Can you imagine working for an entire year and not taking a single vacation day? According to new research, that’s the reality for nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. workers who didn’t use any of their paid time off over the past year.
The FlexJobs Work & PTO Pressure Report is based on a survey of 3,063 employed people across the country and it finds that while 82% of workers have paid time off (PTO), there’s a big difference between a company offering this benefit and actually encouraging staff to use it.
- The biggest thing keeping Americans from taking their PTO? A heavy workload, as 43% say they can’t justify time away because they have too much work.
- About a third (34%) just don’t have enough paid time off and 30% are afraid of getting behind if they’re out.
- But 29% don’t use the days off they’re entitled to because they feel guilty or pressured to appear committed and 19% say their employer/company culture doesn’t support taking time off.
- A quarter (25%) of workers report their manager would actually discourage them from taking a full week off.
- Of course, paid time off can look different depending on the workplace. Some have a fixed number of days off (17%), or a “use it or lose it” policy, where days expire annually (12%), and the majority (42%) have accrued PTO, where they earn time off over time. A lucky 11% have unlimited PTO, but 18% get none at all.
- Having PTO is one thing, but using it is another. So, how much PTO have Americans actually taken in the last year? According to the report, 21% took one to five days in the past year, 21% took six to 10 days, 17% used between 11 and 15 days) and 18% took more than 15 days.⠀
Source: WXYZ
photo: GETTY
Photo: Malte Mueller / fStop / Getty Images