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Remember the good old days when people went on vacation and returned to work refreshed, relaxed, sometimes even a little tan? Today, when employees go on vacation, work goes along with them as an uninvited guest. Get this: 58 percent of workers receive no stress relief from their vacations, and 27.3 percent felt even more stressed after their vacations, according to a recent survey by leadership development and training firm Fierce Inc.

Effective vacation policies are essential for employees because it allows them to disconnect from the office and recharge their batteries. These days employees are working longer hours, bringing work home and severely limiting time for relaxation, inevitably increasing stress and impacting performance. Forward-thinking organizations are proactively exploring ways to make PTO work harder for their employees.

As a point of comparison, European companies already realize the importance of disconnecting from the workplace. Not only do European workers receive more days off per year, they get paid to vacation as well. A recent Bloomberg Businessweek article noted that 40 percent of American workers — more than 55 million people — don’t receive any pay when taking vacation or sick days, yet Austria, for example, guarantees as many as 43 paid days off per year, and German workers can take as many as 40 days.

Here is the first of three valuable tips for employers to ensure that employees make the most of their time off and return refreshed and recharged.

Make sure employees are unplugged while on vacation. A vacation just isn’t the same when employees feel the need to constantly be accessible and available. Some employees — 6.5 percent of the survey respondents — actually checked in multiple times per day while on vacation. Employers can help alleviate any guilt they may feel by assuring them they’ll more effective and productive when they return if they actually take the time to completely unwind.

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Halley Bock is the president & CEO of Fierce Inc., a leadership development and training firm. She sets the company’s strategic vision and creates the culture through her ongoing commitment to ensure employees are engaged, communication is candid, and learning is continuous. She joined Fierce as COO in 2006, was promoted to President in 2009, and became CEO in 2011. Under her leadership, the company has enjoyed double-digit growth across all business units and is consistently honored by the training industry and business community. Halley is a well-known global speaker, prolific writer, and outspoken columnist. As an active industry leader, Halley ensures Fierce stays up-to-date on the latest trends and most innovative solutions for clients. She can be reached at her firm.