Companies generous with holiday respites.

• Position: Brief Article

Today's companies are not grinches when it comes to giving staff days off, suggests a survey by OfficeTeam, Menlo Park, Calif. Fifty-nine percent of employees polled say they are very satisfied with the amount of vacation time their employers provide, especially around the holidays; another 25% are somewhat satisfied. Only 15% express discontent.

"For many professionals, the challenge lies not in receiving days off but in finding time to take them," explains Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. "People often feel guilty about spending more than just a few days out of the office for fear of inconveniencing colleagues or returning to unmanageable workloads, especially if their firms are operating with lean staffing levels."

Although employees may hesitate to take too much time off, foregoing breaks can lead to burnout, according to Domeyer. "Instead of letting vacation days go unused, workers should schedule time off well in advance so their employers will have time to prepare for their absence."

Domeyer offers these suggestions for planning a smooth--and guilt-free--vacation:

Consider off-season travel. It can be difficult to spend significant time away from the office around the holidays since so many coworkers may plan to be out at this juncture. Instead, consider using vacation days during other months.

Develop a proposal. When meeting with your manager, discuss how time-sensitive projects will be completed in your absence. For example, perhaps a coworker has offered to handle certain tasks, or a temporary professional can be brought in while you're gone.

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