WORKING@DUKE
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TEXT MESSAGING
Emergency text messaging is available to faculty, staff and students this month as part of the DukeALERT notification process.
N E WS YO U CA N U S E
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NEW COACH
Is a new football era here? Duke Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe takes the stage during Primetime.
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Time Out
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SUSTAINABLE DUKE
Finding a carpool buddy is easier. As incentives for sharing a ride get sweeter, Duke rolls out a ridematching service.
August 2008
TAKING A BREAK OFFERS EMPLOYEES MANY BENEFITS
“Since I got married, I got better about taking ummer. A time when many people pack time off,” he said. Last year, he took six weeks their suitcases, pile in a car and head out on vacation. But at Duke, the majority of off for his honeymoon in the Asia-Pacific. Tongsri is not alone in his view of the employees don’t take the vacation time they importance of time off. According to a 2006 accumulate each year. Nationally, only 35 percent of workers do “Rewards of Work Study” by Sibson Consulting, time off ranks at the top when it not use the vacation time they accrue on the comes to employee satisfaction – above cash job, according to recent reports from bonuses, annual pay increases and future Expedia.com and Harris Interactive. At career advancement. Duke, that number is more than half. Green said that Duke’s robust vacation Take Paul Tongsri, a residence benefit could be another coordinator for Kilgo reason why many Quad. He saved as employees don’t take All work and no many vacation days as all their vacation time possible, hardly taking play can lead to a each year. any time off during his range of mental, physical and “Our vacation benefit first couple years emotional problems that can is very competitive,” Green at Duke. “Initially, I felt bad lead to burnout and reduced said. “At Duke, employees accrue more vacation time, about leaving work and productivity.” sick leave and holidays would worry,” he said. — Andy Silberman, M.S.W., each year than many “But not now. I don’t Director of Duke’s Personal comparable employers.” want work to be my life.” Assistance Service The average annual Lois Ann Green, vacation earned nationally director of Duke Benefits, is 14 days, compared to said the reasons many Duke’s average of 16.1 days. Duke staff can employees don’t take all their vacation time accrue up to 20 vacation days each year after each year vary, including saving time to take meeting the eligibility criteria. Those days roll a longer vacation down the road. But mental over from year to year, but the total number health experts suggest that vacations are of vacation days a staff member can essential to work-life balance and overall accumulate maxes out at double their yearly health. vacation accrual. For example, if a Duke staff When Tongsri got married, his priorities member receives 15 days of vacation per year, changed, and he decided to create more the maximum number of vacation days they balance in his life. He took advantage of his vacation days to spend time with his wife, Joy. can accrue is 30. Combined with 13 holidays
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Top: Paul and Joy Tongsri visited the Angkor Wat ancient temple in Cambodia during their six-week honeymoon adventure in the Asia-Pacific last year.
Paul and Joy Tongsri saw these elephants during a three-day trek through the jungle in Thailand.
Paul Tongsri rides through the streets of Ecuador during another trip in 2005.
>> See TIME OUT, PAGE 5
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