were the fact that workers were more likely to engage in healthier behaviors during their time off—such as increased sleep and physical activity—and that the behaviors continued when they returned to work.
“When people go on holiday, they’re changing their everyday responsibilities because they’re not locked down to their normal schedule,” says Ty Ferguson, who is the study’s co-author and UniSA research associate.
Using data collected from the survey’s participants’ fitness trackers over a 13 month period, the data collected shows that when they were off work and on holiday, they slept 21 more minutes and exercised five more minutes per day. Additionally, they had 29 fewer minutes of sedentary time each day compared to their pre-vacation routine.
Also good to know: The longer the vacation, the longer it took to return to pre-holiday levels of sleep and physical activity after the trip. However, you have to be able to take a break to reap the wellness benefits, and if you are currently in a job where taking time off seems impossible, it can be a hard pill to swallow.
One good solution can be to look for a new role at a company where you can actually take your vacation days. The Professional Beauty Job Board is the perfect place to start your search, featuring thousands of jobs in companies that are actively hiring, like the three below.
Replenishment Analyst – Beauty, Myer, Docklands
If you love beauty and are looking to take the first step in your allocation and planning career, Myer is seeking a Replenishment Analyst. Working with suppliers of global brands (Chanel, Dior, Estee Lauder, Benefit, The Ordinary), you will play a pivotal role in delivering the end-to-end management of merchandise replenishment and strategic product planning. You’ll also monitor and track product performance, providing your specialist advice to the business for post-season reviews and directly liaise with suppliers, stores and key stakeholders to effectively execute seamless replenishment processes. To apply, previous experience in stock management or replenishment (retail preferred) is required. You will also need intermediate computer technology and systems skills, particularly Microsoft Excel. Get the full information here.
Full Time Department Manager – Bondi, Sephora, Sydney
In this Full Time Department Manager role you will support the store manager and assistant store manager to lead the team in a fast-paced and exciting retail environment and deliver an unbeatable client experience. You will be expected to drive a selling culture within your team to meet KPIs, implement a continuous improvement mentality and provide meaningful in-store experiences. Employee benefits include opportunities for personal development in Australia and New Zealand, the opportunity to work across the global group of high-end luxury brands and mental health and wellbeing programmes. See more information here.
Continuous Improvement Specialist – Quality Assurance, AESOP Corporate, Melbourne
Aesop is seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist to improve quality management practices, promote continuous improvement, and enhance customer satisfaction. By leading initiatives to improve quality, reduce complaints, streamline processes, and ensure compliance, the goal is to optimise efficiency, minimise errors, and enhance product or service quality. You will also foster a culture of continuous improvement by proactively identifying opportunities for quality enhancement and implementing preventive actions. See the full job description here.
This article was produced in partnership with Jobbio.
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