"As the summer vacation season closes, a large share of workers say they aren't taking vacation time, often due to the high costs. 42% of American workers report that they have not taken a vacation during the last 12 months. And 47% say the expense of taking a vacation is the biggest impediment to taking time off, shows research conducted by Eagle Hill Consulting," says Susan Nealon.
"This may sound like an employer's dream, but it's not. Employees who don't take time to recharge risk burnout, chronic sleep deprivation, and lower job performance. On the other hand, employees who take vacation leaves are less prone to sickness and depression," alerts Sonika Malviya. According to her, these are the main reasons why workers are not using their right to take a vacation or paid time off (PTO):
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Fear of Returning to a Mountain of Work
When the result of a week off is a staggering amount of work upon returning, it's not totally unreasonable for employees to be skeptical about the overall benefits of taking their PTO. As an employer, it's important to try to mitigate this as much as possible. Make a point of meeting with employees the day they return to help establish their priorities for the coming week.
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Fear of Being Seen as Replaceable
Lingering job insecurity is an unfortunate consequence of the recent pandemic. There are many ways to deal with job insecurity in the workplace. Still, if you see a correlation between job insecurity and unused PTO, you must first combat the idea that taking a vacation is a replacement-worthy offence. The more forthcoming you are with PTO information, the less likely your employees are to see it as frowned upon.
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Wanting to Show Job Dedication
As a company, you want to try to value performance over presence, and encouraging employees to take vacations will work wonders in improving productivity and performance. Taking vacations alleviates burnout and stress that ultimately contributes to enhanced productivity. Therefore, upper management should emphasize vacation as a crucial element of optimal performance.
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Company Culture Discourages Vacation
Lack of communication about vacation policy, a negative vibe toward vacation, and senior-level management that never takes time off can all deter employees from feeling comfortable using PTO. There are many ways to change the company culture regarding vacation days — have employees share vacation photos at company meetings, revisit the vacation policy language in your employee handbook, or hire a wellness coach to speak on stress relief and time off.
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Inability to Disconnect
When 46% of senior business leaders continue responding to emails while on vacation, employees might feel pressure to do the same. If you're on the beach taking calls and answering emails, this suggests that vacation is not an excuse to be unavailable. The best way to combat this mindset is to lead by example! Take a vacation, and set an automatic "out of office" response email. Don't forget to tell your employees only to call you in case of emergency.
Some stats to Understand this Phenomenon
According to research published in August 2022 by Eagle Hill Consulting:
- 42% of workers have not taken time off in the last 12 months, the highest among younger workers (50%) and lower-income employees (56%).
- Workers say the impediments to taking a fully unplugged vacation include:
- 47% because of the expense of taking a vacation
- 31% because of self-imposed pressure to stay on top of work
- 27% because of a heavy workload
- 25% because of no paid time off
- 25% because of no colleagues available to cover their workload
- 54% of employees say they fully disconnect from work during vacation, 28% say they check work emails and messages, and 6% say they continue to work during vacation.
“When you take time away from the stresses of work and daily life, it can improve our physical and mental health, motivation, relationships, job performance and perspective. A vacation can help you feel refreshed and more prepared to handle whatever comes when you return," ensures psychologist Kathryn Isham.
Have you taken time off in the past 12 months?
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8 Comments
I took two weeks off this summer for the first time in 6 years! I did work a little during those two weeks, because I struggle to disconnect when my work emails are on my phone and my work laptop is in my dinning room. I relate to the 27% who do not take vacation because of workload. With my previous responsibilities in accounting there was no one to cover so when I did return I would have very long days trying to catch up.
2 years agoAnd I can relate to the 25% because of no colleagues available to cover their workload. Payroll is not a position that someone can just step into for a few weeks and cover…….
2 years agoI took 8 days off this past June. It takes a lot of planning to be able to leave the sole position of payroll for more than a week. I did take my laptop with me on my trip and didn’t open it once. I’m happy to say I’m part of the 54% of the people who fully disconnected for my vacation.
2 years agoAnd I’m happy that you didn’t open that laptop once!!!!
2 years agoI have learned throughout the years the hard way, you need to take your vacation with a minimum two week increments. It takes a week to disconnect 100% from work and then the second week is your true relax or recovery time.
I’ve heard from many that with Covid they had no where to travel which is why they didn’t take vacation.
I’ve built my team to be successful while I’m away. I have the support of my company to have proper back up and this year I took 4 weeks off. No emails while I was away and no calls. The succession plan in place is working.
2 years agoAgreed. I know it takes me a week to let it all go as well….but when it does 😎…….Four weeks sounds wonderful. Many years ago I had so much vacation accrued and banked they had no option but to allow me to go for three weeks and I thought that was the greatest…..until I had to go back – the more time off, the harder for me to get back to work 🙃
2 years agoI took all my alotted vacation this year. In my past work life, I had trouble disconnecting and put too much pressure on myself to do everything. I have learned some hard lessons through experience and because of that, I place a lot of value on stepping away from work, taking breaks and taking time off. This goes to stepping away during the day. Sometimes a problem doesn’t get resolved by me pounding away at my computer, but by taking a break, stepping away and coming back to it with a fresh mind. Very often I can get it solved within minutes of returning. The same goes for vacation. Our minds and bodies need a break. A week away can drastically improve one’s attitude and effectiveness. I have also invested time in building as much automation as I can into my work, provided training and creating resources for coworkers so that when I am taking time off, I know that what needs to be done will be done well and that overall reduces my stress about taking time off.
1 year agoHaving the ability to truly disconnect is a real skill (and one I’m currently working on!). Being able to not check in on email/voicemail is unnerving at first, but such a real gift to yourself once it’s mastered.
11 months ago